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

Joshua Tree " An Old Friend"

For Thanksgiving everyone seemed to be making their way to Bishop, so a few of us decided to head south to Joshua Tree. I used to climb in the area when I lived in the central valley, but I have not been back since. I really do miss this area and do not understand its lack of visitors, so a trip was in order.

During this trip I was able to meetup with a great crew of climbers including Ben Polanco, Matus Sobolic, and Michelle Yi was actually able to make it out to the park. We spent the entire day out on Geology Tour Road and enjoyed some great classics including Mirage, Pinched Loaf, and Slashface. Next,we made our way to Iron Resolution so Ben could begin to work out the moves...damn thing looks hard.

Right now, due to the high winds we are held up in a cheap motel, that is right, two beds and six people...you do the math. Tomorrow, we will be making our way out to the Rosetta Stone hopefully we can actually find it this time to attempt on old Rob Mulligan line. Hope everyone enjoyed a fun Thanksgiving.

Mad Rock On-Sight

A few weeks ago I went to Santa Barbara to meet Mad Rock athlete Piper Michelle to shoot some promo videos. We met at Santa Barbara's Brickyard and Piper ran laps on Walk the Dog for the next 2 hours. Ya, sometimes being an athlete is not all fun and games. Climbing is actually work and having to pull the same moves, lose skin, and then repeat for a shoot is very tiring. However, the end result is great!

Check out the promo video at Mad Rock for the new 2011 On-Sight or simply scroll down. Videos with athletes Steven Jeffery, Piper Michelle, and Grace Kane are coming soon...look for the clips!

Something Other Than Climbing

I have a friend who has been training for her first half-marathon. During a recent trip to Bishop she felt the need to run before we climbed at the Buttermilks. Trail running has always been really interesting to me, and although she was only training I felt that it would be a great chance to snap some photos. Check out a morning run on the Eastside. I really do not know much about the sport but this seems visually like something that I would like to pursue.