“Enthusiastic climber gets pro-climber-signature ink”.

Seeing is believing…

For the full article check out UrbanClimber

Sounds like its time for another road trip. Be sure to stop in and say hi to the prAna crew and athletes including Chris Sharma!Red Rock Rendezvous is the country’s largest outdoor climbing festival, with clinics for ALL climbers, regardless of skill level. Beginning climbers can join the Friday UClimb event for personalized instruction in small, encouraging groups. There are also several clinics for beginning climbers throughout the weekend. Be sure to check out the gear package option – it’s a really affordable way to get into climbing! Intermediate & advanced climbers find plenty of challenging clinics, in topics ranging from big wall rigging systems to self rescue and much more. All climbers will enjoy the world-class instructor athletes, the Friday & Saturday night slideshows / movies, the Saturday night buffet party, and the Sunday morning pancake breakfast.

Here is the registration info. Want to see more images from 2009? Click here and here.

It was really cool to see that Chris liked our best selling mens jeans. Here’s what he had to say…

These jeans are made of stretch denim which gives amazing range of movement for climbing. The stretch also makes it so the knee does not wear out as fast. After a hundred days of climbing, we don’t see any signs of wear. They are ideal for all types of climbing from bouldering to chimney climbing in Yosemite. Their main downside is they are made mostly of cotton so they are not appropriate for long climbs where you might encounter an unexpected storm (for long climbs we recommend synthetic pants). They also don’t ventilate as well as a thinner synthetic pant so they are not ideal for long and warmer approaches. But the extra thickness does come in handy in Yosemite and other places where your knees and legs are exposed to abrasion. The pockets are extra deep so your keys and wallet won’t fall out while climbing. Overall, these are one of our favorite climbing pants.

Specifications for Prana Axiom Jean

• Regular Fit
• Stretch denim with gusseted inseam for range of movement
• Contrast zig-zag stitch on hip at side seam
• Rear faux suede logo patch
• prAna tack button and rivets
• 33″ (83.8cm) waist = 33.5″ (85cm) inseam
• 98 Cotton / 2 Spandex

We are looking  forward to seeing the soon to be released CORE. Chuck talked about how busy he was a couple of months ago and now we know why. The quality of Chuck’s work is amazing as seem in the prAna athlete profile videos he put together for Fred Nicole and Paul Robinson. Check out the HD trailer for CORE…

From the director of PURE…

CORE goes to the heart of climbing. Join an international cast of the sport’s most dedicated athletes as they stick it when it matters most. Shot in 35mm Ultra High Definition, get ready to see every detail of some of the nastiest pieces of rock ever climbed.

A close examination of each character offers perspective beyond just their achievements on the stone. From Helsinki to Hueco, Africa to Italy, the enclosed forests of Tuscany to the vast open space of the American West, this film is a study in the landscapes and lifestyles that define our sport.

Be there, in the moment, as a 5.14 traditional route gets its first ascent. See the mind-bending footage from Livin Large, Nalle Hukkataival’s monster 8C. Watch as Fred Nicole polishes off his multi-year project in Switzerland – his hardest ever. All these achievements and more are brought to you here in Chuck Fryberger’s followup to the hit bouldering flick PURE. These are the moments and the athletes that define our sport, documented here with a unique style that invites the viewer to be part of the experience.

Featured Athletes: Nalle Hukkataival, Matt Wilder, Fred Nicole, Kilian Fischhuber, Kevin Jorgeson, BJ Tilden, Lucas Preti, Cody Roth, Michele Caminati, Jamie Emerson, Sarah and Steph Marvez, Berni Fiedler, And Many More.

In this talk from TED University , veteran rock climber Matthew Childs shares nine pointers for rock climbing. These handy tips bear on an effective life at sea level, too. Matthew Childs is a digital branding specialist and former Outside editor.

TEDTalks is a daily video podcast of the best talks and performances from the TED Conference, where the world’s leading thinkers and doers give the talk of their lives in 18 minutes.

