“It can’t be a route if there aren’t any holds, Sonnie,” Alex called from the ground. I could see him down there, sitting back in his harness comfortably, looking up at me, grinning. I was roughly 60 feet in the air, on the opposite end of the 9mm rope he… Read More
“Great climb, eh?” said a voice from up and over my right shoulder. “Yeah,” I replied, while clipping the anchor on After Midnight one of Mount Wellington’s most prized pitches and no giveaway at 24 (or 5.11d in Yosemite terms), “incredible, actually.” “Where you from?” the voice asked. “Canada!” I… Read More
It all began five years ago, as many things do these days, with a simple email to a few of us Squamish cracks hounds from a friend in Okanagan Falls, British Columbia. Hey Boys, Check out these roof cracks. I think they’ll go free. Peace out. –… Read More
“Don’t throw that away” she said, “we can reuse it”. A small pot of dish water was clutched in my hand, as murky as the amazon, “Put it in here instead, we don’t have much left.” She was right, we didn’t. It was cold outside,… Read More
I couldn’t help but laugh. Seeing Tommy Caldwell in a mohawk, a pair of bright green short shorts, and a hot pink sleeveless t-shirt was too much to take. In a way, he reminded me of Kelly Cordes, but I can’t… Read More
On El Capitan in 2010, British rock climbers Leo Houlding and Jason Pickles completed their nine-year project, The Prophet (600m, E9 7a, 5.13d R). The difficult and dangerous new route climbs the far right side of El Cap, and Houlding, renowned worldwide for his boldness and… Read More
One of the coolest things about climbing is how everyone can get their fix – whether you climb 5.5 or 5.14, we can all find that same feeling, that same immersion, focus and engagement at our own levels. This summer, Patagonia rock climbing ambassador Sonnie Trotter devoted… Read More
The rain has come back today, this time it looks as though it might never leave. Dark and dreary. We did however have a relatively nice week in general. Climbing was good all day yesterday, and we had a couple of beauties two days before that. [Editor's note: Today's… Read More
A blister formed on the palm of my hand, between my forefinger and my thumb. I always thought I had tough hands. I mean, I’m supposed to be a professional rock climber and my hands are supposed to be like leather right? But not this part, not at all. Read More
“24 hours of what?” I cried into my cell phone. “24 hours of HELL,” Kristo repeated. “Well, okay then, sign me up.” He had answered my question and we left it at that. Two months later, I still didn’t fully comprehend the meaning or significance of the event’s name. I… Read More
India was a place I always told myself I wanted to go, but year after year it got pushed around, forced to the back burner by the priorities of life. When my girlfriend came to me and said, I want to study Yoga in Mysore I knew this was… Read More