Hi Reddit, I’m Josh Wharton, professional climber and longtime Patagonia Ambassador. I’m hosting an AMA with Patagonia on Friday, March 20 @ 4pm EST to talk about the new Free Wall Kit and all things climbing. Please ask me anything!
Background:
I grew up in the woods of southern New Hampshire; biking, fishing, exploring, and fostering a deep love for the natural world. I fell in love with climbing in my teens and haven’t looked back for over 30 years! I’ve done a bit of everything; from onsight soloing the Eiger North Face, to hard multi-pitch rock routes, to V11 boulders, to 5.14 sport routes, to big alpine first ascents around the world. I’ve been a climbing ambassador at Patagonia since 2010, and particularly enjoy working on product with the field testing crew and design teams. I live in Estes Park, Colorado with my wife Erinn and daughter Hera.
Over the last two years I worked closely with Patagonia’s design team in Ventura to develop a new multi pitch rock climbing kit that we’ve named the Free Wall Kit. I brought extensive experience to the project from three decades of challenging multi pitch free climbing. Things like a hundred-plus routes in the Black Canyon, a ground up ascent to El Corazon on El Cap, and an ascent of the Diamond’s hardest route, the Dunn-Westbay just to name a few. I’m excited to share insights into what went into developing, building, and testing the kit, and why I think it has some valuable and novel tools all climbers will find useful. I look forward to chatting!
Posted Mar 6, 2026, 4:17 AM UTC