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. With it, we promise you,
our readers, to never take climbing too seriously as we deliver
the previous year’s best, brightest, strongest, funniest,
and most entertaining characters in our sport. Our categories
aren’t traditional, but these are the things we thought
mattered last year. Without further ado, we present the inaugural
Urby recipients.
Some folks occasionally
send some really hard
routes or boulders. At the
top of their game, they’ll
tick off groundbreaking
ascents that truly are astounding
feats of strength.
Then there are folks who
are constantly check-marking
the indexes of guidebooks
like they’re grocery
lists. In 2010, Adam Ondra,
the freakishly strong
18-year-old Czech wunderkind,
accumulated a
list of ascents that clearly
indicates a yearly climbing
stamina reserved for the
Dean Karnazeses and Ron
Jeremys of the world.
The kid took down
Sharma’s Golpe de Estado (5.15b) on top of two
other 5.15a routes, 10
5.14d’s, nine 5.14c’s, and
five 5.14b onsights. Did
we mention he’s 18 years
old—and that he was 17
at the time? Did we mention
these were just the
routes he did? Though he
says he’s mostly a route
climber, he refused to let
minor details like that prevent
takedowns of a couple
V15s and five V14s.
For a fuzzy-headed teenager,
we think that’s not
too shabby.
We know, we know, we know. He was
just on our last cover, and he’s consistently
been covered for basically the
whole year. The thing of it is, though,
is that he deserves it. Just imagine, if
you will, a beautifully steep boulder that
sits just across a creek with the shortest,
easiest Tyrolean traverse on Earth,
right next to a parking lot, near a city
where some of the hardest boulderers
who ever lived climb on a regular basis.
The city’s even called Boulder. Now
imagine that this boulder remained unclimbed,
thwarting some of the strongest
dudes for many years, and then
someone sends it. Turns out it’s one of
the hardest boulder problems on the
whole planet: The Game (V16). That’s
exactly what Woods did in early 2010.
Call us crazy, but that’s one of the few
ascents we’re willing to call “sick.”
Vertical Carnival For being a blog we actually want to read
Climbing blogs are a tricky business. They need to be entertaining and fun, with occasional ventures into the serious side of the
sport. They need to tell us of all the faraway places and sick crags we can’t go to while we’re sitting in our cubicles droning away
for “the man.” We should get excited when we see an update, and come back almost every day hoping for more. They should
make us laugh or smile or intrigue us or make us think (not too much, though, or it gets excommunicated from the ol’ RSS feed).
Vertical Carnival (verticalcarnival.blogspot.com) has all this and then some. This blog has been active since February 2009 with
regular posts every month—an impressive feat in the blogosphere—and it always keeps us coming back for more. Cedar Wright
and Renan Ozturk (left and right in the photo) never fail to amuse and entertain with their stories of climbing and travel. Of course,
the famed “Boogie ’Til You Poop” video (Jason Kruk earns an Urby for Shit Your Pants Moment of the Year) made a cameo on
the site, but the “UltraRunner… or UltraDouche?!” vid, where they teamed up with jokester Timmy O’Neill, is what secured this
blog’s place in our top spot. With honest and enviable senses of humor, along with real skills behind the camera and in the editing
bay, these guys churn out hit after hit of entertaining and inspiring climbing media that we just want to consume and spread.
Kim Jain For being the resounding queen of comp climbing
Rarely does a climber compete so well that she consistently stands atop the podium, no matter where the event takes place.
Enter Kim Jain, a Korean superstar who won the 2010 Lead World Cup title. She medaled in an astounding 11 competitions
sanctioned by the International Federation of Sport Climbing this year, with seven first-place finishes. The 22-year-old not only
dominated the lead comps, but placed in two Bouldering World Cup events as well. Kim made her World Cup debut in July
2004, but finished a disappointing 41st. Not to be discouraged, she battled her way to seventh place three months later in
Shanghai. A mere 28 days later, Kim won the Asian Championship in Korea. She has won three Asian Championships since
then, and now she’s the best in the world.
Alone on the Wall For keeping us on the edge of our seats
Climbing films are of utmost importance to the climber’s psych. Great for rest days
or injuries, these films keep our palms sweaty and our minds hungry for the next
route. Sender Films’ Alone on the Wall (senderfilms.com), featuring Alex Honnold’s
free-solo ascents of Half Dome and Moonlight Buttress, both feeds the addiction
and shows us something we will undoubtedly never do ourselves. With the calculated
(yet terrifying) Honnold and an equally brave film crew (to stand by while there’s
a possibility the kid will fall to his death), this film epitomizes cajones. It’s well shot,
with an illuminating vignette of Honnold’s road life and an honest interview with his
mom, whose attitude toward her son’s exploits is surprisingly calm. A favorite moment
is definitely when Honnold stops on Thank God Ledge on Half Dome with his
back to the wall, apparently frozen in fear (see photo), though he shows no visible
sign of worry or anxiety. He has a countenance of stone.
