|
Enzo Oddo, prAna's youngest ambassador climbed the Bishop California highball named Ambrosia. The beautiful line on the South face of the Grandpa Peabody boulder was put up by Kevin Jorgeson. Enzo's ascent was the 4th time the boulder was topped out.
A route climber for most of his illustrious and long career, Enzo traveled from his home in France to land on California soil February 1st. His first real bouldering trip, he plans to spend the entire month traveling around the Eastern Sierras enjoying the incredible landscape and world class bouldering.
For more on Enzo check out http://www.prana.com/blog/?s=enzo
prAnaLIFE on 2011-02-18 | Views: 4042 | Vote: 1 | Comments: 0
|
|
The Le Conte boulder, also known as the House Keeping boulder, is in Yosemite Valley, California. For more than a decade, I'd been trying to figure out the proudest, tallest line on the block, with no luck.
One day, I was playing with my sister Jenny's kids, Cyrus and Dahlia, in the forest amongst the rocks. They were acting all whacky, wild and uninhibited, jumping and bouncing around from rock to rock and scampering up trees. I had been trying this sick line on the boulder but never figured out the crux move in all the years before. Somehow the kids, 'anything is possible' energy drifted into me. I stood before the starting bucket giggling. I was loose and moved my body in a different way than ever before. To my amazement, I stuck the crux with my nine-year-old nephew and my 7-year-old niece spotting me. I jumped down, careful not to squish them and finally believed I would send this lifetime project within my next few efforts.
King Air is one of the most obvious boulder problems around. For years I tried the problem alone, somehow keeping it completely secret. My bro, Ivo Ninov and I worked on it together. We kept our efforts stealth by washing off the chalk with water before leaving for the night. For years, I doubt anyone else ever seriously looked at the bold line as it was too high and there wasn't any chalk to lead them. Ivos enthusiasm literally lifted me higher and higher. On every serious attempt he spotted me, making sure that at least I wouldn’t split my melon.
This is the proudest highball boulder problem I know of in the Valley. The business scales over 30 feet to the final bucket. Its on the verge of being a free solo. When I fell my feet traveled 20 feet before impacting the pads. I was lucky not to shatter bones. My quads were very sore and I limped around for the next few days. King Air is the most beautiful boulder problem Ive ever done. You would be hard pressed to find any line, more aesthetic.
~Dean Potter
For More On Dean Visit prana.com/ambassadors/dean-potter
prAnaLIFE on 2010-11-12 | Views: 4586 | Votes: 3 | Comments: 2
|
|
I love to share my passion for climbing with everyone I come in touch with. Climbing is everything to me and it has brought me great things in life. It has given me the opportunity to meet so many awesome people and has led me to cool places around the world. There is nothing better than traveling around and getting to climb at different places. There are so many different types of rock and various types of movements and I want to experience them all! ~Alex Puccio
prAnaLIFE on 2010-11-30 | Views: 4699 | Votes: 6 | Comments: 0
|
|
The Receptionist is one of the most classic roof climbs in the country. It is located on the Mars Roof in Flagstaff, Arizona, and is one of five established V10+ climbs on the boulder. At 6000 feet elevation, this highly pocketed limestone roof is pumpy and sequential. I sent this problem just one day after sending both Cosmic Tricycle sit (V10) and The Black Hole (V10) both featured in "The Spree".
~Carrie Cooper
For more on Carrie visit http://www.prana.com/ambassadors/carrie-cooper
prAnaLIFE on 2010-12-17 | Views: 4251 | Votes: 4 | Comments: 0
|
|
Natasha Barnes started climbing in 1999 at the age of 16 in Southern California. In 2000 she started competing in the USA junior climbing circuit then known as the JCCA. In 2001, she began competing at an elite level and was National Champion in 2005 and won the Teva Mountain Games in 2005. After recovering from a serious finger injury in 2006, Natasha became more interested in pursuing tall beautiful lines on rock and shifted her focus on outdoor pursuits. Since then she has bouldered up to V11 on lines such at Midnight Lightning (v8), King Cobra (v8), Thriller (v10), The Force (v9/10), The Seam (v11), and Drive On (v11) and has also climbed up to 5.13d in sport and 5.11c in traditional climbing. Natasha hopes to continue pushing the limits of her climbing in all aspects, bouldering, sport and trad. She currently lives in San Francisco, California where she is working and studying full time and is 9 months away from graduating with a Doctorate in Chiropractic with a focus on Sports Medicine and Physiotherapy and spends most of her free time climbing in Yosemite Valley.
For more on Natasha visit prana.com/ambassadors/natasha-barnes
Video courtesy of Bruno Ferreira
prAnaLIFE on 2011-03-02 | Views: 4055 | Votes: 2 | Comments: 0
|
|
Enzo Oddo, prAna's youngest ambassador (15 years old) climbed the Bishop California highball named Ambrosia. The beautiful line on the South face of the Grandpa Peabody boulder was put up by Kevin Jorgeson. Enzo's ascent was the 4th time the boulder was topped out.
