Climbing

Hello Steph I really liked your book a lot! (its the first time i even considered writing to an author about his book) Your story really grabbed my attention and one can tell that you put a lot of heart in it! I also liked the way you discribed switzerland and the swiss (as im swiss ) Hopefully I will travel to Moab one day! It would be amazing to see you and Mario! All the best wishes from Switzerland!! Matt Thanks Matt, I really appreciate your writing, and I’m really glad you liked Learning to Fly. You are so lucky to live in Switzerland! Steph

For several years I’ve been most excited about the creativity of combining climbing with base jumping. It started for me in 2008 when I free soloed the North Face of Castleton and made a base jump descent. With my husband Mario, I started to look for other towers that could be interesting combinations of climbing and jumping, and in 2010 we made the Perfect Circle film with our good friends 3 Strings Productions. Last year, I mixed it up a little with a base jump descent into Mineral Canyon, to climb a beautiful Hong route there. Mario and I have done more, some even wilder, tower base climbs since then around Moab, and we just keep finding more, so the desert base climbs are really an endless adventure. But I’ve been wanting to add wingsuit base into the mix, which presents a bit of a logistical challenge. The cliffs around Moab are on BLM land, which means that all users are treated equally, and recreation is valued and respected. These cliffs are low, generally about 400 feet tall. To base jump with a wingsuit, you need cliffs that are at least 2000 feet tall (to really be worth it). Annoyingly, in the States the most accessible, appropriate tall cliffs are locked inside National Park boundaries where base jumping, a non-impactful, non-motorized activity, is discriminated against. The NPS persecutes base jumpers by manipulating a law against aerial delivery into national parks–base jumpers are “aerially delivering themselves”(don’t play Scrabble with these guys, you will lose). Where it gets even more weird is the fact that hang gliding is allowed in Yosemite, and airplanes are allowed to land at Lake Powell… anyway, a lot of court time and money has been spent trying to keep people from parachuting off cliffs in National Parks, and I could think of a lot better ways to use those resources. The NPS has gone so far as to taser people for making a base jump, and actually incarcerated jumpers into the federal prison system as recently as last year. People have made climbs in National Parks followed by base jumps, but it hasn’t been possible to share these adventures for fear of self-incrimination. Obviously it would be amazing to climb Moonlight Buttress and fly off of Angels Landing, or follow a free climb of the NW Route of Half Dome with a wingsuit jump. The materials left on the climbs (chalk, slings, bolts, pitons) stay there permanently, but that is accepted. The elements left in the air by a base jump (wind currents) are invisible and impermanent, but that is illegal. We can only hope that someday the NPS will pull its head out of its a$$ and join us in the 21st century. But as they say, there are no problems, only puzzles to be solved. I’d been on the lookout for a way to make a wingsuit base climb for some time when I went to Notch Peak, a remote giant dolomitic limestone massif in the Utah west desert, in 2009. Notch Peak is the second tallest vertical drop in the States, just after El Cap, and no one knows about it. And it’s on BLM land, which means that you are allowed to climb, camp, base jump and walk around with your dog. There are a few, very adventurous limestone routes up it, and it is a very three-dimensional, serious wingsuit jump site. This jump is not like Lauterbrunnen or El Cap. It’s a place you need to be on your game, very experienced, and ready for anything. The climbing is no walk in the park either, characterized by looseness, runouts and a LOT of hiking. Notch is in the middle of nowhere. Cell phones don’t work, there’s no water, and there aren’t even many flat places to camp. 4WD is mandatory. It’s a big, intimidating place, which switches from boiling hot to freezing cold sometimes in minutes. The first time I went there to check out the wingsuit jump, I looked at the mountain and the terrain and decided I would not go back until I was a much more experienced jumper and wingsui

Yoga teacher, waterman and prAna Ambassador Michael Fukumura shares his insights and a quick movement flow for preparing the mind & body for water sports. [yt] Learn more about Michael at http://www.prana.com/life/ambassadors/