Wolverine Land, Lincoln Lake, that new bouldering place at Mt. Evans in Colorado—we
don’t really care what you call it. In fact, squabbling about the name only does injustice
to a pretty stellar bouldering area, which really came into its own this past summer. If you
paid any attention to the mass of blog posts and Internet chatter devoted to the area, then
you know full well about all the hard problems that went up by the hands of Dave Graham
and Daniel Woods. This area was the hottest crag by far last summer, and not just for hard
problems. With The Island’s video Enter the Wolvo, LouderThan11’s Lincoln Lake Giants
series, and all the other attention the area received from climbers of all ability ranges, this
one was a no-brainer.
Ethan Pringle For coming back so strongly after an intense injury
We’d be remiss if we didn’t recognize Ethan Pringle for his absolutely ass-kicking comeback
in 2010. Pringle, 24, severely injured his shoulder in ABS Nationals in February 2009,
tearing cartilage in his shoulder and separating some of his bicep tendons. Yeah, it’s just as
excruciating as it sounds. But you wouldn’t know it from his super-strong return to climbing.
After gaining power through the year, Pringle did the second ascent of The Golden Ticket (5.14+) in the Red River Gorge in November, then jetsetted to Yangshuo, China, where
he sent Spicy Noodle (5.14c), French Gangster (5.14b), and made the first ascent of
Chris Sharma’s open project previously called the Dumpling of all Evil and renamed Spicy
Dumpling, suggesting a grade of 5.14d, which would be China’s hardest route.
Jailhouse Rock
For being saved by the Access Fund
Until recent months, California’s
Jailhouse Rock has been one
of climbing’s best-kept secrets.
It’s one of the best winter crags
in North America for hard
sport climbing: a huge cave of
overhanging, blocky volcanic
rock, up to 200 feet tall, with
more than 100 routes ranging
from 5.11c to 5.14c, including
Green Mile (5.14c/d), one of
the hardest in the country.
The climate is mild, the routes
stay dry in the rain, and it’s
conveniently located just a
couple of hours from the major
urban centers of San Francisco
and Sacramento—and the big
stone of Yosemite. Climbers like
Peter Croft, Justen Sjong, Rob
Miller, Tommy Caldwell, and Alex
Honnold have utilized Jailhouse
as a training ground for cuttingedge
El Cap ascents.
The trail to the cliff crosses
private property, however, and
although the owners historically
allowed climbers to pass, word
of mouth has been the only
means of fi nding the cliff and
its routes. Recently, plans for a
new subdivision threatened to
further block the trailhead and
approach trail. The Access Fund
quickly leapt into action, working
with the landowners to secure
a short-term, $100,000 Land
Conservation Campaign loan
and ensure permanent access
to the cliff. But they still need
donor support: They’re trying
to raise $40,000 in the next 12
months to build a new parking
area and trailhead, and to build
a stewardship fund to protect
Jailhouse for years to come.
Find out more and donate at
accessfund.org/jailhouse.
Tommy Caldwell and Kevin Jorgeson For the most inspiring failure
Let’s face it, guys: If you were trying anything other than the
hardest big-wall free climb ever, you’d be a laughing stock of the
climbing community. Independent of the near-live blogging, the
magazine articles, and all the rest of the hype that surrounded your
hypothetical ascent, you managed to give us something Obama’s
been trying to provide for the last couple of years: hope. We have to
admit we were cheering you on through the whole dang Dawn Wall
process, hoping and wishing you’d make the miraculous send and
prove once again that a pair of dudes with only 19 fingers between
them can make history. You’re our heroes no matter what, and even
though you bowed out sensibly (rather than risk annihilation by a
fierce early-winter storm) and descended that granite beast without
a send, you came down with honor. A for effort, fellas.
He’s been at the top of his game basically since he
started climbing. He’s about to turn 30, is showing
no signs of slowing down, and is ubiquitous as ever.
Chris, here’s your Urby so we can disqualify you from
every other category that you would inevitably win.
