STARTING HOLD - #7 > October/November 2005

The first year of UCMAG was like pulling on to an un-established boulder problem. There's so much that's unknown. Is it doable? Where are the holds? Where is the crux? What's the rock quality like? How is the landing? What's the topout like? It's impossible to know all these things before you leave the ground. But regardless, you put on your shoes, cinch 'em tight, chalk up, take a deep breath...and commit. Often, the hardest part is just getting off the ground. A ton of mental cruxes try to weigh us down when there's so much uncertainty.
But stepping into the unknown is always a bit easier with support. While the act of climbing is a solo activity - we often have back up, from a belayer, spotters, your bro who gave you a ride, or even a significant other who's there to listen to you ramble on about your latest project. It's only right to give props to the people who have spotted UCMAG through this first year. While the list is countless, here's a shout out to a deserving bunch.

Mark Crowther
Our Publishing Director is the guy who started this whole thing. He handles the business side of the mag and is defiantly the man behind the scenes. He's turned his Floridian gym climbing experience into a national climbing magazine.

Carlyn Kirk
From our NYC office, CK does just about everything you could possibly imagine to keep a magazine afloat. As she handles subscriptions, here's a tip if you need to call - be extra nice to her and she'll hook you up sooner!

Ian Roxburgh
Without Ian, you'd get a magazine of 12-point Times Courier font and photos printed on white paper. Having designed skate mags and the like for nearly 20 years, Ian's design work has been integral in UCMAG's uniqueness.

Juan "J-Wan" Castro
It takes a lot time, effort, and work to get our photos printed sharp and true. Photography instructor by day, UCMAG contributing photo editor by night, J-Wan routinely goes above and beyond the call of duty.

Friends and family
Props need to go out to our non-climbing friends and family for their patience and support. Imagine how boring it is to listen to never ending conversations about paper stock, printing bleed, gastons, sequences, flash-synchs, and f-stops if you're not a climber or into magazines or photography. Thanks for keeping us grounded.

Contributors
Our contributing photographers and writers are the heart of this magazine. Our goal is to let their passion for climbing come through on these pages. Kemple, Ward, Cudney, Roth, Iurato, Ladzinksi, Casanova, Kornylak, Speed, Stark, Kehl, Matkowski, Dorey, Corso, Dusatko...the list would go on for pages. Next time you run into one of these guys, be sure to thank them for their hard work.

Advertisers
We'd be printing a black and white fan-zine on newspaper stock without them. Thanks for supporting the cause and believing in us, even when all we had was an idea and a demo mag of blank pages.

You
This magazine wouldn't exist without you - the reader, the climber. From the newbie to the 5.14er, the scrambler to the V15er, the young to the old, this mag's for you.