The prAna Swaddle Becoming a parent is an adventure of a lifetime—the terrain is like nothing you’ve seen; the journey tests you and builds your strength, and it provides an ineffable joy you can’t believe until you’ve been there. Like many adventures into the unknown, the beginning is a period of growth with a steep learning curve. As we busily prepared for our baby’s arrival, we’d amassed many things they say new parents will need—the swing, the clothes, the bath toys, the whole nine. We had no idea that prAna goods would be essential to our survival in those early days as parents. Our beautiful baby girl was born peacefully in water on a late winter morning. Since we had an out-of-hospital birth, we were back home just six hours after Maia was born, exhausted but elated. We were assured that upon arriving home, we’d settle in for a much-needed 6 to 8 hour nap with our babe. Little Maia was not informed of this. She was awake and ready to meet the journey of new-personhood head-on. But this world is a big place to a new little being, so she needed all the comforts we could give her. They had swaddled her at the birth center and suggested we do the same when we got home. Thing was, swaddles were not among the many goods we’d amassed for this journey. We had a single thin blanket to wrap her in, but it would come loose soon after we got it secure. Three A.M. came and my husband and I were not sure what to do with an inconsolable baby and this jenky blanky. In a moment of desperation—and sheer genius—after trying everything we could think of, my husband Billy sits up in the bed, throws off his shirt, and begins to use it as a swaddle. The shirt he was wearing was a long-sleeved jersey style prAna tee, a staple in his wardrobe. Once bundled, Maia stopped crying instantly. It wasn’t long before we were enjoying our promised and well-deserved nap. The swaddled held for the rest of the night and Maia was content in her little prAna shirt cocoon. The prAna swaddle worked so well we continued to swaddle Maia in these shirts in the days to come. We were lucky enough to have five of these shirts in rotation (because, as all new parents know, spit happens). They were perfect—just the right thickness, soft, breathable, just the right amount of stretch, and the ideal size to make a baby burrito. Wrapping the sleeves kept her in nice and snug and surely she appreciated that her first clothes smelled like mom and dad. At one point, perhaps with Daddy eager to get his comfy shirts back, we purchased some actual swaddles. They didn’t hold a candle to the prAna shirts! The prAna swaddle was all she wore for the first two to three weeks of her life. I imagine she is one of the youngest adventurers to sport prAna ana wear! While we had always favored our prAna gear for yoga, climbing, and our pre-baby travel adventures around the world, we had no idea prAna would be a vital element in our early days with Maia. And more than discovering an invaluable new use for our clothes, we were reminded of a simple truth: With a little creativity and an open mind, you discover you already have everything you need for the journey ahead. ~Jaime and Billy Mizejewski, Proud Parents

Tragic news from high on El Cap this past Sunday: An experienced climber, Mason Robison was leading the 27th pitch of the 3,000-foot granite wall at about 9 a.m., when a large rock flake holding a piece of safety gear broke loose. The rock gave way while Robison, 38, was climbing at 2,300 feet above the monolith’s base, and severed a rope that was fastening him to a belay station manned by his climbing partner. He fell past the station before a haul rope caught him and seized the fall, but the injuries were fatal. SuperTopo has a good thread about the situation as well.

