The Boss. John Allen put up most of the best routes on gritstone. In the 1970s, as a teenager, he sizzled up most of grit's coolest lines and led the charge in what was later called the Gritstone Renaissance. Then in the 1980s he upped the technical standards of the day by styling what are today's prized ticks for any boulderer and high baller. 

She smashed it in the mid-90s, one of the first UK women to climb the magical 8a, when not that many women in the world did that. Then she pioneered 8a+ and 8b in the UK. Her ascent of Zeke the Freak, Ben Moon's 8b at Rubicon, was not bettered for many many years. Hear her crack on.

In this episode I read a couple of my own stiories: first there's my account of Seb Grieve doing the second ascent of Parthian Shot at Burbage South, as featured in the film Hard Grit, then I read my short story, The Medium.

This sweek, US bouldering badass Chris Schulte reads Bernard Amy's The Greatest Climber in the World. This is frequently cited as people's favourite piece of climbing literature. Hope you like it.

This week we have for you the life and times of Maddy Cope. With a free ascent of El Capitan via the notorious Freerider, sport redpoints up to 8b, Maddy is among the most accomplished all rounders in the land. Yet you don’t hear much about this young gun. Perhaps this young gun has a silencer fitted? Let's hear her story.

Joe Healey relates the arc of his life, from his Mersey childhood, early climbs on Pex Hill, early repeats of Ron Fawcett desperates, gettinging into the pub, party and rave scenes, then the impacts that these would later have. A touching story full of hope and humanity.

This week we have a whole a-whooping and a-hollerin bunch of silly fun brought to you from the depths of the Wideboyz training cellar. The two gents in question, Tom Randall and Pete Whittaker, allowed me full access to the cellar of doom where to talked nonsense for days. I've whittled this down to a downloadable length, which is what you have ahead of you. Enjoy.

Top 1980s sport climber, author of some of the hardest sport climbs anywhere at the time, recalls Lancashire, Malham, Sheffield, the Peak, France and Lycra.

Badass alpinist cat, committed artist, lovely guy Andy Parkin lays it on the line this episode. Andy is an utter legend in the mountaineering world, setting standards, walking the walk and living a life of utmost commitment which shows itself most obviously in his mountaineering approach. It's virtually impossible to find out what Andy has done - how cool is that?

Scottish climbing legend Rab Carrington reads two stories: His own An Early Ascent of Raven Gully, about a winter ascent of the classic line on The Buchaille and Tom Patety’s A Short Walk with Whillans, in which the fondly-remembered Tom Patey recounts a typical attempt on The Eiger in the company of Don Whillans.   

At this year's Kendal Mountain Festival i dragged various people into the art room for a chat. One of my victims was top film maker, Jen Randall. Jen's films have a confident, winning style and have picked up awards across the fglobe, especially for her's and Clare Jane Carter's Operation Moffat. Read more about Jen on her website.

Wilkommen, Kameraden! This week Jam Crack Podcast goes all Euro as we corner the 23-year-old German master, Alex Megos. Alex first appeared on the screen as the forst cat ever to onsight 9a. Wow-wah! Since then he's gone on to crimp and crush the world over making as many friends as admirers, with a rootsy, mellow style and smiley little face.

Now then, this week we have a story story Jam Crackanory for you, courtesy of Sheffield-based climber / alpinist Ben Silvestre. A lot of people have been loving Ben's look at the darker attractions of climbing on his blog and in his features on UKClimbing. In this episode he shares a couple of fairly unflincing pieces about the lure of risk, in its darkest and most terminal guise. I'm sorry but I over-rambled at the start - flip on to about 20 minutes (!) for our feature presentation.

Now then, now then, now then. This week we have for the hearing purposes in your hairy ears to enter the words spoken loud by Lucy Creamer. Lucy is one of the best female climbers the UK has ever produced and dominated in on-sighting trad, headpointing, sport climbing on-sights, redpointing, competitions, and mixed ice climbing.

...In which I read one of my own stories. Also I read Alex MacIntyre's Brick Edge Cruiser. It's well good. And I blab on about a competition. Lucky you, huh?

This week - big time - we have John Redhead. Badass. John put up many of the hardest leads in the UK in the early-to-mid eighties, mostly hideously dangerous wall climbs and slabs. These included Gogarth's The Bells! The Bells! The Clown, Stroke of a Fiend, The Demons of Bosch and Flower of Evil. On Cloggy he added Tormented Ejaculation, Margins of the Mind, Aothentic Desire, Shaft of a Dead Man, Rite of Spring. These were all at the top level and most have had very few ascents over their thirty-odd year history.

Now then hones, we got a nother interview show for your ears to hears yes yes yes, this time with epic 1980s Aussie climbing snapper, Glenn Robbins. Glenn was one of the top snappers ofhis era and really caught the sense of 'the move' in the mags at the time.

Pod on, hones. Hot off the presses for you kittens is the one and many, Martin Boysen, utter legend from that coolest of things, the past, and even more so, the present.This podcast is a whole whoop of fun.

This sweek we have one of my own stories, read by one of my own organs - my mouth. The Pitter Poter of Massive Feet is about my fleeting encounter with US climbing / BASE / highline angel, Dean Potter, and the mystical trip that followed. Hope ya like it.

Crack a doodle doo old pips. We got a big fish on the end of the line for you tonight. Alex Honnold, big wall free soloist, Alpine mega-stumbler and all round cool cat, gets on the end of a good long interview. Recorded live at the Montrose Jazz Festival, 1968, this is a good rummage around the Californian's world. Hope you enjoy it.