Cross Posted & Edited from B3Bouldering

In 1994 Lynn Hill free climbed The Nose on El Capitan in a day, a stunning feat that is clearly one of the greatest achievements in rock climbing history. Not only did she climb the first ascent of one of the hardest routes in America at the time, (it went unrepeated for 10 years and that was only after a 261 day seige!), it was arguably the best route, on the most prominent rock climbing feature in the world. On top of that, she did this in a completely male dominated sport and built the road for the future of free climbing big walls, one day ascents of such walls, and women climbing hard around the world. Few ascents could claim to have such an impact.

But where has that left women’s climbing today?

In America, 2008 was a pretty good year for women’s bouldering, in terms of difficulty.

Lisa Rands made an awesome ascent of the Mandala V12 in Bishop.

Angie Payne climbed European Human Being V12, in RMNP, Alex Johnson climbed Clear Blue Skies V11/12 at Mt. Evans, and Alex Puccio did CBS, The Marble V11 or V12, and most impressively Trice V12 on Flagstaff Mtn.

This year Puccio added The Gentleman’s Project V11, The Maze of Death V12, and several other V11s to her ticklist.

During the same two years the top men flashed several V13s (including a V14) and established problems up to V15, one of which is 25ft tall. It would be hard to argue that the gap hasn’t grown. Have women fallen behind, or is this gap appropriate? Should there be any gap?

While Ms. Hill’s ascent was not a bouldering ascent, it was a significant advancement in climbing, and in some way addresses two key issues. First, the idea that women can climb at the same level or higher in terms of pure difficulty, and secondly that women can do important and classic first ascents.

Perhaps twenty years ago the top women of today would have been climbing stronger than the strongest men. If one were to look at the total number of hours men have spent climbing, it would far out number the total number of hours that women have spent climbing (simply due to the fact that there are far more men than women in our sport) and is this the gap that is reflected? Often times when such a debate arises, the fact the men and women have different bodies is used as the reason for the difference. There seem to be climbs that favor a smaller climber, like Chablanke in Hueco Tanks and Clear Blue Skies at Mt. Evans, but those are the exception. More often than not climbs established by taller climbers will favor taller climbers, and most of the climbs established are put up by taller climbers. Perhaps The Nose just happen to fit into the exception, an excuse many men used when they failed to repeat Hill’s route. Do men have a psychological advantage simply because as a group they have more practice and have had the opportunity to push the bar farther? Should we even be comparing the differences between men and women? Perhaps it is the lack of an objective standard that blurs this line, unlike swimming, or (more…)

Cross Posted from DPM

Cold weather can kill your psyche, and force you into the doors of your local gym. But, if you have determination, Jacinda Hunter has some tips for beating the cold.

Photo courtesy of  Prana

Nothing kills your psyche like watching rain showers and snowfall blanket every square inch of climbable surface. When this happens you have a couple options each one poised with its own gradeable difficulty. The simplest bet is to spend your time training at your local plastic palace, you may have to wait in lines that are reminiscent of Disneyland, but it beats the rain. The next logical step is to out run the weather by road tripping to a dessert Mecca, i.e. Hueco, if you can find the funds and time off work. Or you can join the few, the proud, and the masochistic and fight the cold and wet conditions to work on a project at your own backdoor. DPM caught up with Jacinda Hunter who currently resides in the snow covered state of Utah and she filled us in on her winter efforts and she tossed in some tips just in case you attempt to take on Mother Nature…

Photo courtesy of www.joekindkid.com

Jacinda…

“I have been climbing up American Fork Canyon on two different (more…)

Cross Posted from GearJunkie

I’m writing from a hostel that faces the Bay of Beagle in Puerto Williams, Chile. I just had a breakfast of cheese and avacado on handmade bread with a side of yogurt. At my table, the members of Team Gear Junkie were enjoying their first real breakfast since completing the race. They all have swollen hands, feet or legs, but are in good spirits and happy with a 4th place finish!

