prAna: Sustainable Clothing

We can’t wait to see prAna ambassadors Chris Sharma, Steph Davis, Alex Puccio and a host of other great climbers in Chuck’s latest film!

THE SCENE

From the director of PURE and CORE, get ready to infiltrate four of the biggest scenes in the world of climbing.

Moab, Utah: a mellow desert town surrounded by massive sandstone towers, where climbers test the limits of danger while still maintaining a strict traditional ethic. Boulder, Colorado: the undisputed social hub of US climbing, with sponsored athletes of every discipline living in a city packed-full of talent, competition, and progressive ideas. Innsbruck, Austria: with possibly the highest concentration of talent in the world, the competition climbers here fight not only for the tops of podiums, but also corporate sponsorships and mainstream success. Catalunya, Spain: with near-limitless potential, Northern Spain has claimed the title of sport climbing capital of the world, and is now home to climbing’s largest population of elite sport climbers.

Filmed in stunning 4K Ultra High Definition, get ready for a fast-paced ride through the centers of the climbing universe.

Breath, life, vitality of the spirit.

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It was so good to finally send First Round First Minute yesterday.. After almost 3 years effort and falling at the last move over 50 times, I thought I might never do this route. I never gave up, but after so much time on this climb with no success I was forced to let go and move on . I had done 99% of the route so many times and was just really over it. Last fall I dedicated a handful of days on the line but every try ended at the end of the rope. I actually made it past the crux once, only to fall above. I was getting stuck in a rut that I didn’t know how to get out of. Ive always been able to keep the faith and see my projects through to the end but it just wasn’t happening with First Round. After so many times on the same route, at the same area, and falling in the same place, it started to become really boring and frustrating. It became a big mental block. I would climb perfectly up to the last move and then blow it for one reason or another. It was really necessary to get some space, climb on other lines and connect again with just the pure joy of climbing without always looking at it in such goal oriented way. The desire to do the route can be the same thing that prevents us form succeeding. To do our best we have to let go of all expectations and just be totally in the moment. So this year Ive been trying lots of different projects that I have around the Catalunya region of Spain and just trying to reconnect with the pure fun of climbing. Whatever the results make sure that I’m enjoying it and in it for the right reasons (The incredible feeling of flow while moving on rock, not some competitive aim to be the best). Although I succeeded in forgetting about the route for a while, my confidence and belief in myself had been shaken . Its really hard to continue progressing on your personal path with such unfinished business left behind.

Yesterday after warming up and trying a project Ive been working on sporadically (PerfectoMundo, in Margalef) I went with my friend Cristian La Miel to El Barranco sector of Margalef. Cristian sent his project , a beautiful 30meter 8a+ and then it was my turn to climb again. I was planning on trying a route put up last fall by Dani Andrada, Politicamente Corruptos 9a, but I had second thoughts. The conditions were really good and I figured, “why not go check in with first round and see how she was doing” . I had achieved my goal for the day making a highpoint on Perfectomundo so I felt really satisfied with the day already and it seemed like a good time to go back and refresh the moves on first Round and at the very least get some good training in. I hadn’t been on it in over two months and it was just like”what the heck, Ill give it a burn and see what happens.” Maybe I caught the route off guard but probably it was the other way around. I had no expectations and wen I arrived at the loathsome reappoint crux, I didn’t think, just climbed and a few moments later I had the finishing jug in my hand. After so many times falling , I felt like I was in a dream. Its definitely one of my hardest routes, but the mental mountain I had to climb was really makes it stand out for me.

Its a really valuable lessen for me, that no matter how difficult it can be to preserver in some moments, we just have to stay focused and remember that this fight is what makes it all so rewarding in the end.

~Chris Sharma, prAna Ambassador

*Ever wonder what Sharma’s inpiration was when naming First Round First Minute? Well here you go…

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“Climbing has been the window through which I’ve viewed the world over the past 17 years. The rich experiences of traveling the globe in search of awe inspiring climbs has helped me to grow as an athlete and as a person. I am so grateful for the people who have opened my eyes to this incredible activity and for the good fortune that I’ve had along the way.”

