This is what I'm working on right now.

Single frames from Red One.

And here's the link to the youtube video. Dont forget to watch in HD.

Dont mess with Asher

Look, just so you know. Never, EVER, mess with Asher. He will kick you in the head over 77 times per minute, setting a new world record and giving you a headache too.

First weekend out with the Red One

Just got back from my first weekend out with the Red One. In addition to shooting a little climbing I went and filmed a few of my favorite subjects: Wind Turbines. On the way back to Laramie I stopped by the road and got a little footage of some rusty cars. Mostly, this weekend was just a test of the new camera. It has quite a lot of complex options for controlling the images and it will take me a few weeks to really get up to speed with it. I know this much though: I love working with the new format. The quality is something I've never had access to before and it's a really awesome feeling to be working with Hollywood-caliber footage.

I've compressed a short clip and put it on my web site, here: RED DEMO - WYOMING As you watch, keep in mind that the resolution on my web site is 1/16th the native size of the footage.

Below the video there are a few Individual frames you can download at the original full quality if you are curious to see how it looks without any compression. Needless to say, I'm psyched.

Ethiopia Video Launched

The video from my trip to Ethiopia is finished and ready for viewing. It's about 15 minutes long so make sure you have a little time to view it. I'm proud of the way it turned out and I sincerely hope it helps to promote some awareness for how important it is to have access to clean water.

Click on over to my web site to check out the video.

For more info or to get involved, visit www.WineForWater.org

Flip Someone Off.... For a Good Cause

Flannnery, the bravest little finger breaker in Denver.
To learn more about her cause, please continue reading.




We've all heard about broken fingers, and the unthinkable damage they can cause to an individual, a family, and a community. Most of us sit around typing, making food, and doing other finger-related activities without even thinking about our ten little workers on our hands, without whom we would be nothing more than mitten-like freaks, unable to turn a page or write with a pencil.

Recently our group of friends has had to deal with the loss of the use of one of our teammates fingers. Flannery Shay-Nemirow currently has a broken middle finger, apparently from climbing too hard. Her finger is currently in a splint, keeping it straight and immobile for a period of five weeks.

The devastation has hit home. How do I get rid of this hollow feeling inside me?

ANNOUNCING.....


FLIP-OFF FOR FLAN!!!!!!
A fun way to raise awareness about broken fingers in America

The goal of Flip-off for Flan is to raise awareness about broken fingers in America, and the hardship they cause. We are encouring everyone for the next five weeks to show solidarity with those who have been hit hardest by this problem and raise your middle finger as a sign that you support Flan and all the other Americans who are living through the everyday challenges of having a broken finger.

Our message is gaining momentum. After only a week of promoting Flip-off for Flan I have recently heard that our message has made it as far as the roads of California, where one of our team saw the secret hand symbol many times driving on the roads of Los Angeles.

Won't you be part of this tsunami of support? Next time you are with a loved one or a stranger, remember to flip them off..... for Flan.


You can flip-off with your friends!


You can flip-off with a hat! Try it! It's fun!


Mike Haugen, Everest-summiter. "This is the most meaningful thing I've ever done. We're here for you Flan."


Even her brother is a supporter, wow, what a sacrifice.


Remember, raising awareness is as easy....


as raising your finger.

It's here

And it smells great.







After a long wait the Red One is finally here. Cant wait to put this amazing tool to work. More soon.

Sarah's on the Cloudveil Home page... again

This time an awesome Burr shot from Catavina.

Here's another hint

Big changes. Big things.

Thoughts on Quality, Vedauwoo, and Mother's Day

Josh Helke. Owner of Organic Climbing. Corporate Headquarters in background.


I had a great bouldering session on Saturday up at Vedauwoo. We met up with Josh Helke who runs Organic. Josh is a rare breed. A small business owner who employs local folks to make high quality products that last a long time and perform well. Quality is a hard sell to the general public though, when there is so much to gain by impersonating quality with custom-designed materials and techniques that mimic good design like a climbing-shop chameleon. Josh is extremely knowledgable about the supply chain for his materials. I was surprised to learn that a lot of clothing manufacturers have been victimized by off-shore manufacturers who hang genuine YKK zipper pull-tabs on generic zipper chains to cut costs. Or textile suppliers who weave their cordura with a thicker texture in an effort to impersonate the ballistic nylon that Josh and other quality-focused companies source for their products. Has your zipper pull-tab failed recently? It may be the only component on your $400 down jacket that wasn't swapped out for a look-alike.


The R&D team, hard at work.


Sarah and I were ready to go climb, but Josh was busy finishing the stitches on a new shoulder strap. It took about five minutes and Josh had in his hands a fully-functional new shoulder-strap prototype for Sarah to test during the day. Sarah and I both watched as Josh threaded it into a new crash pad, also recently sewn. We both just stared and then at the exact same time said "WHOA..... YOU JUST MADE THAT."


Josh Helke, getting ready to go CLIMB!!!!


We went out to Vedauwoo and I was able to establish one new problem, a very nice compression boulder that climbs out a large feature for about 15 feet. Unlike a lot of the bouldering at Vedauwoo you could actually climb on this problem all day without ripping holes in your skin. I climbed the compression line and called it Donald Trump because I think it's doing pretty well. I tried a very difficult variation that starts under the lip and climbs directly out the roof, but I didn't have the guns to pull into a massive undercling. I'd love to go back and have another crack at this line.


Donald Trump. Climbs from a sit out the prow to an obvious top-out up the aligator-back feature.

Josh showed us a new problem called The Perfect which starts with an awesome jump to an open-handed sloper. It's so good I had to do it twice.


The Perfect

Sunday was mothers day and this photo pretty much sums that action up:

A New Addition to the Family

There's some changes happening around Chuck Fryberger Films.
Please turn up the amplitude of your audio playback system...

Here's a hint of what's to come:



More updates soon.

New Shooter on the Scene

I just got off the phone with a gentleman named Brant Hawkins. He recently quit college to shoot video so that makes him okay in my book. Nalle had told me that there was a guy doing some filming in Hueco and now I know who it was. Brant has a great video of Nalle on the FA of the Machinist. Check it out here:

Nalle Hukkataival - The Machinist

WORD!

Rob Belcher

My friend Robby Belcher is getting married soon.
The whole Denver crew wishes them the best!

 

I-80 - energy past and present

Last weekend I drove from Salt Lake City back to my home in Golden and I happened to pass several new wind turbines. I really enjoy the drive across Wyoming because every time I do it I can see some new turbines. There is a lot of wind energy to be harvested from the landscape up there and I cant wait to see the turbines dot the landscape even more in the future. I thought it was also very interesting that as you drive on I-80 you pass a massive open-pit mine just near Red Hill in the middle of nowhere, and inside is a massive creaking beast of a machine. I'm not sure what they're mining there but it really appears as though an angry machine is tearing at the earth, while in the distance the wind turbines are spinning like silent white sentinels.

The last few weeks have been quiet. I'm focusing on training which means lots of time at the gym and lots of plastic climbing and campusing and circuit workouts. I dont know if I'll be as strong this year as I was last year in Rocklands but I'm going to try. My campusing is inconsistent and I'm doing weighted pull-ups with much less weight than I was at this time last year.

Anyways, spirits are high and I know I'll have a great season of climbing and filming down there regardless of the difficulty of the boulders I'm climbing on. Here's a couple photos from the weekend. Happy monday!



An open-pit mine near Red Hill




Wind Turbines on a plateau




Dad, making a rare appearance on US soil




Mom aka Hurricane Haddie




Francis, Utah. Our starting point for the I-80 drive.