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Urban Climber Magazine Feature Articles
Feature articles and photo essays from Urban Climber Magazine by: Rob Turan, Andrew Kornylak, Joe Iurato, Tim Kemple, Mike Brumbaugh, Andrew Burr, Justin Roth, John Evans, Abbey Smith, Brian Solano, Chris Brown, Matt Samet, Jackie Hueftle, Michael Reardon and more.
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 Setting the Bar
Behind the scenes with the World Cup routesetters - The crowd in Boulder cheers wildly as Emily Harrington, hometown hero, flips herself into a figure four to clip a draw on one of the qualifying routes. Moments later, two moves from the finish, she falls. Other American climbing stars drop, too, as do many climbers from the 13 countries represented at this World Cup. To most onlookers, it’s heartbreaking to watch your heroes fall, but anyone who knows routesetting knows the unique, secret joy that we experience as we watch climbers come off progressively higher and higher on a route.  Click Click Click
29 ways to make your climbing photo less lame - We see thousands of photos pass across our desks here at UC HQ. There are a lot of great photos, and a lot more not-so-great photos. Fortunately for you wannabe photogs and up-and-coming image-makers, following a few simple rules can help you avoid the latter group. Our list is definitely not comprehensive, but it’s a start, and if you can remember these tips, your photos will drastically improve.  2010 Urby Awards
Our older sister magazine, Climbing, has long held its esteemed Golden Piton Award as the prestigious symbol of everything excellent in the sport, and down the hall at Urban Climber, we got jealous. We were tired of the editors lording their award over us like it was the dang Piolet Christian Dior. Isn’t that what it’s called? Anyway, we’re sick of it, so we decided to create an award unique to Urban Climber to give away each year: The Urby.  Homage: Ice Virgins
As I steered into the pullout for the Little Eiger crag in Clear Creek Canyon, near Golden, Colorado, I spied the display for my external thermometer—it read 8°F. Not a comforting sight for someone who longs for weather warm enough to sport flip-flops and tank tops. My idea of a climbing day is clipping pre-hung draws and not dying.  2011 Urban (Climber) Dictionary
Climber vocab, like urban slang, is an ever-changing beast about as stable as your psycho ex—you know, the one with the lazy eye, a handbag full of psych meds, and a “stalking problem.” So chiggidy-check it, p33pz: it’s 2010, and it’s no longer “hep” and “kewl” to spout antiquated nonsense like “Hey, daddy-o, megapoint me some cranker beta on this flingus mingosity.”  Homage: Survival of the (Un)fittest
You don't dabble in survival—it’s a do-or-die deal. When faced with the long odds of making it out alive, few souls evade the snake-eyed gaze of Monsieur Grim. Essential traits for avoiding the chop are courage, self-reliance, and a keen, instinctual nose for sniffing a way out of your fatal fix. Gus, a stunning, bug-eyed pug, a paragon of persistence, thwarted such a premature grave.  The X Factor
Like any other pioneering event, first female ascents are controversial and spark debate across the board. From a decade ago to today, the number of FFAs has increased, and along with it, the importance and meaning has shifted with the changing culture. In addition to this exploration of FFAs and their place in the climbing world are a few profiles of some of climbing’s female crushers, who bring as many opinions of the term as they do FFAs on their tick lists.  Homage: Chalk
When you’re 60 feet up that 5.11 with no idea what your next move is, there is no better, more comforting stall tactic than to reach behind you and dip your hands into fluffy white chalk. It doesn’t matter that your hands are already drier than your physics professor’s dissertation. You needed a break. You needed an excuse. And you needed the confidence — however psychological — that having your fingers coated in that fine powder can give.  The Urban Climber Abridged Climbing Almanac
Some time ago, we (and you, we imagine) started climbing. Despite its intrinsic simplicity and the feeling you get (oh the feelings — a rope in your fingers, snugging the laces or Velcro on a tight pair of shoes, clipping the chains, pressing out the mantle on a tough boulder, etc.), climbing as a culture is infinitely complex. The people, the social rules, and all that emotion. Whoever thought a bunch of unfeeling hunks of stone would cause so much emotion? C’est la vie. Así es la vida. Amen.  Homage: Dear Dudebro...
