92 | An Untold Life w/ Bob Gaines

The Climbing Majority

When you hear the phrase living legend, what comes to mind?....to me…this is someone who has lived a life to their fullest. A life that inspires us to be our best. Someone whose legacy will outlast them.

Today, I have the pleasure of releasing my conversation with a true living legend…Bob Gaines.

Bob began climbing in the mid-1970s—right in the thick of climbing’s golden era, alongside icons like Ron Kauk, Scott Cosgrove, John Bachar, John Long, and Lynn Hill. But Bob wasn’t just in the audience—he was part of the show. He became John Long’s main climbing partner for five years. He trained hard, soloed hard, and became a Joshua Tree lifer—watching legends like Bachar soloing 5.10s and 11s before most people had their morning coffee.

It's easy to remember these iconic names like John Bachar and Lynn Hill, but Bob Gaines has his own right to stand amongst these icons of climbing. With nearly 600 first ascents under his belt, and 500 of them located solely in Joshua Tree California. Bob has certainly stamped his name into the history of climbing. His routes are known for being clean, creative, and undeniably classic—if you're on a Bob Gaines line, chances are you're giving it four stars on Mountain Project.

This episode marks Bob’s first-ever podcast appearance. I give him the chance to share his origin story. How he found climbing and how the icons of history directly influenced his journey. We dive deep into several of his key first ascents, so get out your MP and be ready to add a bunch of climbs to your to do list. We explore the controversial issue of bolting, how that process developed over the decades, and how we are currently in a time period where we may lose the freedom to bolt in wilderness areas entirely. We explore Bob’s unique experience in Hollywood as a stunt double for William Shatner in Star Trek V and a stunt coordinator for the 1993 movie Cliffhanger. And finally we speak about Bob’s unique experience as a small team rescue instructor for SEAL Team 6.

This is a rare, wide-ranging conversation with a man who’s lived more life than most of us can imagine.

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Resources

Bob's Instagram

All Of Bob Gaines' Books

Opening Scene of Star Trek V

Bob's Write Up on Slab Climbing

Star Trek V & Free Solo Parody

Chapters

1. Introduction (00:00:00)

2. Origin Story (00:04:32)

3. Y.O.S.A.R. (00:29:35)

4. The Art Of First Ascents (00:38:37)

5. Bolting & The Bolt Wars (01:09:09)

6. How The Sport Has Changed (01:37:44)

7. Hollywood (01:44:34)

8. SEAL Team 6 (02:11:34)