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.
The future of climbing lay on the finger tips of today’s youth. The next Chris Sharma and Alex Johnson’s are out there among us and already cranking double digit boulder problems. I spent a day out shooting photos with members of TEAM ABC this month in the bouldering mecca of Hueco Tanks State Park in El Paso, Texas. Among this talented and spirited group of little crushers were Shawn (11) and Brooke (8) Raboutou, children of, and coached by two former World Cup Champions: Robyn Erbesfield-Raboutou and Didier Raboutou. Aside from myself giving into the overwhelming energy to act 11 years old again, which I did most of the day, I was able to snap some fun pictures of the crew sending hard. Highlights of the day included Brooke and Shawn sending/flashing the classic V8 “Mr.Serious.” (Shawn shortly thereafter added the V10 sit start, and Brooke went on the send a V9!)
So, I was reminded again not to take climbing, or anything in life for that matter, too seriously and that there is no reason that I can’t be 11 years old whenever I’m out enjoying the rocks and sun! Thanks PrAna for your support in today’s youth climbing and for helping the family of climbing along. Please enjoy the pics and don’t act your ages!
Ever wonder what a day in the life of a world class climber was like? Alli was nice enough to let us in on one of hers!
6:30 a.m.: I wake up, get dressed, and head downstairs to get the fire started and the tea brewing (tea on workout/climbing days; coffee on non-climbing days). This done, I sit down on a cushion by the fire and meditate for half an hour, as I do every morning.
7:15: I sit and read by the fire for awhile, another morning ritual. I read inspirational or spiritual books in the morning; novels at night.
8:00: Breakfast this morning is seven-grain cereal with goji berries, walnuts, and honey, my favorite breakfast for sustained energy before a hard workout, since I have trouble eating when I’m exercising or climbing.
9:00: Jedi and I walk to the post office to drop off the Netflix DVDs and pick up the new ones. I walk to the post office every day but Sunday, since Ten Sleep is so small (pop. 304) that we don’t have home mail delivery.
9:30: I write my blog for the day and post it online.
Paul Robinson started climbing at the age of 10. In the last decade, he has bouldered V15, and sent literally hundreds of problems in the V14 to V11 range. Not surprisingly, he has won or placed in nearly all of the international bouldering competitions he has entered. Paul is also an accomplished artist and painter majoring in Fine Arts at the University of Colorado, Boulder. He writes a lively blog about his accomplishments, art and his global travels promoting the climbing lifestyle.
It seems like an annual tradition at this point that each winter some of America’s strongest boulderers make their way to Arkansas to sample the untapped sandstone that can be found there. Recent winters have seen the likes of Daniel Woods and Dave Graham leavetheirmark with a number of double digit FAs. This winter looks to be no different with Paul Robinson making his first trip to Arkansas.
Not surprisingly, Robinson started things off quickly with fast ascents of the V13s Anti-Hero and Loved By Few, Hated By Many. The same day he also flashed Bloody Knuckles (V11) and nearly sent Daniel Woods’ Welcome To The Fight Club (V13). For good measure he threw in an ascent of Typhoon, a problem given V11 by all other 8a.nu registrants,Hurricane (V10) in his street shoes.
Paul Robinson attempting Welcome To The Fight Club (V13) Photo: Evan Ramsey
The next day, Robinson turned his attention to Dave Graham’s V14 Wood Grain Grippin’. Seen briefly in the Arkansas dose in Dosage V, WGG had only been repeated thus far by Daniel Woods. Wasting little time, Paul sent in a handful of attempts for an impressive 1 day ascent.
Moving on to Fred’s Cave outside of Cowell, AR, Robinson quickly dispatched nearly all the problems in the cave. He did V12s One Inch Pinch and Chunk Up The Deuce in a few tries, flashed Fred’s Roof (V11) and did Buddy (V10) second try. Making the short move to the nearby unrepeated Dave Graham V14 Lost In The Hood, Robinson put in a few tries working on the “lurpy” deadpoint crux as well as the top section. Sounds promising if conditions hold up.