Not a typical training day: Alex Honnold high on the Salathe, El Cap, Yosemite. Photo by Keith Ladzinski
Not a typical training day: Alex Honnold high on the Salathe, El Cap, Yosemite. Photo by Keith Ladzinski
Alex Honnold Climber of the Year
No matter what you think about Alex Honnold, one thing
remains ever-true: The guy can climb. In fact, he can pretty
much climb whatever he wants. His ticklist last year not only
included hard sport sends like the Jailhouse testpiece The
Green Mile (5.14c/d), but also a link-up of the Nose, Salathé
Wall, and Lurking Fear on El Cap (with Sean Leary) in under
24 hours, not to mention doing the Regular Northwest Face of Half Dome and the Nose in a record time of 11 hours and
change (shaving near nine hours off the previous record).
Whether he’s soloing, bouldering, or sport climbing, Honnold
cranks in a way we can only dream of. We caught up with him
in the middle of a climbing trip to the Middle East to break the
good news about his Urby.
You excited about Christmas coming up?
Haha, it’s hard
to imagine Christmas when you’re in shorts eating hummus
in Israel.
You’re in Israel?
Yeah, I’m in the holy land, and I just got back
from two weeks in Jordan.
What was in Jordan?
Wadi Rum. Big sandstone walls. It’s like
Red Rocks but on worse rock. It was cool, though.
How does it feel to be Urban Climber’s very first Climber
of the Year?
Ha! I’m so honored. Actually, I kind of am. I
don’t think I’ve ever been in UC before. I didn’t think you guys
cared about the kind of climbing that I like. You know, big, tall
things that aren’t too hard.
Don’t bullshit us. You sent the Green Mile this year and
plenty of other 5.14s. Not to mention that, to the rest of the
world, 5.12s are hard and you just do them with no ropes.
Which is kind of messed up.
Well, you know, UC is all about
the cool kids pulling super-hard. I can barely boulder double
digits. [Ed. note: “Barely” means sending five V11s and The
Mandala (V12), then calling it soft on his 8a.nu card.] Though
I’ve lost a few pounds on my last two trips [Chad and Jordan],
and I can do one-arms a lot easier right now. I think the third-world
diet is the way forward.
If you were in charge of giving out the Climber of the Year
award, who would you give it to?
Haha. Tommy just because
he’s the man. I don’t even know if he’s done anything this
year, but he’s still the man. I don’t know. If I thought about it,
I’m sure I would think up someone more deserving
Caldwell? He got married. That’s scary.
Yeah, big mistake
there [laughs]. But he still cranks. For real, I would give it to
Adam Ondra, for the things he did in Madagascar this year.
Totally blew my mind. I don’t even dream about climbing that
well. It’s surreal.
What was your proudest ascent this year?
Maybe soloing the
Rainbow Wall. Maybe soloing the Nose. I was psyched about
sport climbing harder. I was actually really psyched about
the 24 Hours of Horseshoe Hell competition, and also about
doing the triple El Cap day with Sean [Leary], just because
both of those were hard for me, and I actually had to try hard.
What’s the best book you read this year?
Oh, that’s a good
question. I’ve been reading a lot since I’m traveling. I just did
three heavy-duty Africa books for our Chad expedition, and I
just finished a long-ass novel about the history of the Jews,
which is awesome for being in Israel right now.
What are you climbing in Israel right now?
Chossy little
limestone stuff. There isn’t a lot here, but it’s an amazing
place, and I have friends here. We’re going to go to some
better stuff up north in a few days. I think it’ll be better.
Are you bolting?
No, I’m not here that long, and I don’t have
a drill. I’ve been playing on some open projects and stuff, but
nothing too exciting.
Do you have any major secret plans for 2011?
Haha, not
really...
Like you can’t tell us, or you have no plans?
I’m sport
climbing in Europe the next two months and then coming
home. After that, I’m going to boulder for at least a month or
two. This last year, I bouldered for two months, and it really
helped my climbing. I finally jumped a grade, so I’m psyched
to repeat the process. I have a few places I want to travel to,
like Rocklands maybe, and I’m toying with the idea of learning
how to fly, but I’ve been thinking about that for a long time and
I don’t know if I’ll really do it. Fly = BASE.
Well, speaking of scary things that don’t involve ropes: You
got tons of press for soloing this year (including the video
that also won our film award, Alone on the Wall). Rather
than ask the WHY question, which is largely irrelevant, I’m
curious how you pick the routes you want to solo. What
makes you go, That needs to be climbed without a rope?
Hard to say specifi cally, but some routes just capture the
imagination. So far, they’ve sort of had a progression to them.
Things that are challenging, but not too much so. Things that
are big, but still reasonable. I like the really inspiring walls, and
it’s always something I’ve done that I think is really amazing.
Do you see a lot of soloing happening in 2011?
I don’t know.
I didn’t think I would do anything in 2010, but then it turns
out I did several things I’m pretty proud of, so you never really
know. I don’t have any actual plans, but you never know when
you feel fit and get inspired.
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