CSI fans – we know how much you love a dead body and the scientific hunt to track down a killer – well in a sensational new twist on the forensic game, an upcoming reality challenge show on National Geographic will be testing the skills and techniques of CSI in the real world.

The Great American Manhunt sets three real-world experts a weekly challenge: to chase down a living, breathing, mystery target at large, somewhere among the entire population of the country. With no shortcuts (no access to DNA, dental records or ID databases) a street-wise cop, a forensic scientist and a forensic psychologist access the very latest technology to help identify their quarry. The challenge is to work out just what marks them out from the crowd and – if they’re successful – their true identity.

Using just the clues on and inside the target’s body (including the clothes on their backs) they use super-cool science and their own remarkable skills to take on the ultimate forensic challenge. On the way they follow leads and chase down dead ends as a complex web of clues takes them across 50 States. The science is awesome, the chase every bit as challenging as the TV dramas we all love and, as the experts eventually discover, the mysterious targets turn out to be awesome and extraordinary individuals. If you like CSI you’ll love The Great American Manhunt – real world forensics like you’ve never seen before.

CrossPosted from Writer Forensics Blog

Check out the teaser for ta previous episode…

Join Us On Facebook, Twitter, Vimeo & YouTube

Functional Apparel for the Unconventional Spirit

Check out the prAna Ambassadors

Functional Apparel for the Unconventional Spirit

Get Updates | Get Catalog | Find Dealers | Shipping/Returns | Sizing Charts | Gift Card | Ambassadors | Sustainability | Questions?

It’s been a bit of weird spring here in Wyoming this year; the weather’s been unseasonably warm and dry, meaning that my husband, prAna ambassador Kevin Wilkinson, and I have logged many more days of climbing outside than we anticipated we would. Having a couple of equally psyched climbing friends stay with us through April only encouraged us to climb like the fanatics we honestly are. All four of us had climbed ourselves into frazzled, flapper-ridden and muscularly worn-out specimens by the time they departed at the end of the month, much in need of some rest and recovery to recharge our bodies for the summer season that’s rolling towards us with unstoppable force, as always. I have a feeling it’s gonna be a good one…

Looking forward to the imminent arrival of prime climbing season in Ten Sleep Canyon, I feel a familiar sense of excitement. This year will mark a dozen summers for me spent captivated by the canyon’s climbing and overall summer ambiance and lifestyle. This summer, too, I have some scores to settle with a couple of longstanding foes – and I’m hoping my training and perseverance will finally pay off, resulting in settling these enduring battles of mine once and for all, allowing me to move on to different, possibly yet-to-be-bolted challenges that might await me once I can see beyond my hoary old adversaries.

The first adversary I want to slay is a climb that I first played on probably six years ago, but that I’ve never buckled down to finish, due to its location at a less-popular crag (harder to get partners to go there) as well as its less-than-fun style of climbing. It features holds that are just mean, plain and simple. This route’s long section of climbing on miniscule monos and dime-edges would never be classic in anyone’s book. The appeal for me? I think it’s kind of crazy that this piece of rock has these features and that they can be pieced together and made to work for climbing at all. It’s a balance-y, finger-shredding nightmare that I’d never recommend to anyone…but I’d still like to clip the anchors on it, regardless. I don’t know what it would be graded, either. I’d probably call it 13d, but who knows?

The second rival that needs elimination by yours truly is the 14a that I one-hung for what felt like 100 tries last summer – and while this is an exaggeration of the number of one hangs, it’s probably not an exaggeration of the times I’ve attempted this climb. Despite multiple one hangs and getting as close as I could to sending without actually sending, I had to leave it unfinished last summer. I’m hopeful that the distance in time plus the addition of more strength from training will help me send it this season. I have yet to try this route this year, but I do know that I feel much more excited about getting on it again right now than I did for the final month I spent trying to send it last summer – and honestly, I think I should have probably just left it for that month and had fun climbing other routes and sharing that fun time with friends.

That’s actually a lesson that I finally internalized and that has changed my climbing, too – that experience of not sending, coupled with my more recent nerve impingement and paralysis episode, both seem to have worked to my advantage, strangely enough. How? Well, they both hammered home the obvious but often hard to embrace truth that I should relax and enjoy and appreciate every day I get to rock climb, no matter what the outcome may be in terms of tangible results. Otherwise, it’s a total waste of time and pointless, too, since I truly believe the only real point of sport climbing hard and pushing my limits is for fun, for the of delight of operating my total being at its top potential level in the moment, and for sharing that experience with others who enjoy it, too.

I never want to forget this again, never want to be overtaken by the frustration of “failure” on a climb to the point where I’m not having fun rock climbing – because failures like these really are only a state of mind, and this kind of failure is always part of the process if you’re working toward a truly testing achievement for your being. If sending these two climbs were simple for me, they wouldn’t be hard climbs for me, and I wouldn’t have to put so much into them. And then, the sense of personal accomplishment if and when I do send them would most certainly be diminished. So while I most definitely want to achieve my big-project goals this summer, even more than that, I don’t want to lose sight of the greater point of climbing as I see it: to have fun with the process of pushing my personal limits and to share that fun with friends, send or fail.

~Alli Rainey, prAna Ambassador

Functional Apparel for the Unconventional Spirit

Get Updates | Catalog | Find Dealers | Returns | Sizing Charts | Gift Card | Ambassadors | Sustainability | Questions?