Robinson has a couple of weeks left in Arkansas to try and finish a couple of hard sounding projects, one being a 30 move roof with a crux near the end, before moving on to Southern Utah. As always, I will provide updates as events warrant.
While we’re on the subject of boulders in Arkansas, the grade of the problem Loved By Few, Hated By Many is worth exploring a bit further since I think it illustrates a point worth remembering. The problem was first climbed by Dave Graham who had this to say about it on his 8a.nu scorecard in registering the problem as V13:
Hard Very difficult, sort of like a one percent move but not really, one long hard deadpoint, longfellow and oddfellow. definitely height dependent. Could be harder. Pretty.
Jimmy Webb came along with a fast 2nd ascent and registered the problem as V12 with this to say:
Soft quick. 6 or 7 tries. A couple tries last year. 2nd ascent Excellent!
And now Paul Robinson has done a fast 3rd ascent, registering the problem as V13 like Dave Graham did. This is what Robinson had to say on his scorecard:
Soft soft 8b… dont think it should get the full downgrade though… i dunno. 3rd asc. one real hard move!
Here we have 3 very capable climbers (2 with loads of V13s and V14s under their belts) with 3 differing opinions about what is basically a 1 move boulder problem. It’s obviously splitting hairs to pick a specific grade given how much of a role conditions and body size play in sending problems like LBF,HBM, but I always find it interesting to read first hand opinions on what these problems are like. To me it emphasizes the fact that while it is interesting to report specific numbers when reporting news like this it is really impossible to say definitively what problems will be graded years down the road after more people have the chance to climb them.
There is a new, convenient way for everyone to support the Access Fund. And it fits in your wallet.
The Access Fund and CardPartner, Inc. have joined forces to launch the Access Fund Visa® affinity Platinum Rewards credit card. Applicants can choose between 5 unique card designs, featuring an array of sport climbing, traditional climbing, bouldering, and ice climbing photography. When a cardholder activates the card, Access Fund receives $50. Then once a month for the life of the program, Access Fund receives a check for a portion of every dollar that every cardholder charges.
“Using the Access Fund Visa® affinity Platinum Rewards credit card for everyday purchases is an easy way for climbers to support our work to keep climbing areas open and conserve the climbing environment,” says Access Fund Executive Director Brady Robinson.
The Access Fund Visa® Platinum Rewards card offers qualified cardholders the following benefits:
• No annual fee
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• Ability to earn points at hundreds of participating retailers
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• Purchase protection
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Special thanks to Brady & Holly for getting us this info as well as donating photographers Corey Rich, Andy Mann, and Jared McMillen. Find out more about the Access Fund Visa Platinum® Rewards card at www.accessfund.org/creditcard.
This weekend was the 7th year of Triple Crown at Horse Pens, AL. I have been there every year for the past seven and it is starting to make me feel very old. I can still hang with the big guns though, placing a very close second to Alex Puccio. Go Team Five Ten! The weather was beautiful with temps a little on the warm side for the ancient sandstone slopers that characterize this amazing little boulderfield. The comp was full of the usual sending energy that brings people back, year after year, to try their hardest. Having just returned from the Greece trip, my endurance is there, but my bouldering power is still not back at full force. Highlight sends of the day included Slider (V9), Ghetto Superstar (V9), and repeating some of my favorites in the boulderfield (Consumption, Chevy, Stepchild, and Great White). Kenneth and I had a great time hanging out with old friends and getting back to bouldering. We headed out to the ranch Friday afternoon to set up the prAna tent, climbed all day Saturday, and stayed up making tea and giving away clothes to a bunch of really psyched folks throughout the night. The booth was a huge success: the prAna presence at the event was definitely strong! Here’s a few pics from the event. . . more to come
Life brings amazing people across our path frequently and our founder, Beaver, just shared this story…
“I first met Erik at the Phoenix Bouldering contest 10 years ago. We were both competing that day. We had 6 hours to climb our hardest boulder problems and gain as many points as possible. I approached a climb that I wanted to do and sat down to put my shoes on. There was this guy with his backed turned to me who was roped in, ready to climb and facing the vertical route. His hands were touching the rock, inspecting each and every hold in great detail. After watching him for what seemed like a long time (because I was in such a rush to climb lots of routes) I walked up to him and said “Hey buddy, are you going to climb this thing or what ?” Erik turned his face to me and my body went flush. The moment I looked into his eyes I realized that he was blind and I felt like a real ass. “I am so sorry” I said. “You can take all the time you want on this thing. I’ll just go climb into a cave now and stay there” (from sheer embarrassment). Erik smiled and said “It’s cool man. It happens all the time“.
