EP 258: Louise Shepherd
February 3, 2025
Louise Shepherd is a living legend, and has been called “The Lynn Hill of Australia”. We talked about climbing in the late 70s, her formative experiences, dirtbagging in Arapiles, onsighting some of the first 5.12s in Yosemite, access issues threatening Aralipes climbing, putting cultural heritage into context, and how climbers can help save Arapiles climbing.
How You Can Help: https://www.climbingvictoria.com/arapiles
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Show Notes:
Related Podcast Episodes:
Help Save Arapiles Climbing:
More Info on Arapiles:
Other Links:
Nuggets:
00:00:00 – Intro
00:01:26 – Fahrenheit
00:03:09 – Australian bolting system
00:05:49 – Louise’s intro to climbing in 1978
00:16:46 – Dealing with health issues
00:18:36 – Formative experiences
00:24:34 – Flying breasts & Kim Carrigan
00:29:34 – Yosemite & yoyo style
00:36:16 – Living in Arapiles
00:49:09 – Guiding & The Millennium Draught
00:58:35 – Cultural heritage & closures in Arapiles
01:20:00 – How we can help
01:27:29 – Endangered species & preservation
01:34:15 – Potential outcomes & complexities
01:41:53 – Recap & wrap up