Climbing Stories
Our challenge from the Spring 2006 catalog has been answered. Becca from Alpenglow Sports in Tahoe City proved us wrong by climbing Sundance (5.10a) in her Morning Glory Dress. You rock Becca! This really made our day. When your travels take you to the Lake Tahoe area, be sure and say hi to the crew…
Hopefully you’ve all received your Spring 2007 catalog by now. I believe it’s one of our finest catalogs to date, thanks in part to Glen Denny and his stunning black and white photos from the 1960’s. Check out a slideshow of Glen’s photos from his new book Yosemite in the Sixties (or limited edition) and…
Steve House just contacted us from Iceland. He wanted to share his opinion regarding the future of the Piolet d’Or and how it might better reflect the values of hard alpinism. Marko Prezelj initiated this discussion by declining to accept the award at this year’s ceremony. Those in the know can skip straight to Steve’s…
April 1996: We had a hundred acres to plant – Ponderosa Pine, Doug Fir, and Blue Spruce – but the nursery kept claiming that the seedlings were buried underneath persistent snow. I was cooling my heels in LaGrande, Oregon, waiting for the work to begin when the call came. It was Joe Josephson, inviting me…
by Jeff Johnson Editor's note: We're stoked to introduce a new feature on The Cleanest Line from Bend to Baja author/photographer Jeff Johnson. Jeff's work has appeared in The Surfer’s Journal, Surfer’s Path, Alpinist, Surfing, Surfer and the Patagonia catalog. When we don't have him chained to a desk at Pat. HQ in Ventura, Jeff…
You’re truly committed once you buy the plane ticket. And Friday (5/18) I bought my ticket for this summer’s expedition to K6 in north-eastern Pakistan and my mental state instantly changed. Commitment always precipitates realizations. I have a lot of things I want to do before I go; not the least of which is to…
After foraging through several hundred grant proposals, including some stunning 3D applications, we’re ready to announce the winners of this year’s Dirtbag Grant. There are two winners. Each will receive $3,000 to use towards their trip. The first Dirtbag Grant goes to a team of women from the southeast, Rachel Babkirk and Lucia Robinson, who…
Ventura, California Departure: June 8, 2007 Let me introduce myself. My name is Jeff though sometimes people call me Tofu. Yes, I am employed by Patagonia. I work as a photographer, writer, and assist in the testing and production of Patagonia products. I am hitting the road in my van for an undetermined amount of time, simply to…
Visit Patagonia.com for more on Brittany Griffith and to read Jonathan Thesenga's field report about climbing in Stolby.
Jan Ullrich has earned an easy retirement. After winning the ’97 Tour de France at age 23 he became a German national-hero. For the next five years he battled Lance Armstrong earning a record five second-place finishes, too bad for him but it sure made for great racing. This year it was revealed that DNA…
The other day while wandering around Camp 4 in Yosemite I ran into Patagonia ambassador Timmy O’Neill. He was hanging around the SARS site with his brother Sean and some guy named Aron. Timmy asked me if I wanted to climb the Manure Pile with him and Aron. “Sure,” I said. Walking to the parking…
Editor’s note: We’re honored to bring Patagonia ambassador Lynn Hill on-board as a contributor to The Cleanest Line. Lynn is no stranger to blogging. For a glimpse into the past 2+ years of her life jump on over to Lynn Hill Blogs. I was a bit surprised to read the following article about osteoarthritis in…
After speaking with my friends, Mike Lechlinski and Mari Gingery about their experiences in Yosemite and climbing on El Capitan this summer, I learned that many climbers are not doing their part in keeping the big walls clean. Apparently many people “accidentally” or even intentionally drop their garbage and poop off El Capitan and don’t…
by Jeff Johnson Sometimes you forget about your own backyard. While passing through Ventura the other day I had heard about a building south swell. So I hooked up with Patagonia Surf ambassadors Mary Osborne and Chris Malloy and headed south. We ended up posting up all afternoon at a spot north of Malibu. The…
Despite intermittent rain, the bouldering excursion to Redcliff was fun and well worth the trip. This collection of boulders is located about twenty-minutes west of Vail in a fairy-tale like setting amongst pine and aspen trees. I went with my friend, Jay Droeger, and his Hungarian friend, Lorent. About ten years ago, Jay discovered this…
On June 15th, we announced the winners of this year’s two Dirtbag Grants. One went to Rachel Babkirk and Lucia Robinson, for their "Down for the Down and Out" trip to climb, camp and collect used gear to distribute to the homeless. The second award went to Australian Simon Clissold, "an overqualified dirtbag" and slow-living…
I received this voicemail late Thursday night from Steve House. The call came via sat phone from basecamp in Pakistan where Steve, Vince Anderson and Marko Prezelj are in the first stages of attempting to climb K6. In this first update, you can listen to Steve talk about traveling in Pakistan, the weather situation so…
I’ve changed the title of this series because in this week’s sat phone update Steve House clarifies that he, Vince Anderson and Marko Prezelj are actually gunning for new routes on both K6 & K7. Steve also talks about finishing up the acclimatization process, the two new routes they’ve climbed already, and surprisingly he brings…