To put it into a few words, the climbing this year at the historically rainy New River Rendezvous was awesome!! The weather report for each day was dire - 50 to 60% rain every day. And it rained every day, but the rain came in the evening and by the morning, all the normal "gets dry fast" stuff was dry!!!!Thunderstruck 5.12bThunderstruck 5.12bWe did our first day at Kaymoor and I had a few commitments in Charleston, so I met up with Adam and Eric a little late, just in time to meet them en route to "Thunderstruck" 5.12b. This 4-star route is possible one the best and definitely one of the best of the grade in the region.Thunderstruck starts out on a slabby detached block, but basically from bolt 2 to the chains, its full on spectacular boulder problem after spectacular boulder problem separated by a varying degree of rests. I warmed up on it, hanging the draws for Adam's successful onsight attempt and managed to forget the sequence at the last crux and totally blow it!! Adam just hiked the thing though!The Shinning 5.11aNext, I set my sights on a route I had previously top rope flashed, The Shinning, a exemplary 5.11a gear line that starts out in a kinda clausterfobic chimney which quickly gives way to a vertical hand and finger lock paradise. I was really proud of myself on this pitch. I'm not much of a gear climber, but was stoked to climb this route easily, and efficiently!!SLAP 5.12aSLAP 5.12aAt Kaymoor, at the Fire and Ice Buttress, there are two 5.12a routes and a handful of gear lines that have been on my list for a while (we're talking about going there this coming weekend actually.) Well. Yup. Totally blew off the aptly named "Squeal Like a Pig" aka "SLAP." I was pretty sure I was going to get it second go (second go after sticking the first crux off the ground) but totally screwed up and greased off the LAST BOULDER PROBLEM DARNIT. Not too bummed though...I figured out some nice "tall-guy" beta for that section.Pockets of Resistance 5.12aPockets of Resistance 5.12aNext we did the poison-ivy long and disastrous hike to the Rico Suave Buttress where Adam and Erica both climbed the classic "Pockets of Resistance" 5.12a. I had previously done the route and passed on this, owing to the fact that I wanted to put a good burn in on "Blood Raid"Pockets of Resistance 5.12aPockets of Resistance 5.12aBlood Raid 5.13a from http://www.mountainproject.com/v/106049830, Photo Chad UmbelAnd that I did. I had previously put 3 burns into Blood Raid the week before and felt like I could probably do it. I had fallen at the crux my last burn of the day and totally fired the rig first go!! I was super stoked to get that one - it being my first legit 5.13. It actually felt easy too!! So I think my next "hole" route is Burning Cross.Pockets of Resistance 5.12a

prAna ambassador and 2012 Molokai to Oahu female paddling champion Talia Gangini Decoite whoops it up in her backyard paradise. [yt] Learn more about Talia at http://www.prana.com/life/ambassadors/

After battling conditions in the lower altitude areas of Colorado, I knew it was time to begin climbing in the alpine.  Many of the alpine zones in Colorado still have way too much snow, however, Guanella Pass seemed like it could be good.  A crew of us ventured up there late last week in search of the unrepeated Ice Knife V15 by Dave Graham. On our first day up there we were unsuccessful in finding the boulder.  We headed back down to Boulder feeling quite defeated.  We returned the next day and with some new knowledge were able to find the bloc!  Daniel, Matty, and myself began working the boulder.  We quickly found some good sequences and by the end of the first day we were giving it some send goes!  By the end of the day, we were all really tired but psyched to return back soon! Daniel, Beau Kahler, and myself returned yesterday after taking a much needed rest day!  We found ourselves up at the boulder with some of the best alpine conditions any of us had ever seen!  We went to work trying the moves again while beau set up some angles to shoot us from.  Soon after we began climbing, a freak whiteout snow storm rolled through and we began to wonder if our day would be over.  We huddled under the boulder for about 30 minutes while the snow continued.  The skies eventually started to become light again and we knew it would be climbable again soon! Once the snow stopped and the sun came out again, we started giving the line send goes.  Daniel and I went back and forth on attempts for a little while, each try getting slightly closer than the last!  The wind started blowing and the conditions got even better.  Daniel pulled on and climbed the boulder flawlessly.  It was amazing to watch and made me super psyched to try to get this thing done.  After a couple of more near attempts, I pulled on and climbed the boulder!!!  It is always so awesome to climb something so technical and demanding.  Every move on the boulder is of similar difficulty and the body positions you get yourself into are totally crazy!  Putting the whole thing together bottom to top was really a cool feat and one i am really happy about! After climbing the boulder, we decided that a sit start would be an amazing addition.  We began working it and it is hard!!!  The link of the two boulders is going to be tough!!!!  I hope to continue trying it more in the next few weeks! After this, we were all pretty tired but a line to the right of ice knife got us psyched.  we built up a nice landing and cleaned the holds.  Beau satched it up first and called it Rainbow in the Dark.  Daniel and I climbed it soon after and we think it to be about the grade of v10. What a sick day!  Hoping for more amazing alpine days like this in the near future before heading to Australia! ~Paul Robinson, prAna Ambassador

