Posts Tagged ‘gear’
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Functional Apparel for the Unconventional Spirit
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prAna Portland is now open! We are excited to share the news that we have joined the neighborhood of Northwest Portland at the corner of NW 23rd and Irving. Our second store features the entire prAna collection as well as beautiful jewelry from local Portland artists.
We also invite you to join us for community events such as First Thursday Art Shows, climbing clinics and slide shows, as well as free daily yoga classes in our studio. See the calendar below for details each month. Bring your Bike and park in inside. Enjoy the community representing the collaboration of many local artists.
Come check in on Foursquare through December 21st and win the sweet new Electra bike in the window! Join us on the prAna Portland Facebook and Twitter pages and we look forward to seeing you…
Join Us On Facebook, Twitter, Vimeo & YouTube
Functional Apparel for the Unconventional Spirit
Sign up to receive our email updates, sales and new releases
It all started like any normal international surf trip, just a couple friends hanging out halfway around the world livin’ the dream. We were drunk on waves and adventure; all worries, cares and troubles had been left stateside at the airline ticket counter. But slowly a collective thought started to sink in: We were just a couple of playboys gallivanting around some exotic (to us) playground, leaving nothing in our path but a few gringo dollars spent on beer and food.
We certainly weren’t propping up the local economy, or providing anything of worth to the local community. For all the fun we were having, something just didn’t feel right.
So we starting thinking about what we could do, and pretty quickly decided that it would be awesome to try and share all the great things we were experiencing with those who called this place home. The thrill of rapidly moving across the face of a wave, the wonder of being immersed in the ocean as if one of its own kin, the peace that comes when your body is spent and your mind is quiet. Then there are the secondary effects: a physically healthier life, camaraderie and friendship, and the increased awareness and appreciation for the environment.
While this was a daily or weekly routine for us, it was all but foreign to most of the locals. We hatched a plan. Round up all our own old gear (which by standards other than those of most Americans) still had a ton of life left in it and send it to communities like this. Get the kids into the water! Thus Warm Current was born. It quickly snowballed and within a year we had setup donation bins at 5 different surf shops in OR and CA and shipped over 100 wetsuits to communities in Peru, Chile, Mexico and Morocco.
Since we were doing this largely out of our own pockets, logistics rapidly became a challenge. Not wanting to abandon our goal of providing usable gear to those who wouldn’t otherwise be able, but realizing our financial limitations, we started thinking about ways to broaden our reach on a more local level. We partnered with the OR and WA Chapters of the Surfrider Foundation to provide free kids camps to underserved youth. It’s one thing to see a photo of a grinning child who is thousands of miles away in your old wetsuit, but it’s a whole different ball game to push someone into their first wave and actually see their face light up! It was and continues to be one of the most fun and rewarding experiences of my life.
Again the snowball. At every kids camp that we’ve helped out with or organized, there is always a parent, volunteer, or on-looker who knows of another group of kids that would benefit from the experience. Which brings us to where we are today. Since we started in 2009, we’ve shipped over 300 suits worldwide and organized or supported over 20 kids camps. The interest and demand is growing and we want to keep up the pace.
Yet again the logistical hurdle rears its head. This time we need surfboards, proper fitting wetsuits and a trailer so we can take our Kids Camp Program all up and down the west coast. We don’t just want to ask for money though. We want all of our supporters to be a part of everything we do, and we want those participating in our camps to see everyone who is helping make this happen.
Please join us at warmcurrent.org as well as on Facebook & Twitter
Breath, life, vitality of the spirit.
I was sitting on a thing called a “borek” trying to pull myself up a blank wall to the second borek, from which was hanging a thin sling with a carabiner. A “Borek” stays in the rock just on a lever principle. I was just a few centimetres away from clipping myself in the second borek, when in that moment I held the borek too low, so instead of pulling it down I pulled on it in the wrong direction – from the rock. In a split second I was incomprehensibly staring at the thing which was supposed to keep me attached to the wall. Before I knew it I was lying on the sandy ground, head facing down the hill. The tiny knots I set in as anchors had ripped out. Fortunately, they slowed my fall. Expressions on my friend’s faces were telling me that I just had a lucky escape. I carefully started to move my arms and legs. Everything seemed to be ok. I slowly stood up and found that I was not injured at all. It surprised me, because I hit the deck on my back and side from the height of about 8 meters (25 feet). I calmed myself down and got ready to climb up again. I managed to secure myself to both “borek’s”, so I could start making the hole for the ring bolt. My friend and I finished this project a couple of days later. We named it C’est la Vie (IXa) because the climbing is like life – you are up and suddenly not knowing how you are rolling on the ground.
Each first ascender is proud of his/her route for sure. Proud of the beautiful line he was honored to climb as a first one. In sport crags to make a route is about abseiling, drilling, plenty of bolts, and practicing. But to make a route on sand-stone is about personal pride. First ascents have been made here in the old traditional way and spirit – a fight of man against man, eye to eye. If sandstone climbing is scary, then making the first ascent is mind blowing. When the route is on the edge of the climber’s skills it can turn into a “hell ride”. Certain ethical rules have to be followed to attempt a first accent.