The last few days with my Italian friends have been fun! Yesterday I drove them to the airport and they are probably about to land on their home turf as I write these words. One lives in Rome where I lived for a year and a half, and the other lives in Arco, the historic…
Steve House called again last night from the Charakusa Valley in Pakistan. As you know, he, Vince Anderson and Marko Prezelj have been acclimatizing for first ascents of the west faces of both K6 and K7. It was mostly high-fives and happy times until this report came in. Mother Nature brought some intense weather to…
In this report from the Charakusa Valley, Steve House gives us an excellent description of K7’s features and explains how the team must find a way through the granite buttresses surrounding the base in order to get up on the mountain. Steve also talks about a special lunch they shared with the Colorado and Quebec…
While the rest of us were barbequing, sitting in traffic or off on an adventure of our own, Steve House, Vince Anderson and Marko Prezelj successfully climbed the west summit of K7. Check out Steve’s short update from this morning and stay tuned for a more detailed account of the climb coming soon. Listen to…
If you followed the link we posted recently for more information on Steve House’s climbing trip, you might have noticed some changes over at Alpinist Magazine’s Web site, www.alpinist.com. The current issue of the magazine, Alpinist 21, has been redesigned and is printed on 100% recycled paper through an Earth Ink partnership with Patagonia –…
If you’ve been following the sat phone updates from Steve House here on The Cleanest Line you know that he, Vince Anderson and Marko Prezelj recently summited the previously unclimbed West Peak of K7 in Pakistan’s Charakusa Valley. Today we present a complete recap of the climb as told by Steve House. It’s tales like…
As reported on Climbing Magazine's site, Coloradans Jonathan Copp and Micah Dash recently made the first ascent of Shafat Fortress in pure alpine style. Located in Kashmir, India, Shafat Fortress stands 19,200-feet tall; the team's line has been dubbed The Colorado Route (VI, 5.11, M6, A1). Full details of the trip have been scarce since…
As promised, Steve House called in again with a quick update from the Charakusa Valley in Pakistan. It sounds like the weather has been bad enough to put the kibosh on K6 West. On the upside, the team is hoping to get out for a Sierra-style rock climb that Steve describes in this update. Listen…
Today we have a double-shot from Steve House. Apologies for not posting Update 9 sooner. In it Steve share’s Marko’s assessment of the weather, and he describes the Sierra-style climb that was mentioned in the last update, including the surprise they found at the top of it. Listen to Steve House Update 9 (mp3) Then,…
Steve House took the time to make one last call amidst the hustle and bustle of packing up base camp and organizing 30 porters. It’s a little rough around the edges but the sentiment is appreciated. Listen to Steve House Update 11 (mp3) Thanks again to Steve for taking us along for the ride. Previous…
Many climbers are familiar with the convenient, high-quality granite available at California’s Donner Summit. Those who have made the trip are no doubt familiar with the sight of The Summit’s Rainbow Bridge, built in 1926. Many come simply for the view available from the bridge’s road-side vista pull out. Those who frequent Donner Summit for…
Steve House is home from Pakistan now, but before getting on his flight in Islamabad he made one last call to close out his trip and introduce us to a special guest. In this last update we get to hear from Mr. Saad Tariq Siddiqi, the Honorable Secretary of the Alpine Club of Pakistan. You’ll…
Editor’s note: Welcome to The Cleanest Lynn. Besides being one of the most accomplished climbers on the planet Lynn Hill is also one heck of a blogger. So we’ve handed over the keys to Lynn for a week’s worth of her insight. Enjoy. Many people ask me how I train for climbing. My first answer…
My last post addressed the mental aspect of endurance training. The following post will address the basics elements of the physical side of endurance training. Free climbing involves a combination of both power and endurance. Some people are better suited to one type of climbing or the other. I like all types of climbing but…
The other day while having coffee at Vics, the neighborhood café, a few people came up to me and said they liked the cover shot of Outside Magazine this month. This month’s gate-cover photo shows Lance Armstrong, Ben Harper, Amanda Beard, and Kelly Slater on the front page, and on the foldout page you see…
The Petzl RocTrip event in the Red River Gorge this past weekend was certainly “eventful”. This year Petzl joined forces with the RRGCC (Red River Gorge Climbers Coalition) annual fundraiser called, Roctober Fest to help raise money to buy a large section of cliffs in the Red River Gorge area. With contributions from Petzl, generous…
Over the last several years, many forms of yoga and eastern practices have been adopted into our culture. There is much more awareness about the benefits of meditation, maintaining good posture, and conscious breathing in our practice. Breathing is one of the few bodily functions that can be controlled both consciously and unconsciously. Conscious attention…
Overuse injuries in climbing are prevalent these days, especially for ambitious newcomers and people who simply have a hard time listening to their bodies. I know that most athletes are aware of the basic principles of preventative medicine but sometimes we tend to disregard them at the most crucial times. The following post is mostly…