HEADZ -Reality distorted by Jason Kehl www.cryptochild.com - The new Obe Carrion full body hoodie keep you straight up...all the time
HEADZ -Reality distorted by Jason Kehl www.cryptochild.com - The new Obe Carrion full body hoodie keep you straight up...all the time
I got a globe of the world in the mail today
Do it for Ike
Unlike other lifestyles and sports, climbing doesn’t lend itself to complacency. There are countless natural factors that fight against you during your struggle to climb: from basic physics and gravity, to communication with your partner. Unfortunately, when we do begin to get comfortable, we often don’t put the right amount of time into each of our decisions, and ultimately we face the consequences. This is exactly what happened on March 11, 2007, when Isaac “Ike” Palatt, 21, got on his second route of the day – Soul Train, 5.12a. Though a very experienced climber, Ike – who planned to single-line rappel using his partner as a counterweight – attempted to lower from the same side of the rope as his partner. After unclipping from the anchors, Palatt fell the sixty feet of overhanging rock, only to fall another fifty after the initial impact.
Palatt shattered both of his heals, broke four vertebrae, a rib, and his elbow, and bruised a lung. After recovering at the University Medical Center in Las Vegas, Nevada, Ike has returned to his mother’s home having had reconstructive surgery on his elbow and left heel, as well as five days of rehab.
Ike’s mother, Kay, took time off work to care for her son. Insurance won’t cover all of their medical expenses, and a fund has been set to help the Palatts manage.
Donations can be sent to:
Community Bank of Nevada for Isaac Palatt
7580 W. Sahara Ave.
Las Vegas, NV 89117
Please write the account number, 0701001518 on the memo line.
Checks should be payable to Isaac Palatt.
Are you in the top 10 on uctv? 1) Evilution: Mike Call
2) Mizugaki: DrTopo
3) The Reactions: fragile
4) Specimen: Chuck Fryberger
5) First Ascent Trailer: Sender Films
6) Shangri La: szaFa
7) Fuse: IndeVisual
8) Lost Arrow Spire: ThiVer
9) An Englishman in New York: IndeVisual
10) 6 Essential Shoulder Exercises: kyle
Fire Strikes Climbers’ Home and Business in Kentucky
Less than a week after the Red River Reunion, a hub of the Red River Gorge climbing community, Red River Outdoors (RRO), burned to the ground. Owned by Matt and Amy Tackett, RRO offered some of the best breakfast in town, a gear shop, guided climbing and cabin rentals.
On April 24th, while inside her home on the second floor of the RRO building, Amy Tackett noticed smoke and went outside to see what was happening. She heard two explosions and flames quickly engulfed the building. The Tackett’s dog, River, was a casualty of the blaze. Always supportive, upwards of two dozen members of the local climbing community appeared on the scene before even the fire department, bringing food and clothing and, most valuably, moral support.
The Tacketts are now faced with rebuilding their home and their business from the ground up. A PayPal account has been set up for those who want to help with funds for the rebuilding. Go to www.redriverclimbing.com to donate and learn more.
Climbers gather outside of Miguel's Pizza in the morning to sign up for the Red River Reuinion Climbing Competition. Photo: Justin Roth/ climbing.com/exclusive/problog/justinroth
Climbers gather outside of Miguel's Pizza in the morning to sign up for the Red River Reuinion Climbing Competition. Photo: Justin Roth/ climbing.com/exclusive/problog/justinroth
Red River Reunion
The arm wrestling contest never materialized. It was supposed to go somewhere between the real-rock climbing competition and the previews of Spencer Victory’s new movie about life and climbing in the Red River Gorge. Or maybe after hip-hopper ODub dropped climbing rhymes on the crowd, but before the hour-long glow stick battle (not part of the formal program)… Oh, either way, it could’ve even been cancelled due to conflicts with the bluegrass band performance. The point here is that there was no arm wrestling competition at this year’s Red River Reunion, which otherwise went off smoother than a chalk-smeared sloper in Kentucky in July.
And speaking of things going smoothly, here’s a perfectly good place to say thanks to Morgain Sprague, Board Member of the Red River Gorge Climbers Coalition (RRGCC), and Bentley Brackett for masterminding the event; Red River Outdoors for their sponsorship; a crew of twenty hard-working volunteers from Kentucky, Tennessee and Ohio; and Miguel and Susan Ventura, who have once again opened their famed pizza shop and climber campground to the hundreds of visitors who made an appearance. Everyone played a part in making the seventh annual spring celebration of Southern climbing goodness happen.
To recognize a few of the most dedicated, the RRGCC presented awards to two volunteers who went above and beyond in 2007, according to Sprague: Morgan Burton received the Volunteer of the Year Award and Bentley Brackett received the Fundraiser and Leadership Award.
The Red River Reunion has several functions. One is simply to ring in the new season of climbing at the one of the nation’s biggest and baddest climbing areas. Another is to give back to the Daniel Boone National Park, on which much climbing exists, through a trash pickup. Finally, and perhaps most importantly, the Reunion helps the RRGCC to raise funds and educate climbers about the elephant in the room: access issues.
On the brighter side of access announcements was the purchase - by climbers - of the recently closed Torrent Falls climbing area, meaning Red lovers may soon be huffing through its classic tours de pump once again. On the darker side was the ominous notice that the land on which the world-famous Motherlode crag resides will soon be up for sale. Translation: future access to climbing at the ‘Lode is not at all certain.