Well, I finally traded in the keys to my puke-green 1984 VW Westfalia for a gas-effi cient Civic. And yes, it felt like I was losing a part of my soul. That van had been my transportation, my bedroom, my kitchen, my living room, and even my bathroom at times. Her name was Sheila, and she was my best friend. You told me I’d regret the trade, of course. “Giving up on the life,” you so delicately called it. I know you disapprove of my desk job, too.  Road Warrior
One road trip I took when I first started climbing left my car in a ditch on the side of the highway and me with no cell phone service. Another left a mule deer in the same spot after it managed to cave in my entire hood. Another stressed me out as I considered fighting one (or more) of my closest friends for being more annoying than I ever remembered. Yet another made me thankful I wasn’t the one with a broken ankle.  Homage: Granite - Great Stone... or the Greatest Stone?
Choosing a favorite stone is like choosing a favorite color: pointless . . . and maybe even a bit childish. Still, while I don’t think I’ve had a favorite color since grade school, ask me what’s my favorite rock, and I won’t hesitate: it’s granite. Granite is El Capitan, in Yosemite; Hampi, India; and the Buttermilk boulders of Bishop. Granite is Joshua Tree; City of Rocks; and Rocky Mountain National Park. From The Mandala to Midnight Lightning to the Nose to Eternal Flame, this one wonderful stone comprises many of the world’s most inspiring climbing areas and climbs.  CITY LIFE
10 TOP AMERICAN CLIMBING CITIES - By now, everyone’s heard of the little diehard climbing towns that just can’t be beat: Chattanooga, TN; North Conway, NH; Bishop, CA . . . the list goes on. Small, with loads of rock in their backyards, these spots are great road-trip stops. Heck, you could even live in ‘em . . . if climbing’s your No. 1 priority in life, you can work from home, you’ve go a fat roll of Benjamins, or you’re lucky enough to score a job in the outdoor industry . . . .  FUTURE GYMS
The next generation of climbing gyms is bigger, better, cooler, more professional... and it's changing the face of climbing as we know it - IN THE BEGINNING, there was only rock; no one climbed on plastic. Off-rock climbing training consisted of gymnastics-style strength exercises like pull-ups, front levers, and iron crosses. A few brave souls constructed homemade training apparati, most of which would sooner tweak a tendon or rip a flapper than up one’s climbing ability.  UNDERGROUND CHUCK
Filmmaker, DJ and Highballin' Hardman Chuck Fryberger Sounds Off on the Industry, Making a Living and all that Bullshit - It’s early 2008, and I’m driving down a dusty dirt road in The Middle of Nowhere, Mexico. Deathly ill from some variant of Montezuma’s Revenge, I round a bend to find Chuck Fryberger, aka Underground Chuck, and his crew of climbers pulled over on the side of the road — un policía has tagged them for “speeding” in the middle of the Sonoran desert.  FRY DAYS
Photos by Andrew Burr / AndrewBurr.com - In Edward Abbey’s 1975 novel, The Monkey Wrench Gang, four roughneck misfits set out to destroy paved roads, dams, and other signs of encroaching industrialization in their remote Southwestern homeland. The novel’s set in the sere desert plains and canyons of southeast Utah, specifically the tiny hamlet of Hite and the area surrounding the White and Fry river canyons.  The Connection
By Joe Iurato and Tim Kemple > Photos by Tim Kemple / KempleMedia.com - Quick, finish this statement: Climbing is… It’s hard, right? There's no right or wrong answer, but it probably feels as if someone just asked you for the meaning of life. I mean you’ve thought about it, but you never really THOUGHT about it. That little blank forces you to consider on a personal, maybe even a spiritual level, why you have such a shatterproof, inseparable connection to this entity called rock climbing. -lg.jpg) THE SOUND OF ROC TRIP
Words by Justin Roth / Photos by John Evans - Roc Trip Zillertal hasn’t yet started, and I find myself tagging along with the Petzl pros as they tour the four or five main areas containing Voi Ultimes (“Ultimate Routes”). In the seats in front of me are some of France’s strongest rock jocks — Tony Lamiche, Liv Sansoz, Mickaël Fuselier, Jerome Meyer, Daniel Du Lac.  Homage to the Lowball
Words by Justin Roth - The lowball boulder problem is perhaps the most derided of rock climbs. On a boldness scale, it lies somewhere between toproping in the gym and standing on a chair to change a light bulb. No one makes films about lowballs, or writes books about them — how many lowballs have you seen in the photo galleries of this magazine?  Spray
It all started with a fateful encounter with Chris Lindner at the 2006 Outdoor Retailer Show, in Salt Lake City. We started sharing thoughts about making a movie together. Our ideas were similar, and we knew almost instantly that we were going to make it happen.We had only one problem: we had no plan. We didn’t know where we’d shoot or who the climbers would be. All we knew was it was going to be fresh, unique…badass. Luckily, sometimes psych and motivation are all you really need. |
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