~Chris Sharma

http://www.prAna.com/sharmaanthology

Breath, life, vitality of the spirit.

These qualities infuse not only our name, but also our aspirations, the things we make and how we make them.

Welcome to mindfully designed, built to last products – born from the experience.

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Sharma & Ojeda the perfect partners via 8a

“Rope session dream partner” (Based on 1,000 + 1, 000 unique votes)

Daila and Chris are living the dream

1. Chris Sharma 31% – Daila Ojeda 26%
2. Dave Graham 11% – Lynn Hill 14%
3. Dani Andrada 9% – Maja Vidmar 13%
4. Alexander Huber 7% – Sasha Digiulian 10%
5. Tommy Caldwell 7 % – Johanna Ernst 9%
6. Yuji Hirayama 6% – Nina Caprez 7%
7. Adam Ondra 6% – Alizee Dufraisse 6%
8. Steve McClure 5% – Charlotte Durif 5%
0. Others 18 % – 10 % (From the start, 14 names have been presented in each category.)

www.iclimb.com

Cross Posted From Daila Ojeda’s Blog

The last day Chris sent “Power inverter” 9a+ FA, one of his really hard projects bolted in the espectacular wall in Oliana. Also Dani Andrada sent at the same time “Duele la realidad” 9a bolted by himself too.. it was fun watching them cheer eachother on while they climbed.. it was motivating for everybody in the cliff.. thanks guys and good job!!

~Daila

More from Climbing Narc HERE and Dani Andrada HERE

Interested in the DVD and the First Ascent Series? Check this out!

Since Chris Sharma began climbing at the age of 12, he has been shown a wealth of support from friends and sponsors in the climbing community. In the midst of his success as a professional climber, he realized that he wanted to turn his energy toward helping others. In the summer of 1998, he began volunteering at Yo! Basecamp Rock Climbing Camp, a summer camp founded by his close friends, Andy and Lisa Puhvel. Wanting to expand his generosity even further, Chris started the Sharmafund to send financially underprivileged kids to Yo! Basecamp.

The Sharmafund is dedicated to:

• - Reaching out to financially underprivileged youth who wish to enrich their lives through rock climbing.
• - Teaching them to push themselves, believe in themselves, and realize their strengths and limitless abilities.
• - Inspiring them to connect with nature and realize the importance of preserving our wild lands.
• - Bringing businesses in the outdoor industry together to make this type of outdoor experience available to young people who do not have the means

Since its inception in 1998, the Sharmafund has focused on two types of programs.

The first program provides scholarships for young, low-income indoor climbers to attend a week-long Yo! Basecamp Rock Climbing Camp. These scholarships are inspired by Chris’ own experience as a 12-year-old gym climber, whose climbing gym community in Santa Cruz, California, helped finance his participation in national climbing competitions, and also took him on numerous outdoor climbing trips.

Recipients of these scholarships must go through a rigorous application process, which includes writing four personal essays, obtaining two letters of recommendation, and showing proof of financial need in the form of tax returns. The kids who receive these scholarships are positive and hard-working. Without the aid of the Sharmafund, they would not be able to afford Yo! Basecamp’s extremely educational, transformative outdoor climbing experience.

The second program has been structured to touch as many disadvantaged children’s lives as possible. During the fall, winter and spring months, the Sharmafund provides funding for one- and two-day outdoor climbing trips, led by Yo! Basecamp, in amazing natural areas such as the desert mountain landscapes of the Eastern Sierra and the forests of Castle Rock State Park. Participants are mostly inner city kids who have generally not spent time outside an urban environment. Past participants include:

• - Tenderloin Neighborhood Development Corporation (a San Francisco-based non-profit)
• - STARS Program for Adjudicated Youth (Santa Cruz, Calif.)
• - Mission Hill Junior High School (Santa Cruz, Calif.)
• - Delta Charter School (Santa Cruz, Calif.)
• - Girl Scouts of America (throughout California)
• - Jill Kinmont Boothe School (Bishop, Calif.)
• - Elm-Pine Street School (Bishop, Calif.)