A route climber for most of his long, illustrious career, Enzo traveled from his home in France to land on California soil February 1st. His first real bouldering trip, he plans to spend the entire month traveling around the Eastern Sierras enjoying the incredible landscape and world class bouldering.
For more on Enzo visit: bit.ly/EnzoOddo
Video edit by ChuckFryberger.com
prAnaLIFE on 2011-03-02 | Views: 3348 | Vote: 1 | Comments: 0
|
|
Owen Graham officially began competition climbing in the Dallas, Texas area at age 9 in a local climbing gym that had recently opened. He and his family knew nothing about the sport, but it instantly felt like home to Owen. He was really a climber at age 1. He constantly climbed out of his crib as a young boy to run into his parents bedroom. One night, his dad actually reversed the door locks so they could get some sleep. Owen climbed everything at a young age; counter tops, furniture, and obviously trees in the back yard.
For the past nine years, Owen has competed in various climbing competitions around the world. He enjoys all types of climbing, but sport climbing fits is 6' 1" frame the best. He really enjoys working with younger climbers on his team and has a great way of communicating with them. Owen will graduate from high school soon and will finally move to his dream location of Colorado in the fall of 2011 where he can climb outside more frequently. Owen will attend Colorado State in the Fall (Go Ram's!) and plans to continue competition climbing while in college.
For more on Owen visit http://www.prAna.com
prAnaLIFE on 2011-04-28 | Views: 2928 | Vote: 1 | Comments: 0
|
|
Beau Stuart gives some beta on an unknown boulder at Dierkes Lake, Idaho.
prAnaLIFE on 2011-04-28 | Views: 3177 | Vote: 1 | Comments: 0
|
|
The Schengen Files is a movie about my most recent trip to Europe. During the first three months of 2011 I was fortunate enough to climb in both Fontainbleau, France and Ticino, Switzerland. This video will document some of the hardest climbs I accomplished during the three month period. The video is planned to premiere later this Summer after it has been edited all together. This video is about the purity of climbing, the high level of psyche that I have for climbing at my limit, as well as the amazing rock that these areas have. This film was shot to document some of the hardest climbs I have ever done and to show my perceptions of the truly magnificent climbing within the confines of the Schengen Union.
Stay tuned for more updates and enjoy!
~Paul Robinson
prAnaLIFE on 2011-05-23 | Views: 3921 | Votes: 2 | Comments: 0
|
|
I started climbing when I was 8 years old on the legendary French cliffs in Verdon, Buoux. At the age of 15, I had sent my first 8b+ (Putain Putain) and had become a climbing Junior World Champion. I decided to take a break from climbing so I could devote myself completely to the pole vault as it was something that I was really excited about. I vaulted for 3 years and became champion of France only to realize that climbing was my means of expression and a lifestyle that suits me. I can not live without climbing. Traveling, meeting new people, learning and challenging myself is the life I want. I have improved my climbing abilities (multiple 8c &
prAnaLIFE on 2011-07-18 | Views: 2830 | Vote: 1 | Comments: 0
|
|
What happens when one of the worlds greatest climbers dives head first into yoga, music and nature at Wanderlust...
Chris Sharma is widely considered the best climber in the world and has been part of the prAna family for the vast majority of his career. Chris's meteoric climbing career started when he won the Bouldering Nationals at age 14 and opened the hardest climb in America (at the time, 5.14c) a year later. In the decade that followed, he has continued to take climbing to a new level. Not only has he consistently shattered previous conceptions of difficulty, he was recently voted 8a Climber of the Decade. He has sent multiple 5.15 routes, bouldered V15, onsighted 5.14b, and established deep water solo routes at the highest grades. Chris holds claim to the current hardest route in America, and perhaps the world, with his ascent of Jumbo Love at Clark Mountain in California. For the latest on Chris, visit him at prAna.com.
prAnaLIFE on 2010-11-15 | Views: 3003 | Votes: 2 | Comment: 1
|
|
Dean Potter is characterized by creativity, commitment and challenge. He started climbing as a child, with a free solo fall from a stone wall as one of his earliest memories. Since that time, he has speed soloed Half Dome and El Capitan, Cerro Torre, and Fitzroy. He was the first to make a one-day free ascent of El Cap and Half Dome, and a one-day speed linkup of both of those big walls and Mount Watkins, Yosemites third Grade VI wall. He has also established testpiece crack routes in the Utah desert and highball boulder problems in Yosemite.
Dean has walked the longest highlines, often without a safety leash, though he has dedicated over a decade of engineering and testing to create the safest highline systems currently used. Most recently, he has combined BASE jumping skill with highlining and free soloing, using a specially engineered ultralight BASE rig as his backup system.
Dean currently bases out of Yosemite, where he can usually be found on a large piece of granite.
For videos, photos and more information on Dean, visit http://bit.ly/DeanPotterTags.
prAnaLIFE on 2010-11-21 | Views: 3959 | Votes: 2 | Comments: 0
|
|
Toni Lamprecht started climbing when he was 4 or 5 with his father on little boulders and when they hiked in the mountains. At age 12, he started to think more seriously about Alpine stuff and by the time Toni was 14 he finally discovered climbing and he turned into a self proclaimed climbing-junkie. It was all he dreamed about. Toni submersed himself in any kind of climbing he could every day (bouldering, sport or alpine). He really wanted to collect hard sport routes from all over Europe, make first ascents and tick off some of the important limestone alpine routes on the northern rim of the Alps.
