When I was young, I thought only of mountains.
I never imagined that a life in the vertical world would lead me here—fighting for our climate, our communities, and our democracy.
Lately, I’ve been reflecting on why I keep showing up
I wrote about it:
grahamgzimmerman.substack.com/p/we-should-...
📸 Tyler Roemer
I focus on the ice, the rock, and the roar of the waterfall beside me. Each swing and kick is deliberate, searching for purchase in the frozen column. Mist rises from the cascade, a reminder of the raw energy beneath me. In this moment, fear and control blur into pure focus—this is why I climb.
New Substack—exploring climbing in Patagonia as a metaphor for planning for the year ahead:
open.substack.com/pub/grahamgz...
Just published a new Substack: Lessons from the Storm: Preparing for the Challenges Ahead.
It’s about using strategies for surviving in the mountains to navigate this critical moment for our democracy. Check it out here: substack.com/@grahamgzimm...
It is both the case that the 2% of the planet that is it United States is remarkably frigid at the moment, and that the world as a whole is at record-warm levels for this day of the year:
It would’ve been fascinating to be a fly on the wall during the NYT editorial team’s debate over running their interview with Yarvin or sharing it via The Daily. Do you expose his ideas to shed light on dark corners, or risk legitimizing them by offering a platform? No easy answer.
Curtis Yarvin’s ideas gaining traction in the Trump admin is akin to Ignatius J. Reilly’s medieval fantasies shaping policy—absurd and alarming. When fringe ideologies find power, we must be vigilant. What starts as satire can easily spiral into dangerous reality.
some ways to generate electricity
A) use sunlight to drive photosynthesis in plants, let plants die, wait ~100 million years, dig up fossilized plants, burn plants, use heat to boil water, use steam to drive a rotating turbine, use generator to make electrons
B) use sunlight to make electrons
Delighted to launch my Substack, blending climbing + climate 🌍
First posts:
The Hottest Year on Record (why equity is key to climate action)
A Storm on Mount Bradley (an Alaska climb story)
Subscribe if you’re keen to be inspired and take action. lnkd.in/g9DCDpFX
Did you know that 2/3 of all energy we use ends up as waste heat because of how inefficient our energy system is?
Yet we pay for 100% of the energy inputs.
Here’s the US as an example.
Three months in with little Sloane, and life is full. Balancing fatherhood, supporting Shannon, and training as a climber has been a challenge I love. Strong fingers, tired legs, and learning every day—here’s to showing up fully for family and staying strong on the wall!
Biden, please lean in and take more actions like this one.
www.washingtonpost.com/climate-envi...
For climate posts most Fantastic, @katharinehayhoe.com @renewableenergy.bsky.social @georgetownclimate.bsky.social @greenpeaceuk.bsky.social @climatewwf.bsky.social You are all now inc. in our Climate Law & Energy Starter Pack go.bsky.app/KNf2qH9 #everylittlehelps TY @coreycottrell.bsky.social ^G👩⚖️
This article draws an interesting pathway forward -
It shares that facing the new admin, clean energy companies are shifting shifting messaging from “clean and affordable” to “reliable and essential” and critical to meeting America’s energy demands as they soar.
www.wsj.com/business/ene...
Places like this keep me inspired day in and day out.
Got asked again at a presentation—probably for the thousandth time—“How can you, as a professional athlete, advocate for climate solutions given your travel?”
I’m sure others get this too.
How do you answer?
I often hear wind and solar lead to more power outages.
But it’s not true. Here's the data for Germany:
Wind + solar had a share of 33% of electricity in 2022.
➡️But there were 43% FEWER interruptions than in 2006 when wind + solar contributed only 5%.
Clinging to frozen waterfalls, high above the quiet snow-covered valley, feels like a deep breath of fresh air. It’s where I find the clarity, perspective, and reset I need to dig back into the work on climate.
November 2024 was 1.6°C warmer than normal, showing a very concerning increase in global temperatures. This is critical because a 1.5°C increase is a key climate change threshold - higher temps will lead to more heatwaves, droughts, and heavy rain. Data from the Copernicus Climate program.
Don't assume maximalist outcomes for the Trump administration. That's a form of psychological surrender. We should attempt to exploit every stumble, failure, and misstep, and there will be stumbles, failures, and missteps.
Ice Penitentes on the peak Llullaillaco
In ‘16 I climbed Llullaillaco where the 6739m summit holds the highest archaeological site on Earth
Incas sacrificed children there hoping to calm cycles of droughts and floods
Today we know these cycles as El Niño/La Niña
Simply put: science is crucial to how we understand/thrive in our world
It’ll be exhausting, but we have to stay on top of Trump’s misleading claims. Lies from his Meet the Press interview:
-Crime is at an all-time high, driven by migrants—false.
-Pelosi caused Jan. 6 by rejecting National Guard help—no evidence.
-Inflation solely Biden’s fault—misleading.
Post-election days have me leaning hard on a simple truth: medium to long training sessions are magic for mental health. Reset, recharge, repeat.
Holding both sadness and frustration over the election results and celebrating the incredible grassroots organizing my team accomplished is tricky—but it feels essential. Honoring the work fuels the fire for what comes next.
Y’all, parenthood feels a lot like alpine climbing.
Launching my memoir, A Fine Line, has been an incredible journey since its release in Oct 23. Grateful for the dozens of talks, engaged readers, and recognition from Men’s Journal, IPPY, and Banff, the BT and NZMF. Big thanks to all who’ve supported and inspired this project—it’s been wonderful!
Here's how Rep. @summerlee.bsky.social, D-Pa., and her colleagues on the left are planning to handle the next four years.
Being part of the climate advocacy community has taught me that big victories start with small actions—and empowering others is the first step. Embracing this mindset as we plan our next steps.