So recently when Erik asked to take a yoga class that I was hosting at the Outdoor Industry Association Rendezvous I was elated. What an honor to be on the yoga mat next to Erik- he is an incredible athlete and a lot of fun to be around.”
If you haven’t heard of Erik Weihenmayer, he is an accomplished climber who became the only blind man in history to reach the summit of the world’s highest peak - Mount Everest on May 25, 2001. On August 20, 2008, when he stood on top of Carstensz Pyramid, the tallest peak in Austral-Asia, Weihenmayer completed his quest to climb the Seven Summits – the highest peak on every continent.
Erik and Beaver are pictured here after an early morning yoga session.
One second we will see climbers putting up big numbers and break-through ascents at an alarming rate. The next they will drop off the face of the planet for several months leaving some to question why. Our answer is simple, LIFE!
Natasha Barnes met LIFE. Between chiropractic school, miscellaneous injuries, and answering our pestering emails she has gotten back into the swing of climbing. We borrowed a few minutes of her time to help reacquaint us with where she’s been the last few months.
DPM: Where have you been? Natasha: I’ve been climbing in Yosemite Valley a lot the past two years. It’s been amazing. Having been to a lot of different bouldering areas in the US and in Europe I think I can safely say that Yosemite offers some of the best bouldering in the world (and I’m not just talking about Camp 4). After winter I got a finger injury and got pretty busy with school. I am going to Chiropractic School in the Bay Area and its pretty intense and also a very heavy course load (45 hours a week). Most people don’t realize it but chiropractic school is serious business. It’s basically like going to med school but with an emphasis on the spine and neuromusculoskeletal system. Its not massage school. So it’s been hard to find time to climb as much as I did before but I think I am starting to figure out a way to make it work.
DPM: You recently sustained some injury, what happened? How has it affected your climbing? Natasha: I got my little finger injury in January and that took me out of climbing for about 3 months. I still went to bouldering nationals in Colorado but I sucked because I couldn’t crimp anything. That was a drag because I had been training for it and actually felt pretty strong before I got hurt. I am starting to notice a little pattern. About once a year for the last 4 years I have gotten a finger injury. It’s a little bit frustrating to go through a recovery then slowly get back into it and eventually start feeling strong again only to get some sort of finger injury and repeat the process all over again. But on the other side of the coin I have learned a lot from it about climbing, my body, and recovery and how to stay happy. The barn may have burned down but now I can see the moon. For example, before I got my first finger injury (which was actually pretty serious) I had just won national championships and I was climbing stronger than ever. I was a pretty competitive climber, not in a bad way but I thrived on competition and training and on trying to climb as hard as possible no matter what and its all that mattered to me for a long time. After my finger got hurt I was forced to take a long time off to recover, about a year. When I started climbing again my reasons for climbing changed. I had a lot of time to stop and look around and reflect on things. I didn’t want to try to climb something just because it was hard and crimpy; I wasn’t obsessed with training anymore. I started to enjoy climbing just for climbing and for being outside in beautiful places and being with people who were fun to be around and I only wanted to climb fun (sometimes tall) beautiful lines the I would enjoy. I wanted to move and enjoy having a healthy injury free body. Of course I still had the desire to climb strong and to compete but it was different after that. Also my climbing style changed a little bit too. I became better at things that I had thought were my weaknesses and began to enjoy moves and holds that I never did before. So yes, it’s been frustrating but it’s been an unexpected learning experience. I don’t recommend getting an injury but it’s definitely changed the way I experience climbing.
