Jared Wicks has been a rock climber for over 30 years, he is a former SWAT officer, and one of seven full-time commissioned officers on the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department Search and Rescue team. Born and raised in Montana, Jared served in the military and spent his off-duty hours climbing at Red Rock—falling so in love with the area that he moved to Las Vegas in 2006 specifically to combine his passion for climbing with a career in law enforcement. After nearly two decades working patrol, firearms instruction, and SWAT, Jared finally landed his dream position on the SAR, where he now responds to rescues across 8,000 square miles of Clark County—from Red Rock Canyon to Mount Charleston to Lake Mead. This episode explores what it takes to be on one of the most unique full-time SAR teams in the country, how helicopter operations actually work, and what happens when 911 gets called from a climbing route. Jared walks through the structure of LVMPD SAR's four specialty teams (lead climb, mountain rescue, dive recovery, and tactical medical support), the qualifications required to even test for the position, and how 40+ volunteers—including world-class 5.14 climbers and SPRAT Level 3 rope access technicians—support the full-time officers. We discuss the death of his mentor Dave Van Buskirk, who fell during a hoist rescue 13 years ago after saving a stranded hiker, and how that tragedy changed rescue protocols across the entire SAR community. Jared breaks down a recent rescue from this past weekend on Dream Safari, what percentage of climbing rescues are preventable versus pure chaos, and how witnessing accidents over the years has fundamentally changed his own approach to risk and gear placement.

If there's one thing Jared wants you to take away from this conversation, it's that LVMPD SAR is funded by tax dollars—rescues are free. Never hesitate to call 911 if you're in trouble. Jared and his team are ready to come get you.

Topics include: LVMPD SAR team structure, Red Rock Canyon, helicopter rescue operations, 911 communication protocols, volunteer SAR requirements, Dave Van Buskirk's legacy, preventable versus unpreventable accidents, risks, double rack philosophy, how SAR changes your climbing, and why tax dollars—not rescue fees—fund Las Vegas search and rescue operations.

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#searchandrescue #climbingaccident #tradclimbing #climbingsafety

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Justin Sackett, an AMGA guide who googled "hardest hike" in college and ended up on a 20,000-foot peak in Ecuador with zero mountaineering experience. That failure lit a fire that led him from complete beginner to professional guide to running his own guide company at 28—all while training single-mindedly for Everest without supplemental oxygen. This episode explores his rapid progression to being an alpine guide, the mentor who gave him the technical foundation most climbers take years to develop, and the Liberty Ridge storm where 60mph winds and inadequate gear taught him lessons about weather forecasts and risk tolerance. We discuss the Rainier ice block incident that made several of his friends quit guiding, why he started his own company instead of working for established services, how he vets guides, and what training for Everest without oxygen actually looks like when you're also running a business. Justin opens up about the genetic lottery of altitude performance, why the West Ridge of Everest represents the ultimate objective in his mind, and how he's preparing mentally for both success and failure.

Topics include: becoming a mountain guide, AMGA certifications, Liberty Ridge conditions, guide company management, hiring guides, Everest without oxygen training, altitude acclimatization, post-objective depression, risk tolerance at 8,000 meters, and balancing business ownership with personal climbing goals.

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#amgaguides #highaltitudeclimbing #mountaineering #alpinism

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David Baltz started climbing in 1974 when there were only eight climbers in all of Albuquerque. Over five decades, he's witnessed climbing's transformation from a fringe pursuit requiring pitons and commitment...to a commercialized sport with grid-bolted crags and documentaries glorifying free soloing. This episode explores the clean climbing revolution that defined David's early years, the bolting controversies that followed sport climbing's arrival in New Mexico, and what gets lost when safety becomes the priority over experience. We discuss finding partners in an era before Facebook groups, the ethics of retrobolting established trad lines, Alex Honnold's impact on climbing culture, and how David approaches climbing now.

Topics include: clean climbing history, New Mexico first ascents, bolting ethics, trad climbing at 69, helmet debates, commercialization of outdoor sports, Free Solo culture, risk versus safety, aging climbers, psychological climbing, sport climbing evolution, and maintaining old school values in modern climbing.

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#livinglegend #oldschoolclimber

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