In all, the valiant and ongoing efforts of the RRGCC received the hoots, hollers and applause they richly deserve and the crowds dispersed with new resolve to get involved in the noble access cause... and to finally send that project left hanging since last fall.
Access Fund Thank Those Behind The Scenes
UCMAG hits the newsstand showcasing another must-see, must-experience locale. For climbers, it’s another issue featuring strong climbers in beautiful places—inspirational and motivational. For Sally Landmanager and Sam Landowner, a once “hometown” crag can become the next international destination.
This is what happened to Joe Pollini, Resource Manager and all around great guy at the BLM in Bishop—think Happys and Sads. Two magazine articles and the advent of posting beta on the world wide internets machine ushered in a bouldering “tsunami” which still continues today.
Fortunately for climbers, Joe was ready and open-minded. Today, Bishop is one of the most climber-friendly places in the world thanks to the flexible, progressive, and creative management of Joe Pollini and the entire BLM staff in the early days of the boom; a philosophy that has kept Bishop what it is for climbers today.
Joe isn’t the only one. Whether it is Mark or Jessey leading climbers coffee in Yosemite, John at South Cumberland, Brad at City of Rocks, Gary working with climbers at the New River Gorge, Jim @ Devils Tower, Steve at the Black Canyon, Matt in the Obed, Jed at Red Rocks, Jon at Little River City, Leah at Shelf Road, Scott at the Happys, Jim at Mount Hood, Tim at the Red River Gorge, Justin in the White Mountains, Kevin of the Big South Fork, Fred at Smith Rock, Hank at the Mohonk Preserve...all these folks deserve props, and lots of them. Some climbers revel in an anti-establishment, f*&$ the “man” attitude. The park ranger is to be feared and evaded. Climbing is a fringe sport, not understood by those who manage the land. Climbing is under the radar. Climbing is our antidote for bureaucracy and the mundane. That’s lame. May we suggest sticking it to someone other than the people who make your climbing experience better?
So, go ahead. Next time you are out there sending your proj, and a person in uniform walks up, resist the urge to run away at top speeds (remember, you still have on your climbing shoes). Walk up to that person, introduce yourself and thank them for their hard work. Better, yet ask them if they would like to join you...they may surprise you.
Two young Mexican metal guitarists, Rodrigo and Gabriela followed their inexorable hunger for diverse guitar styles to Europe, and eventually settled in Dublin, Ireland. Not knowing any English, and with one thousand dollars between them, the two artists busked on the streets - where they would find inspirations that would later be worked into their unique style. Though the duo first and foremost consider themselves to be metal composers, their Latin roots inevitably flourished within their narratives, and soon their style was finding them gigs throughout Ireland – and eventually led them to producing their self titled album.
The most breathtaking component of Rodrigo and Gabriela’s album is the duo’s effectiveness in exemplifying raw energy and passion due to their deeply contrasting – but complementary – styles. Rodrigo is responsible for the blazing and sensual melody that is achieved through his precise and clean finger picking, while Gabriela supplies brute, relentless power through her percussive strumming and drumming on the guitar’s body. Together they are able to evoke a diverse range of emotions, spanning from anxiousness to ecstasy in a single song, as does occur in their song “Diablo Rojo”, an instrumental journey inspired by a roller coaster in Denmark.
While it’s almost impossible to believe that depth of sound and emotion can be radiated from two simple acoustic guitars, it’s even more impossible to believe it took this long. A deeply moving, soulful, and ground-breaking effort. You need this one.
Eye Candy: The Top 20 Classic Boulder Problems of North America
A Nathan Cando production Reviewed by Noah Chilton
Climbing’s seductive nature seems to lay in that it is an ever-changing sport, merely bound by nature’s seemingly infinite diverse landscapes and the climbing community’s range of multiple personalities. With climbers being as diverse as the rock they climb, the philosophies of climbing and the reasons for movement and ascent are innumerable. Without a standard like other sports – with constant growth and establishment of new climbing throughout the world always occurring – defining the classic lines of bouldering is not only subjective, but a controversy. In an attempt to ultimately define the word “classic” as used in the climbing community, director Nathan Cando produced a climbing film that reaches far beyond bouldering problems, and looks deeply into the roots of the climbing experience.
The first obvious difference from any other climbing film – and arguable Cando’s smartest decision - is that all of the climbers featured are women. By depicting a bouldering problem from a female perspective, Cando allows the audience to see the intricacies of struggle - and ultimately completion. Though a generalization, it is often safe to say that while men often depend on strength, women tend to move more efficiently, depending greatly upon technique and body positioning to make moves easier. This allows the audience to notice the subtleties of movement – one of the core factors many people, including climbers in this film, consider to be important in determining if a problem is classic.
As much as Cando’s directing often seems disjointed and his coverage unrelated to the classic boulder problems, the almost disorganized nature of the film allows the director to indirectly and subtly – but extremely effectively - narrate and convey his own opinions. Between coverage of the twenty chosen problems, Cando often chooses to feature another factor he considers to be crucial in determining the quality of a problem. After a brief explanation of highballing and its significance in bouldering, the director features multiple climbing areas throughout the continent – ranging from Squamish to Hueco. By giving a sensual experience to the audience – by showing them the environments in which these classic boulder problems exist – Cando gives the word “classic” some context.
The film’s goals and achievements are effectively epitomized by its conclusion: Ally Dorey’s ascent of arguably the most famous and most classic bouldering problem in the United States: Midnight Lightning.
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