Alexandra Ladurner has made a very impressive flash of Dark dog 7C+ in Zillertal which no other 8a member has flashed included several top guys. "Totally unexpected.Maybe completely my style...great day!

Analogica Natural 9aAfter our latest video “Essential Items”, I have been getting so many emails and messages about what gear I use, what pair of shoes I prefer for a certain cliff, what backpack I recommend, etc… Instead of responding selectively it gave me an idea to just bang out a blog post and lay it all on the table.  Gear is awesome and there are a lot of gear-heads out there and well… I get it because I love gear too!  Yes I am a sponsored climber and use a specific product and might have a bit of a biased opinion, but the truth be told we all have a choice in what gear we use and I am specific so I hope this all helps.  I look at every companies gear and compare and contrast all the time.  I mean this is part of my “job”.  I choose this stuff because it works for me, I am comfortable using it, it makes my life easier/safer and again… I am VERY specific.I have always gone with the mentality of purchasing the better product and you get what you pay for… basically, why skimp and use something unsubstantial?  Here is the gear I am currently using and why.  Mind you I am primarily the dude who goes to the cliff and then home at night.  I don’t like to change my clothes after climbing to go out to eat, I look for style/esthetics and function, and I also like versatility… meaning the day I decide to go alpine this stuff will be usable.  Packs, Clothes, Shoes, Gear, and Ropes.  VAMOS!!!!!!!!!!!! PacksPrimarily I have two different packs I use and both are chosen due to the size of the load I am carrying.  For me a 35 Liter pack is my standard size.  35 liters is plenty of space for a trip to the crag and will fit multiple pairs of shoes, harness, draws, gri-gri, chalk, food, water, jacket, and anything else smaller like a pair of pants or more layers. I am a big fan of the entire Z-series of Gregory Packs and have used the Z35 for years now.  It’s a sleek, clean, ventilated pack.   It’s a top-loader with other usable pockets for the easy access stuff and for the person that likes to stay organized and designate pouches for things like chalk (to avoid it covering all of your gear).  There is a bladder pouch, but I rarely use it.  The pack carries light and is similar to a thin harness where you barely know it’s on and moves with your body.More Info Here…The second pack I use at the moment is the Targhee 45 and is not on the market right now but will be come this fall.  It is an INSANELY bad-ass back pack and is my primary pack for pretty much everything including carry-on for travel.  The pack was designed for the skier’s needs, but as always can be used the same for climbers like myself.  I would say it’s a hefty 45 Liters and feels bigger than that.  The pack pannel (against your back) unzips entirely creating a giant openning for stuffing your gear into easily.  There is also a lid that flips back and allows for top-loading as well to really stuff the thing full.  I can carry all of the gear I mentioned above plus a rope with this thing.   It looks sleek and has great colors.  The harness works with your body as it was designed for sport and is very sturdy.  I use the ice-axe loops for things like a tripod or stick-clip.  The lid is used for trinkets like tape, nailclippers, and bars and a giant outside front pouch I use for chalk and to stuff clothes I peel off during hikes.  There is a pouch for a bladder but again I don’t use it and prefer to stuff my knee-pads there as it just makes sense to me.More Info Here… ClothesMy biggest concern for climbing clothing is the lack of hindering any movement what-so-ever.  The pants must fit properly and allow you to lift your legs and have zero resistance.  I usually wear a stretchy jean, Rumney pants, or Trailhead pants.  I want a pair of pants that won’t rip, will allow me to knee-bar and provide a little protection to the skin, and will last a long time.  I think my a