I want to welcome back to Clipping Chains Becky Switzer, a Bozeman, Montana-based climber who delivered a great written interview about a year ago. When I first met Becky in summer of 2020, I was living out of a tiny A-frame camper with my wife and dog. We were passing through Bozeman, and I remembered someone I sort of knew from Instagram who might help me with some local beta: Becky Switzer. I asked if she’d be willing to meet for coffee, and much to my surprise, she was. This was the first pre-interview discussion where I wished I was recording. It was during this conversation that I resolved to eventually start a podcast, and over a year later, here we are.
Topics Discussed with Becky Switzer
- The realities of growing mountain towns and how to build and maintain community in them.
- The controversy of secret crags and crag development
- Becky’s complicated past with sports and relationships and how she found solace in climbing, eventually gaining sponsorship.
- Social media: the complications for sponsored athletes
- Becky’s education background and challenging path in teaching, which eventually led to a career in outdoor retail.
- The proliferation of online coaches in the climbing space, and how to assess the quality (or lack thereof) of potential coaches.
- A potentially provocative take on the utility of vans.
Get in Touch with Becky Switzer
Original Interview: Becky Switzer: The Powerful Pragmatist
Sponsors: Mystery Ranch, Gnarly Nutrition, Butora
Previous Relevant Interviews and Articles
Kris Hampton: Popping Your Comfort Bubble
Steve Bechtel: The Importance of Time
Power Company Climbing: Training Plan Review
Housing Links:
Relocation: A Guide to Moving and Housing Affordability
This Just In: The Real Cost of Home Ownership
Housing Affordability: This Isn’t Normal
Bloomberg: The Zoom Town Boom in Bozeman, Montana
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