Enzo Oddo and friends spent a month this spring on the steep, pumpy climbs in Kentucky’s Red River Gorge. A few of the harder climbs sure got Enzo fired up, which helped fuel his redpoint of Pure Imagination, 5.14d. They soaked up the local culture and had some teenage fun – Southern Style. *Routes: Pure Imagination (5.14d), Lucifer (5.14c), Southern Smoke (5.14c), The Golden Ticket (5.14c/d), Forty Two Karats (5.14c)

More vids of Enzo crushing…

For more on Enzo visit http://www.prana.com/ambassadors/enzo-oddo

Functional Apparel for the Unconventional Spirit

Check out the prAna Ambassadors

Join Us On Facebook, Twitter, Vimeo & YouTube

Functional Apparel for the Unconventional Spirit

Check out the prAna Ambassadors

Join Chris Sharma at the Clif Bar Headquarters theater on Friday, May 18th, for two special engagements. Chris will be presenting slides and footage from his climbing career, talking about what inspires one of the most gifted climbers of the last 20 years, answering audience questions, and just generally being himself. This is a special opportunity to join Chris in a small setting. All proceeds from the event will go towards the efforts to keep Castle Rock State Park Open.

In 1993, Chris went climbing outside for his first time at Castle Rock. Since then, he’s established the hardest boulder problems in the park, helped to put the high-quality tafoni sandstone formations on the map with films like Rampage, and moved on to become a climbing superstar who some consider the best of all time. Chris‘s start at Castle is inspiration to many Bay Area climbers, and his long time affiliation with the park has had far reaching impact. Today, Castle Rock attracts an international climbing audience, largely because of Sharma‘s influence. So when he heard that Castle Rock may soon be closed to climbing and the general public, Chris immediately jumped at the opportunity to help with the access efforts–pledging to travel all the way from his current home in Spain to make a few special presentations for the cause. We hope to see you there. This will be an evening to remember!

For the Clif Bar event tickets click the flyer above and more information about the event visit https://www.facebook.com/sharmafundraiser

For tickets to the Rio Theater in Santa Cruz event visit https://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/245036

Join Us On Facebook, Twitter, Vimeo & YouTube

Functional Apparel for the Unconventional Spirit

Check out the prAna Ambassadors

“Body, we have an agreement,” I kept thinking. “I give you 3 months off from climbing each winter and then you pick back up like we haven’t missed a beat in the spring.”

It was clear that this “agreement” only existed in my mind. I was flailing miserably on my project from last fall. The moves were harder than I remembered, my core tension was non-existent, and I was beyond frustrated.

I’m pretty sure this happens to me every spring. I don’t train all winter and then I’m somehow shocked when I can’t perform on the rock the same as I did in the fall. Deep down I know that taking time off from climbing is good for my body and my mind, but my ego always pays the price when the weather gets nice again.

This weekend was the 5Points Film Festival in Carbondale, CO. I always enjoy seeing adventure films and hanging out with long lost friends (both in person and on the screen). Friday night I viewed the world premier of a film called The Old Breed, by Rufus Lusk and Freddie Wilkinson. It’s about three guys who climbed the second highest unclimbed peak in the world. I don’t know much about alpinism. Quite frankly I find it both terrifying and confusing. I just can’t figure out why anyone would want to be cold and suffer.

However a quote from that movie stuck with me has been rolling around in my head ever since. Steve Swenson, I believe, says that in his life he has his profession, his family, and climbing. At any given time he feels he can only perform well at two or those three things.

I feel like that so often. Especially this past weekend as I hung on my project belittling myself. I struggle everyday to find the balance between being a good Kindergarten teacher, being fully present in my relationships with others, raising a new puppy, tending to a new house, keeping my mind and body healthy, and performing at the top of my game in climbing.

I often feel like I have too many balls in the air and that something has to give. But what do I let drop? All of those things are important to me. All of those things are integral in my life and my happiness.

Each season has it’s own balance for me. The slices of my life shift and morph to make room for each other as need be. This winter so much of my energy was given to work and “life stuff” and that was ok. But, with spring will come the rebirth of climbing. The canyon is dry and calling my name. My climbing strength will return in time, but like all things that matter most, it won’t come easy.

I know that I can’t possible do everything well all of the time. But I’m slowly learning that there is a time for all things and I just need to have a little bit of patience with myself.

For me, balance doesn’t look the same from season to season. It’s constantly shifting and changing to accommodate all of the pieces of who I am.

~Jen Vennon, prAna Ambassador

Join Us On Facebook, Twitter, Vimeo & YouTube

Functional Apparel for the Unconventional Spirit

Check out the prAna Ambassadors

More from Heather

Join Us On Facebook, Twitter, Vimeo & YouTube

Functional Apparel for the Unconventional Spirit

Check out the prAna Ambassadors

Read more on PRob’s send at ClimbingNarc

Join Us On Facebook, Twitter, Vimeo & YouTube

Functional Apparel for the Unconventional Spirit

Check out the prAna Ambassadors

Many climbers believe the climbing treadwall is the answer for building power endurance. Bill Ramsey is responsible for seeking out the treadwall and convincing us this would be an invaluable training tool for the community. About a dozen of us local Las Vegas climbers pitched in to purchase this monster and Rob Jenson graciously offered his garage for its locale.

A typical evening here consists of a game of laser pointing your friend on the motorized wall, making up routes until they fall off exasperated, and finishing off the night with a five minute ab-destroyer. There are a number of established routes as well and we attempt to link the climbs in a consecutive manner. Once these problems seem too easy, a simple twist of the treadwall’s knob to “steeper” makes for a whole new challenge of managing the forearm explosion.

Club Tread is not only a great training tool, but most importantly it is a unique destination where like-minded people get together and motivate each other to help attain their goals. A big thank you to Rob Jenson for providing his home- this is an asset to the Las Vegas climbing community. Oh, and sorry to the neighbors for the late night yelling and blaring techno music- this must be very confusing.

~Heather Robinson, prAna Ambassador

Join Us On Facebook, Twitter, Vimeo & YouTube

Functional Apparel for the Unconventional Spirit

Check out the prAna Ambassadors