EP 3 Miranda Oakley

01:24:53

Miranda Oakley has been climbing since 2000. She works as a climbing guide and teaches climbing clinics in Yosemite National Park and Bishop CA. She specializes in long traditional climbing and has climbed all over the world including trips to Patagonia, Asia and the Middle East.

Miranda is a certified Rock Guide with the AMGA and an athlete for Mountain Hardwear. 

Show Notes:

Mentioned Articles and Videos:

Miranda’s Links:

Timestamps:

00:00:00 – Intro & Catching up

00:02:17 – from Miranda’s article “Becoming a Mother, Not Unbecoming Myself” and talk about the adjustments Miranda had to make on guiding and instructing

00:07:25 – Is a kid always in Miranda’s picture? women’s biological clock? does feminism fail women? what’s the reality?

00:11:02 – Miranda got support from family and felt lucky; however the society can provide more support for women because when babies are little they rely on moms a lot

00:14:40 – Still want to keep guiding and hope to guide more after the baby is bigger

00:15:10 – Miranda started climbing in high school and got hooked

00:16:20 – Why many climbers claim they are not good at sports including Miranda

00:17:50 – Stayed in Maryland until college and then moved to Yosemite after graduation

00:19:33 – Didn’t climb much in college in Maryland but did a “study abroad” program in Spain and expand Miranda’s climbing horizon

00:23:20 – What made Miranda decide to do to Yosemite right after college without knowing Yosemite was the ultimate climbing mecca?

00:25:25 – Cut her teeth on trad climbing in Yosemite

00:27:00 – Miranda learned trad climbing from friends and a lot of trials and errors

00:28:10 – Should we hire a guide to learn trad climbing? comparing learning from friends and from a guide

00:29:45 – Miranda talking about her mentor Josh

00:31:10 – In 2013 Miranda started working for Yosemite Mountaineering School (YMS) after taking an AMGA course

00:32:50 – What does Miranda think about her experience on AMGA courses

00:33:15 – Before YMS Miranda had some instructing experience in a climbing gym and in the climbing club she started with friends in college

00:35:00 – worked in China between Yosemite seasons

00:35:50 – What does Miranda think about Yosemite? the climbs, the approaches, and the logistics

00:38:20 – What did Miranda want to do when she was a kid?

00:39:00 – What does Miranda like being a climbing guide?

00:40:10 – What kind of guiding does Miranda do in Yosemite?

00:42:38 – What is “full time guiding” like in Yosemite? Does it conflict with personal climbing?

00:45:00 – a story on guiding

00:47:30 – being requested because being a female guide? and how was it being the only female guide for many seasons?

00:50:45 – What kind of changes Miranda want to bring to the guiding community?

00:52:33 – Hitting the 10 year mark on guiding and being more experienced Miranda started to step into the mentor role

00:54:36 – Changes Miranda observed from the guiding community in the past 10 years. Is the community more diverse?

00:57:08 – Talking about Miranda’s rope solo. The Nose in a day. How she learned the technical systems? and how she practiced and why she did it in August?

01:02:00 – Why does Miranda like to repeat long climbs?

01:02:45 – Free Freerider in a day?

01:03:50 – Miranda traveled much because of climbing such as Spain, Patagonia, Middle East etc. What Miranda think about traveling to foreign countries to climb and what she learned from all these experience?

01:07:22 – Miranda’s Middle East trips. The trips were special and amazing for Miranda but it’s tricky to go there because of unstable political situation

01:11:18 – Miranda’s future international trip plans with her daughter

01:12:15 – Miranda offers courses on topics include Intro to Trad, Self Rescue, Intro to Big Wall, Crack and Trad etc in Eastern Sierras and there are women only courses as well. Potentially more advanced courses to come

01:19:38 – Miranda’s role models and what kind of role model Miranda wants to become

01:22:00 – Looking forward and closing