Putting in the Work

With less than a month to go to the OR things are starting to ramp up. I have redesigned a new website which will launch next week and I have been working hard to edit some new video footage. However, sometimes it seems no matter how hard you push it is just not enough and your efforts can go unnoticed.  When this happens, the best way to regain your psych is to be inspired by others who are pushing and trying to make things happen. I am not talking about those people who pop-up quarterly to checkin with their sponsors. I am speaking about athletes and photographers who are always pushing throughout the entire year. People like Tim Kemple, Joe Kinder, and Natasha Barnes who are always on top of things and make sure their sponsors get the exposure they deserve and the community gets to see life through their eyes.

Please enjoy some screen shots from this week of Natasha Barnes on The Rapture Project.  If you have not had the chance you need to check out Natasha's blog.  The girl is always hustling to make sure her sponsors are being exposed to new and old climbers alike. She is not  just doing it so she can "check it off" her list, she is psyched and wants to spread the psych within the community. Her sponsors should be proud of the job she is doing because within the climbing community too many people assume that being an athlete means you get geared mailed to your door, your plane ticket waiting for you at the airport simply because you are "sponsored" and that your only "job" is to climb.
Wrong!

Time to change people's perceptions, even if it is only a small percentage.

Shooting in Mammoth

This last weekend I went out to Mammoth to catch up with Charlie Barrett and film some "newish" lines he put up in the area.  The weekend went great minus a blizzard on Sunday.  Charlie was good enough to hike up to Lessons with me and allow me to film his hardest line to date.  After which he proceeded to dangle me by my feet so I could retrieve his coffee thermos from a hole in the talus (long story). 

After this we drove up to a new area he is developing and he showed me The End of the Road, an amazing V12 that climbs out a steep prow onto a highball balancey face.  Charlie was able to burn laps on a V13 and two V12's while hiking in two huge Asana pads and he even had enough energy to go to work that night. The guy is a work horse, makes a killer breakfast burrito, and is a good example of a sponsored athlete.

Although Charlie seems like a scary dude, he is damn big, he is probably when of the nicest guys in the game. He was more than happy to put me up, work move after move and was open to sharing his local spots with others.  He is currently working on a guide book for Mammoth Bouldering and it looks legit! If you ever get a chance to catch up with the guy make sure you watch his technique, his footwork is damn good, he has a crazy highball mentality, and can thug his way through just about anything while strumming acoustic guitar.

Watch for exclusive footage of Charlie on DPM in the coming weeks.

Psyche!

Being psyched on a project you are climbing is important. The same can be said for something you are "shooting". Once a photographer begins a project with a climber they too are tied to that climber's success in the problem. Shots of a problem that never got sent are generally worthless as far as the community is concerned. It is an odd thing that you are looking forward to a climber hitting the top or clipping the chains just as much as the climber is.

I have had so many open projects waiting to be resolved by that one move. Sometimes you sit for seasons along with the images and wait. It is enough to drive you mad sometimes and yet it is funny as you are not the one tied in. You are not highballing above 2 small pads. No, you are sitting high up on a perch or stashed away in the brush waiting for that one move to seal the deal on your project.

I have learned most days will end in disappointment, but it is okay. Redemption is always just around the corner. If you are patient enough you will find it and when the line gets sent it will be as if you sent with the climber and the energy and resolve around the project will be 2 fold.

Return to Bishop

Just returned from Bishop and was able to get in some of the classics before the heat overtook the desert. We spent most of the trip in the Happies on problem like Heavenly Path V1, an all-time classic that really makes your heart flutter a bit. After an early morning in the Happies we met up with some athletes from Mad Rock and made our way over to Checkerboard V8. This was the only area that had several feet of snow and it made for some beautiful shots. I was able to snap a few great shots, one of which will hopefully find itself on the pages of a publication. Enjoy the images! I will be staying close to home filming an Evolv athlete for a new video promo.

Back to Joshua Tree

We headed back to Joshua Tree so I could finish up a shoot for an article I have been wanting to do for some time. The bouldering in Joshua Tree has been over-looked for years. Yes, it is sharp, and tall, and eight hours away, but it is well worth the drive. We took advantage of a 3 days weekend and I was able to get what I think are my best shots to date. We all have to judge ourselves and I think these new shots (not the ones you see in the blog) will show my growth as a photographer and I feel they have reached a new level of authenticity. To be honest it is hard to explain what I hope to get, but I am very happy with what I got. It is also of note that I was able to photograph and film G2, a Mad Rock athlete take down Iron Resolution V13. This simply topped off an already amazing trip. Please enjoy the photos.

Uintas Bouldering

I have a new video that launched at the beginning of this week at Dead Point Magazine entitled Uintas Bouldering. This video was shot last fall while I was visiting my good friends Rocco and Mary. During my week in Utah they took me to a new area they had been developing about an hour outside of SLC. The area, called, "The Secret Garden" sits at 11,500 ft and is one of the most beautiful alpine areas I have seen. The rock quality and the problems are impressive for such a small area, bullet stone and intriguing lines lie everywhere.

For the shoot we spent two days in the area and Rocco spent his time climbing, re-climbing, and then re-climbing once more so that we could get every angle possible. In the video he makes it look easy but running laps on V9-V10 boulder problems is a lot of work. On our second day at the shoot we literally had to out run a blizzard and retreat in our car back down to the valley floor so there was little footage shot that day. Following the blizzard I had to head back to California.

After leaving Rocco and Mary went back up and shot some additional footage and sent it to me so that we could conclude the video. Both Rocco and Mary are impressive athletes, their climbing abilities aside. They went out of their way to help get the shots needed, support and display their sponsors, and sit patiently while the video was shelved until Monday's release. Their sponsors Five Ten, Granit Life, Metolious Climbing, V-Line, should be very proud of the end product and the way in which their athletes carried themselves.

Right now there is talk about a "professional climbers association" and to be honest I do not think we are ready for or have defined what that encompasses yet, but these two athletes are prime examples if ever there were examples to be had.

Check out the final video here Dead Point Magazine

2011

Welcome to 2011, this year should be very promising. New areas to explore, people to meet, and photographs to take. But, before we dive into a New Year, I would like to say thank you to some people who went out of their way to help me. So here is a very short, but important list. Thank you to Mad Rock, Evolve Sports, Dead Point Magazine, all the climbers who showed up to help me work on a new article, and friends who supported me being gone physically and mentally. Yes,"gone". However, in the end, I achieved several goals. Below you can see a photo of my proudest shot of 2010. In the Dec/Jan issue of Dead Point Magazine I landed a two page spread of the photo below, enjoy. Next stop trying to gain a cover shot! How does that happen?: Happy New Years