DPM: How has this changed your outlook? Natasha: With my most recent injury (I swear I’m not injury prone…maybe just my fingers!) I got back into climbing by switching to routes as soon as I could climb again. It’s been really fun. I am starting to figure out route climbing and it has been really exciting. It’s so different and it’s really a completely different sense of gratification when completing a route versus a boulder problem. I almost feel like I’m more invested when I put time and energy into a route and I have to work a lot harder mentally. Of course I will always love bouldering, but I am really liking the process of becoming a “route climber” and I am going to really try and savor it for as long as I can.
DPM: Where have you been rehabing your finger? Is it on rope? Natasha: I’ve been getting out to the Trinity Arêtes which is in the very northern part of California. Its excellent steep limestone sport climbing (with tufas!!!) and easily the best that I’ve ever been on. I’ve never tried anything harder than 13a before outside so I’ve been pushing myself to try some harder things at the Arêtes. Nothing crazy because I’ve only gone out there a couple times but I did my first 13b/c called “If” in just a few tries, which for me it was really a breakthrough. After 10 years of being afraid to take lead falls I’ve finally started to get my head. “If” makes you commit to a dyno off of a tufa to a three finger little knob way above the bolt. Taking that whip was a big deal for me and that’s really all it took for me to get a little more comfortable falling. I also went out to Donner for routes for the first time ever and it was really interesting granite sport climbing. Some of the climbs are hybrid sport/trad and really fun. I just recently got back from a trip to Squamish, BC and spent most of the time learning how to trad climb and did my first trad lead on Exasperator which was an amazing climb. I also did the Grand Wall and another route called Freeway. It was great climbing and a great experience. I am very interested in doing more.
DPM: What are your plans for this season? Natasha: This season I am planning on getting back to bouldering in Yosemite Valley and maybe even doing some trad routes there. I definitely have some unfinished business on the boulders in the Valley though so it will be nice to get back to that. I am going to try and keep climbing routes too and maybe compete in National Championships this year. I want to do everything. Hopefully I will end up very well rounded after the season is over.
DPM: Who inspires you? Natasha: My inspiration comes from climbing with people who are fun to be around, the desire to be outside in beautiful places and from climbing itself. The more I climb, the more I find I am inspired to climb.
DPM: In your free time what consumes you other than climbing? Natasha: I like to do a lot of reading, I like learning new things. I like knowing as much as possible about the world. I’m also just very busy with school so its kind of the only other thing I am currently devoting most of my time and energy to.
6:30 a.m.: I wake up, get dressed, and head downstairs to get the fire started and the tea brewing (tea on workout/climbing days; coffee on non-climbing days). This done, I sit down on a cushion by the fire and meditate for half an hour, as I do every morning.
7:15: I sit and read by the fire for awhile, another morning ritual. I read inspirational or spiritual books in the morning; novels at night.
8:00: Breakfast this morning is seven-grain cereal with goji berries, walnuts, and honey, my favorite breakfast for sustained energy before a hard workout, since I have trouble eating when I’m exercising or climbing.
9:00: Jedi and I walk to the post office to drop off the Netflix DVDs and pick up the new ones. I walk to the post office every day but Sunday, since Ten Sleep is so small (pop. 304) that we don’t have home mail delivery.
9:30: I write my blog for the day and post it online.
Paul Robinson attempting Welcome To The Fight Club (V13) Photo: Evan Ramsey