Once you pick the line you have to double check with the guide book and locals, that nobody really has not climbed it before. Get armed with nerves, equipment, fellow climbers, and the party can get started. You’re not allowed to top-rope the route or abseil it. It has to be a clean ground-up attempt, no chalk! It’s not cool to disfigure the rock with more bolts than is necessary. Bolts should glamorize the rock not devastate it. It’s customary to set the bolts just before the crux moves which are higher above the ground – using soft knots is an essential skill. It’s up to the first ascender to assume where those places are. If he or she is really brave or doesn’t have any bolts to use, it leads to the creation of a route called “suicide”. It’s not allowed for anybody else to set extra bolts in the route without the first ascender’s agreement. To make a nice route the right sense and tact is needed. The final route has to be agreed by the local board of climbers. It can seem like a lot of useless bureaucracy but this prevents making non-sense routes and pointless rock devastation.
The essential equipment is a “borek”, “rourak”, hammer, special glue or cement and lead for calking the bolt. Instead of a “rourak” and hammer you can have a battery drill but it’s bloody heavy. Pounding the “rourak” is the true fair play between the climber and the rock.
Each route get’s given it’s own name. While you’re reading the name of the routes you can just guess why each one of them got it? It might reflect the current mood of the first ascender, a short story which happened during setting the route, or it can be just a rhyme which is melodic, or has something to do with the name of the tower or massif. Maybe you will get some clue when you look at the line. Here are few examples. How do you think they got their names?
El Condor Pasa, The Route Of The Stupid Birds, Get down stupid!, They Didn’t Bring The Beer, Earthworm’s Route, The Arete of Falls, Flyer’s Route, Pompeii, The Route Of Pleasant Falls, The Flying Billy Goat, Milkmen’s Route, The Midnight Kingdom, Just A Couple Of Inches, The Saint Lies, For Alena (Czech female name), Dragon’s wall, The Devil’s Rhymes.
Glossary
Borek – small drill. Hollow metal tube with a jagged edge at the end. Usually it’s not wider than a small finger and not longer than a middle finger. The metal has to be strong enough to hold the climbers body and withstand the pounding of a hammer. It’s best is to use two of them for safety.
Rourak – big drill. Hollow metal tube with teeth on the end which is hammered into the rock to make a hole for the ring-bolt.
Hammer – primitive tool for hammering.
Glue – special binary glue. Modern way to set the bolts into the rock.
Cement and lead – it was used in the old days. The cement had to be thin to poor into the ring-bolt hole. Lead was used to calk it in. Some climbers still use it today. Using this method hundreds of ring-bolts were set into the rock, and they are still safe even after 30 years.
~Vaclav Novatny, Climbing Paradise
Breath, life, vitality of the spirit.
The Petzl Grigri 2
Petzl has done it again! This item exceeds all the hype. The size, weight, and performance are all significantly improved from the first Grigri. When I first got the Grigri 2 it was in a somewhat large box, and I thought that the box was empty. Come to find out, the new Grigri seemed to be as light as the cardboard box. The Grigri 2 weighs in at 5.9 ounces, and the Grigri 2 is 20 percent lighter and 25 percent smaller than the original Grigri. The size is not the only change. This new device handles better, feeds better, brakes quicker, and lowers much easier. I climb with the Xion 10.1 and the Fuse 9.4 ropes. The Grigri 2 takes both ropes very well. With my old Grigri, the 9.4 used to slip a little, but the new Grigri has no problem with the thin rope. As for the Xion, the fatter rope slides in out of the device like a charm. You cannot go wrong with the new Grigri 2. It is hands down the best belay device I have ever used, and the original Grigri comes in right after its over achieving little brother. For more info visit: http://www.petzl.com/en/outdoor/belay-devices/grigri
The Petzl Xion 10.1 rope
I was pretty skeptical at first when Petzl sent me the rope. I was thinking I could use it for some projects and save some use on my Fuse rope. I was wrong. This rope handles better than most 9.8 ropes. Petzl really got it right when it comes to mixing durability and exceptional handling. I use this rope all the time. It feels great and I do not have to worry about taking lots of big falls on it. The durability has really stood the test. I have had the rope for around 3 months, using almost every week in the gym and some outdoors, and I have seen very little wear and tare on the rope. Another cool thing about this rope is that all Petzl ropes coiled in a way that you can cut the plastic and use it right then and there with out having to flake it out. If you are looking for a rope that is durable but you are not willing to compromise performance, this is the rope to buy. For more info visit: http://www.petzl.com/us/outdoor/verticality/dynamic-ropes/101-xion
prAna Stretch Zion Pant
These pants are no ordinary pants. These pant allow you climb with out having to go through all the hardships that come with climbing in pants. They stretch, breath, and out perform any climbing pants I have ever known. These pants are also loaded with many other features. They have plenty of pockets and have snaps at the bottom to help you roll up the pants. These pants are great for any weather you run into. I have climbed in them in Texas 90 degree weather, and in the cold Colorado winter. They go easy with layers for the cold and roll up and breath in the heat. I recommend these pants to anyone who wants an all year pant option. These are my favorite prAna product. For more info visit: http://www.prana.com/men/collections/climbing-favorites.html
prAna Snakebite ¼ zip
This is another must have product for all weather climbing. Wear it on the cool morning hike and shed it before you hit the rock. Use it as a great layering item for those cold days at the crag. I even climb in this when the cold is just too much. It breaks the wind and stretches very nicely for any activity. I also love to wear this when I am not climbing. It is nice but also has an active lifestyle look to it. I really use the snakebite all the time. I am also not sure there is a way I could deal with this pull over not in my wardrobe. Hurry these are going fast http://www.prana.com/snakebite-1-4-zip.html
~Owen Graham, prAna Ambassador
Breath, life, vitality of the spirit.
