{"id":37607,"date":"2022-10-29T11:00:00","date_gmt":"2022-10-29T17:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/dirtbag-with-technology-luke-mehall-on-the-counterculture-within-climbing\/"},"modified":"2026-03-31T02:38:50","modified_gmt":"2026-03-31T08:38:50","slug":"dirtbag-with-technology-luke-mehall-on-the-counterculture-within-climbing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/dirtbag-with-technology-luke-mehall-on-the-counterculture-within-climbing\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018Dirtbag with technology\u2019: Luke Mehall on the counterculture within climbing"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

\"Luke
Luke Mehall on Superette Crack, a difficult climb in Indian Creek outside Monticello, Utah. Mehall was the first person to climb the route. (Courtesy of Luke Mehall)<\/span>cca<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

Luke Mehall considers himself a word person more than anything. And he is a dirtbag. He does not just appreciate the word \u201cdirtbag\u201d in his capacity as a writer \u2013 it is mythology, a lifestyle and, as the name of his podcast reflects, a state of mind.<\/p>\n

Mehall, 43, is a rock climber. He is also the author of five books, <\/em>the publisher of The Climbing Zine<\/em>, host of the \u201cDirtbag State of Mind\u201d podcast and the president and co-founder of the Durango Climbers Coalition. His publishing company is named Benighted Publications.<\/p>\n

To those outside the climbing community, \u201cdirtbag\u201d may be a pejorative term applied to someone who does not embrace all of society\u2019s conventions, especially with respect to wealth accumulation. But to many climbers, the term is an ideal \u2013 the aspiration of a lifestyle unencumbered by complexity.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a provocative word, it has a power in that sense,\u201d Mehall said. \u201cThe best definition I\u2019ve ever heard is that you\u2019re living in the dirt, out of a bag.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hardly anyone is hard core about the lifestyle anymore. As rock climbing has entered the mainstream of American culture, it has brought with it an influx of money. Climbers, once known for hiding from law enforcement and camping among Yosemite\u2019s boulders have traded tattered tents for luxury Sprinter vans. An activity that once mandated enduring grit is now popular among Bay-area yuppies.<\/p>\n

Mehall says that it is the essence of the term, rather than the literal lifestyle, that endures.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor me, I think it still has relevance because you\u2019re simplifying your life,\u201d he said. \u201cThose are the best moments in my life, when my phone is turned off and I\u2019m living simply with my friends, out climbing.\u201d<\/p>\n

Despite the fact that his identity is centered around sport in which one often encounters muscly males oozing machismo, Mehall works in the realm of vulnerability. His writing is centered around honesty and openness as much as it is about climbing. In a recent interview with Mehall on \u201cDirtbag State of Mind,\u201d climbing legend Tommy Caldwell pointed out that climbing naturally provides an engaging backdrop for storytelling.<\/p>\n

\"Luke
Luke Mehall, right, with famed climber Tommy Caldwell, left, inside Caldwell\u2019s van. Mehall interviewed Caldwell for an episode of his podcast, \u201cDirtbag State of Mind.\u201d (Courtesy of Luke Mehall)<\/span>cca<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

To truly digest how climbing and Mehall\u2019s personal narrative coincide, one would have to read his writing for themselves. But the niche he has found resonates with climbers across the globe, particularly young men dealing with the same sorts of mental health struggles Mehall has faced.<\/p>\n

\u201cI get these messages every once in a while, and it\u2019s usually young males that read the book, like \u2018American Climber\u2019 or some of my other writing, and it resonates with them because they\u2019re going through something,\u201d he said. \u201cTo be able to have that relationship with people is very important to me and very meaningful. It means a lot to me to be able to have that relationship with people that I might not even ever meet.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mehall has been writing since 1999, the year he moved to Colorado. He grew up in Normal, Illinois, and after attending two colleges in the state that didn\u2019t \u201cclick,\u201d he took to the road.<\/p>\n

\u201cI just came across the college and Gunnison, actually, on a road map of all things, and it was surrounded by green on the forest service (map),\u201d Mehall said. \u201cI just noticed there was so much green and then there was a college and it said \u2018liberal arts college.\u2019 And I went and applied and got in and then climbing just really kept me here.\u201d<\/p>\n

The three years after graduation are what Mehall describes as his \u201chard core dirtbag\u201d years. He washed dishes to pay his expenses and he climbed, until a flare-up of tendinitis forced him slow the pace. As he approached 30 years of age, he realized it was time to seek regular employment. He landed a job in Gunnison, writing for his alma matter and began creating zines.<\/p>\n

Mehall was laid off as a result of the 2008 recession and moved to Durango in 2010.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis stage of my life has really been embraced by the community of Durango,\u201d Mehall said. \u201cThe whole life of the Zine has basically been here.\u201d<\/p>\n

The community in Durango \u2013 the climbers and beyond \u2013 has kept him here.<\/p>\n

\u201cMaria\u2019s (Bookshop) has been selling my books since day one, no questions asked,\u201d Mehall said. \u201cDurango Outdoor Exchange is a huge, huge supporter. I\u2019ve worked with Pine Needle (Mountaineering) forever. The new Gravity Lab climbing gym is (owned by) friends of mine. There\u2019s so many things about Durango.\u201d<\/p>\n

As a business owner, he sees himself as a capitalist. But he finds space for his reverence of the printed word to coexist with the need to run a profitable business.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve kind of gone all in on that,\u201d Mehall said. \u201cOther corporations that are more about a bottom line have gotten rid of print. The last Climbing Magazine<\/em> just came out in print because they\u2019re owned by a mega corporation. There\u2019s that Talking Heads line that\u2019s like, \u2018never for money, always for love.\u2019 You know, I need to earn a living but I\u2019m not a bottom line kind of human being. And I don\u2019t think human beings should be that way.\u201d<\/p>\n

As climbing has become more mainstream, Mehall had found a niche within the ever-changing landscape of the sport. Movies such as \u201cFree Solo,\u201d \u201cDawn Wall,\u201d and \u201cThe Alpinist\u201d have captured audiences, and the sport was featured in the 2020 Olympic Games for the first time.<\/p>\n

\"Luke
Luke Mehall shows off a climbing wound. He says it is the spirit of dirtbagging, rather than the literal historical meaning in the climbing community that persists today. (Courtesy of Luke Mehall)<\/span>cca<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

But the fact that he can pay his mortgage by writing, podcasting and publishing The Climbing Zine<\/em> is indicative, he says, of the countercultural space he occupies within climbing. The Zine <\/em>is published three times per year with a circulation of between 5,000 to 10,000 copies per issue.<\/p>\n

\u201cClimbing used to be this counterculture thing,\u201d Mehall said. \u201cAnd now there\u2019s like a counterculture within climbing. And I feel like that\u2019s my thing. I think that poetry, the stories, all this stuff that comes out of climbing is like \u2026 equally as important (as climbing).\u201d<\/p>\n

In recent years, Mehall has worked to build the Durango Climbers Coalition. The group of 100 loosely defined members has partnered with the city<\/a> and county to take on conservation and restoration projects at local climbing areas. From climber beer nights to trail building events, he said DCC is all about fostering community.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy whole thing with the climber\u2019s coalition is that I want to give back and be that positive influence,\u201d Mehall said. \u201cWhen we first started meeting with land managers, they were like, \u2018We don\u2019t see representation from the climbers of Durango.\u2019 And it was like, \u2018Oh, well let\u2019s start doing that!\u201d<\/p>\n

rschafir@durangoherald.com<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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