#103 | Bryan Burdo - Rock Climbing and Route Setting in the North Cascades

Bryan Burdo is a powerful athlete who’s been rock climbing and running for many decades. 

If you sport rock climb anywhere near the northern cascades, you’ll eventually climb a route set by Bryan. He is a prolific rock climber who loves to set first ascents or in other words, find his own way up the rock’s face. Bryan is responsible for setting a ton of the routes in mazama, a quaint town on the eastern slopes of the north cascades. Listening to Bryan talk, you can hear the passion in his voice and it was really inspiring. In Bryan’s youth, he had little athletic talent, but after tackling a wide range of challenges throughout his life, he’s climbing 5.14 in his 60’s. 5.14 is like a Jiu-Jitsu black belt in the vertical world. Only a small percentage of people ever reach that level of climbing. Bryan is also a biologist and proponent of the carnivore diet. 

You can pick up Bryan’s guidebooks at goatsbeardmountainsupplies

Check out Bryan’s route, Flyboy’s on goat wall, it’s an 18 pitch moderate sport route in mazama Washington.

Bryan is currently working on setting a 5.14 route in mazama washington and he’s working to be the oldest person to climb 5.14.