{"version":1,"type":"rich","provider_name":"Libsyn","provider_url":"https:\/\/www.libsyn.com","height":90,"width":600,"title":"Kai Lightner: The Last Six Years","description":"Kai Lightner is no stranger to the spotlight\u2014or to this magazine. He\u2019s been climbing since he was six, when he joined the climbing team at a gym in North Carolina. Four years later Lightner won his first national title, and the wins just kept coming.  In 2016, while still in high school, Lightner wrote an essay for Alpinist 55 about learning how to trad climb from Doug Robinson. A few years later, as a sophomore in college, he appeared on this podcast, in conversation with Paula LaRochelle. He had recently taken a step back from climbing and would soon found the nonprofit organization Climbing For Change.  A lot has happened in Lightner\u2019s life since that last conversation. He spoke up about his struggles with eating and bodyweight as a competition climber, opening up a bigger conversation. Through Climbing for Change, he\u2019s been at the forefront of initiatives aimed at making climbing more diverse and inclusive. He traveled to Jamaica and helped build the country\u2019s first climbing wall. Lightner even tried trad climbing again, though he says it\u2019s still not really his thing.  And, last year, Lightner climbed his first 5.15.  In this episode, Lightner discusses the last six years, reflects on the importance of community and connection and considers the value of forgiveness. This episode is brought to you with support from the American Alpine Club. Host: Abbey Collins Producer + Engineer: Mike Horn Guest: Kai Lightner Nonprofit: Climbing for Change Subscribe to Alpinist Magazine  ","author_name":"Alpinist","author_url":"http:\/\/alpinist.com\/podcast","html":"