If you are involved with an organization that works with underprivileged kids, please contact us to to find out more about getting involved with this program.

For more info or to get involved visit sharmafund.com

For more on Chris Sharma visit bit.ly/SharmaTags

Breath, life, vitality of the spirit.

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Sender Films is proud to announce the long-awaited U.S. TV premiere of First Ascent: The Series.

On Thursday, Nov. 4th, The Travel Channel will beam two straight hours of the First Ascent Series into more than 95 million homes across the country, right in the middle of primetime!

The series will air in four back-to-back episodes.  Click here for showtimes.  There will be additional airings of all 6 episodes throughout the winter. Please check the series out on Travel Channel and push the Nielsen ratings high so we can get more climbing and adventure film on the air!

To help promote the airing, Pete and Nick of Sender will be on NBC’s Last Call with Carson Daly, late night Wednesday, November 3rd. The boys were in Los Angeles last week shooting the piece for Carson and they are optimistic that it will be a very cool mini-feature. It was fun, and a bit disarming, for us to be on the other side of the camera for a change!

Of course, we hope these airings will encourage more people to purchase the entire First Ascent Box Set at www.senderfilms.com. Its available as a beautiful 3-disc box set with inspired graphics by Barry Thompson, and also as an HD download. In both versions you get all 6 episodes and a bonus 7th episode, plus hours of bonus footage and making-of shorts, and we even throw in a free copy of the soundtrack as well for box set buyers. We’ve been receiving great feedback on the box set, with many people calling it a collector’s item they are proud to have on their living room shelf… Huge

“First Ascent: The Series” Trailer from Sender Films on Vimeo.

Psyched to buy the box set? Here you go senderfilms.com/store

With an estimated five-thousand people in attendance, Chris Sharma led a talented group of climbers in a one of a kind Deep Water Soloing competition sponsored by BBK (Banco Bilbao Kutxa). The beautiful city of Bilbao, in northern Spain, was the setting for this spectators delight. The Nervión and Ibaizabal rivers meet to form the Bilbao Estuary where a 50′ high wall, built by Top 30, awaited the competitors.

With more than 4000 spectators lining the river, it entertained more people that any climbing competition in history. Chris Sharma wowed the crowd as usual, sticking the imposing double-dyno at the beginning of the roof and topping out twice. The nearest competitor stuck the double dyno and fell at the lip. Only three of the approximate 15 competitors made it past the dyno. ~Boone Speed

We immediately reached out to  Chris who could barely contain his excitement at the DWS format…

It was such an awesome event , unbelievable actually.  For years I’ve been dreaming about doing a competition like this, so for me and my good friend Miguel Riera (the godfather of Mallorcan Deep water soloing) it was a dream come true.  The first time I went deep water soloing in Mallorca 7 years ago, I knew it was something special.  This style of climbing high over the water, with no rope, changed my perception of what was possible in climbing.  It is without doubt for me the purest form of climbing, as well being very spectacular.

To do a deep water soloing competition was a no brainer from the start.  The high adrenaline and big falls make it a super spectacular spectator sport, more so than any other climbing competition format.

It was just a matter of time for all the stars to align and make an event like this happen.  It was a great honor to participate in the event held last weekend over the river in downtown Bilbao in the Basque country of northeastern Spain.  It couldn’t have been a better turnout.  The wall was 50 ft tall and the route was a dynamic 5.14a that thrilled the thousands of spectators with crazy falls and tons of sports action.  It was great proof that climbing Can be an amazing spectator sport.

Looking back on the years when climbing was in the X Games but just couldn’t translate to the mainstream audience because if its slow subtle nature, this new form of competition will surely blow the minds of any non climber and I believe will be a key element in climbing becoming a more mainstream sport.

~Chris Sharma

In the end, it was Sharma followed by Bruno Macias 2nd with Ignasi Tarrazona and Nacho Sánchez tied for 3rd.

“It was like a rock concert” ~Daila Ojeda

Congratulations to Chris and all all the other competitors including Toni Lamprecht as we look forward to seeing innovative climbing events like this help bring climbing to the masses! Enjoy the videos…

Here are more pictures from the comp via…

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