prAna: Sustainable Clothing

The past weekend was the annual Boulder HERA Climb for Life. In her own words, our athlete ambassador Alli Rainey reflects on the weekend:

I missed Sean. I think everyone missed her—missed her infectious and seemingly endless energy and enthusiasm that she managed to communicate to everyone she touched. After all, she sparked this celebratory climbing fundraising event and made it into the wildly successful series of annual events it has become today, including this past weekend’s third annual Climb for Life (CFL) in Boulder. This packed event was sold out, drawing people from all over the country to participate in a two-day effort to climb together in order to raise awareness about ovarian cancer and funds toward research for a cure. Every one of these events is an opportunity to see the rock climbing community come together for a cause greater than rock climbing—for something so much bigger than our shared passion for vertical terrain. HERA is about saving lives: sisters, mothers, daughters, wives, friends. It’s about working toward not losing more incredible and inspirational people like Sean Patrick.

Watermelon break! Thanks to Scott

Every CFL has special moments that touch the participants in lasting ways. Many times at past events, it was Sean herself who with her kind and giving words and her persistence in loving and embracing life fully left me and others with an enduring memory of what HERA is truly all about. But this, time, with Sean gone, that moment for me was provided by Sean’s longtime partner Scott. During the climbing day, Scott hiked watermelons (yes, whole watermelons!) to the sweaty-hot participants at various crags around Boulder Canyon, providing a welcome and healthy treat to cut the heat. As he sliced up the watermelon for all of us, he shared a special and personal story with us about the symbolism of bringing this indulgence to us, the participants dedicated to carrying on Sean’s legacy and crusade. As we all shared in this moment, I thought of Sean and how she truly embodied the idea of making the best out of a bad situation. By sharing so much of herself and her personal struggle with ovarian cancer, she managed to give an incredible and lasting gift to the climbing community and the world at large. Now, it’s up to us to keep on giving.