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Factor Two is a climbing podcast with impact, brought to you by Wil Treasure and UKClimbing.com.It brings you the best climbing stories straight from the people at their heart - and the best climbing stories are always about a little bit more than just climbing.https://www.factortwo.co.uk
Based on 5 episodes we listened to · August 2026
Factor Two makes climbing history feel close and practical, with patient conversations about routes, films, expeditions, and mindset.
Factor Two belongs in Sports, but its best work is less scoreboard than memory work. The show follows climbing through the people who carried routes, films, expeditions, and arguments with them: El Capitan, Hard Grit, an all-female first ascent in Pakistan, and the mental strain…
Bring a thermos: your climbing stories here arrive with debt, doubt, and creaking flakes.
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Short reviews from the PlayNext desk, based on the episodes we processed.
A close look at a childhood escarpment, climbing history, and how the crag's meaning can shift over time.
Pete Oxley records outdoors in a field on the farm where he grew up, looking toward the limestone escarpment that marked his childhood. The piece works best when it stays close to that ground: dirty, loose, awkward, north-facing, and odd to return to after so much time.
An honest mountaineering story where the route, the team, and the sense of place all matter.
The episode traces a new route on Beatrice in Pakistan's Characusa Valley, and its strongest quality is the way it holds climbing effort and team dynamics in the same frame.
A grounded look at pressure, mindset, and the mental side of climbing under competition strain.
The piece tracks Gerry Moffat's shift from competition panic to a World Cup breakthrough with a clear, steady focus on the mental side of climbing.
A climbing-film saga that turns sound design, memory, and ownership into a Yosemite story.
Fred Padula's El Capitan follows a climb story that begins with a film and keeps widening into memory, ownership, and the odd way a story can drift away from the person who started it.
A cult climbing film gets its memory, myth, and backstage detail back in the room.
Hard Grit reads less like a film than a marker in gritstone climbing history: a 1998 release that caught the hardest lines, the top dogs and likely lads of the scene, and the mix of eccentricity, motivation, and planning that gave it a lasting shape.
Climbing culture, with patience and bite.
Climbing stories with dirtbag memory.
Bill Simmons debates NBA tanking, MVP races, and movies with Zach Lowe and friends.
Zach Lowe and ESPN colleagues dissect NBA trades, cap rules, and roster fit.
Big Cat and PFT Commenter cover the NFL, March Madness, and NHL for laughs.
Ryen Russillo runs weekly NFL and MLB recaps with beat reporters like Jeff Passan and Mike Sando.
Will records outside, looking at the limestone escarpment he grew up with.
Beatrice is the mountain in view.
A problem wasn't strength.
El Cap is the weight in the room.
Factor Two returns to Hard Grit as both a film and a marker of the gritstone scene.
This episode explores the competitive and bold climbing culture through the story of climbers Franco Cookson and Dave, highlighting their rivalry and unique approaches.
A climbing podcast exploring the authentic passion and community behind the sport, featuring personal stories from climbers.
Host Wil Treasure explores the concept of climbing heroes through personal reflection and an interview with climber Leo Holding about his ground-up first ascent of The Prophet on El Capitan.
This episode features an interview with climber Mina Leslie, discussing her approach to climbing, community, and her achievements.
This episode explores the concept of authentic desire and intrinsic motivation in climbing, featuring interviews with climbers who pursued lofty goals.
A climbing podcast exploring the emotional and psychological aspects of the sport, including depression and redefining success.
Host Wil Treasure introduces a story about climber Duncan Critchley's incredible feat on El Capitan in 1984, comparing it to Adam Ondra's Dawn Wall ascent.
This episode explores the history and legendary ascents of the Indian Face and surrounding routes on Clogwyn Du'r Arddu (Cloggy), focusing on bold wall climbing in the UK.