Last night there was a meeting of all the teams that had finished so far (only Japan was still racing). The meeting was to discuss who, if anyone should receive time credits for unforseeable issues that occurred during the race. Some teams had arrived at checkpoints that were not manned, others had not received detailed maps for certain sections. Each team had a small gripe or two, but in the end, race director, Stjepan decided that this is Patagonia and problems arise — each team must just deal with them. So, the order of the race is as follows:

1st place: Team Helly-Hanson (Great Britain)

2nd place: Team Spain

3rd place: Teams Germany and Switzerland (tie)

4th place: Team Gear Junkie (US)

5th place: Team New England (Canada)

With all other teams having been disqualified or just dropping out, it appears that when Team Japan finishes, they will scoop up 7th place. Everyone here is rooting for them, since more than any other team here, they have had more obstacles to overcome in order to compete here. The language barrier and travel dificulties have been huge hurdles.

So, once they finish, we will all board a large ship here in Puerto Williams and depart for Punta Arenas, where we will conduct closing ceremonies (Party!) and then make our ways back to wherever we call home.

—T.C. Worley

Story and photos by Armando Menocal

A recent email attached a photo taken by Yarobys García, the Cuban who today is the island’s leading climber. The photo from Yarobys showed a very faded mustard-colored prAna headband being worn by a young Cuban named Yandy working a new project. (Nirvana, 8a/8a+)>>>

I recognized that headband. Not just one like it. I knew that particular mustard-colored  prAna headband. I had photos of it being worn by my girlfriend Laura Rodríguez on El Morro in Havana a decade ago, in <<<1999.

I looked through some more of my old photos. I had many images of Aníbal Fernández, the first Cuban climber, wearing that same mustard headband on climbs during the early part of this millennium, perhaps seven or eight years ago.>>>

I looked at more recent images I had received. Last winter Peter Winter, a Canadian climber, had sent me a photo of Yarobys shooting pics for his website. I looked at the image carefully, and yes, Yarobys was wearing the mustard prAna headband (below). Yarobys is an exceptional climber, and committed to the challenge to do new routes and to the tradition of mentorship.

Yarobys established a website on climbing in Cuba, escaladaencuba.com, which is probably the best source of information on new routes and especially new areas being explored by the Cuban climbers. It is difficult for those from other societies to appreciate how remarkable it is for an individual Cuban, outside of a state-run authority, to create a website. I don’t know of another.

I checked with Laura and she confirmed it was the same headband in all four photos. The same prAna mustard-colored headband worn by her, Aníbal, Yarobys and Yandy from 1999 until now.

I realized that it was possible to trace the remarkable development of climbing in Cuba through the lives of prAna headbands. The Cubans climb despite a crushingly poor, authoritarian government that threatens them with prison for climbing, while welcoming foreign climbers. With their stiff-necked commitment to climb, especially to put first ascents on the stone of their own country, the Cuban climbers have created something that I believe is unique in climbing.

Cuba may be the only climbing destination in the third world where (more…)

Finals for the 11th edition of ABS Nationals went down Saturday  night in Alexandria, VA and it sounded like quite the show. Daniel Woods topped a strong men’s field and Alex Puccio edged out Alex Johnson (again) with some surprises following them on the podium, especially on the Men’s side of the ledger. (The top three men and women made the U.S. bouldering team for 2010) Complete records are hard to come by but I believe this was Woods’ 3rd win in the past 4 years while Puccio has won 4 out of the past 5 years losing a close battle with Alex Johnson last year. Of course, if you weren’t in the gym you really had no way of seeing the action unfold which is unfortunate in my opinion.  Jamie Emerson tried his best to keep us posted via his twitter feed but he reached Twitter’s limit right as the heavy hitters were starting to climb.  Garrett Gregor was also at the comp posting videos to twitter via his cell phone which was certainly better than nothing.  Hopefully this will be the last year without some sort of live stream. For pictures of Finals you can check out Ben Carlson’s site. Report from routesetter Chris Danielson & Excellent pictures from Caroline Treadway. Cross Posted & Edited from climbingnarc