In 1992, a trip around the world changed his focus on climbing from numbers, ratings and competitions to adventure. Toni began to concentrate more on the climbing experience, the personal limits and the forces of nature. He felt fortunate that his climbing trips allowed him to visit many climbing areas in Europe, North America, Asia and Australia. He feels it is important to immerse himself into the different cultures and take advantage of his opportunities.
About that same time, Toni began to work with handicapped children and found that learning from this very special group of people gave his life a completely new source of motivation. So while still addicted to climbing, he began to focus more on his studies & teaching children. Toni finished his studies in 1999 and passed the Staatsexamen, a German government licensing examination. That was a busy year as he also released his first book, Climbing with Mentally Retarded People and began to work as a teacher for troubled kids in Munich.
Toni has played in 3 bands, still loves adventure climbing, bouldering and finding beautiful spots for deep water soloing. He feels lucky to have been on the road for so many years always climbing with nice people. He also continues to be inspired by untouched rock in a fascinating landscape and climbing with good friends. Besides climbing, Toni likes surfing, skiing, playing music and of course spending time with his lovely wife Margit.
Quote to live by Stay healthy and think of every climbing day as a gift.
For more on Toni visit http://www.prana.com/ambassadors/toni-lamprecht
prAnaLIFE on 2010-12-09 | Views: 3179 | Votes: 3 | Comments: 0
|
|
Paul Robinson started climbing at the age of 10. In the last decade, he has bouldered V15, and sent literally hundreds of problems in the V14 to V11 range. Not surprisingly, he has won or placed in nearly all of the international bouldering competitions he has entered. Paul is also an accomplished artist and painter majoring in Fine Arts at the University of Colorado, Boulder. He writes a lively blog about his accomplishments, art and his global travels promoting the climbing lifestyle.
For more on Paul visit prAna.com or http://p-d-robinson.tumblr.com/
prAnaLIFE on 2010-12-09 | Views: 3812 | Votes: 4 | Comments: 0
|
|
Swiss climber Fred Nicole has been bouldering at the leading edge of pure difficulty for over 25 years, continuing to redefine human possibility. His prolific tick list spans decades and the world, ranging from V13 to the almost supernatural grade of V16.
Fred was the first to boulder V13 and also V14, although he does not assign grades to his own problems, relying on consensus from other climbers. Fred sees climbing as an art form, where a person can express ones self through movement.
For More Visit http://www.prana.com/ambassadors/fred-nicole
prAnaLIFE on 2010-12-14 | Views: 3789 | Votes: 6 | Comments: 0
|
|
Alizée Dufraisse, who climbed her first 8c+, Pati noso, not long ago, has now pushed it half a notch further by doing La Reina Mora, 8c+/9a, at Siurana. The route is in the same sector, El Pati, as Pati noso, so it would seem this wall suits her quite well! This was of course the first female ascent. There has, after all, not been that many female ascents at this level. So few in fact that you can count the number of women who have climbed anything harder than 8c+ on one hand, even if you were to have lost a digit (or maybe even two). La Reina Mora was originally given 8c/+ by Ramon Julian Puigblanque but has later been upgraded first by Nico Favresse who suggested 8c+ and then by Dani Andrada who thought it was at least 8c+/9a, maybe even 9a. ~UKClimbing.com
prAnaLIFE on 2012-02-24 | Views: 2475 | Vote: 1 | Comments: 0
|
|
Jacinda Hunter, a nurse and mother of four (two boys and two girls), juggles work and parenthood with bouldering V11 and redpointing 14b. She says, "usually when I make up my mind to do something, I get it done." Jacinda feels her biggest challenge is being a good parent and good example for her kids. "It's hard to find time to provide opportunities for their interests and growth, and still have time to indulge in my own passions like climbing." Jacinda and her husband, Mike, don't have a TV-instead, the whole family goes on climbing trips together. Breaking the Law, her hardest route, was a long, cold winter project with the family. Her latest First Ascent "Fantasy Island" (5.14b) is in American Fork Canyon, Utah. For more visit http://bit.ly/JCHunter
prAnaLIFE on 2010-11-18 | Views: 4124 | Votes: 3 | Comment: 1
|
|
Jen Vennon had just accepted a scholarship to the University of Florida, where she aspired to become an engineer, when some friends took her climbing for the first time. With a childhood spent in gymnastics, Vennon took to climbing immediately.
“I quickly realized that engineering school in Florida wasn’t going to work out with my newfound climbing schedule,” she says. Vennon gave up her scholarship and transferred to the University of Tennessee to be closer to climbing, and get a degree in early childhood education.
In the last 10 years, Vennon has risen to become one of the top female sport climbers in the U.S. while holding down a full-time job as a Kindergarten teacher.
“I love Kindergarten,” Vennon says. “Those kids are the only people who think I’m funny.”
She is one of the few women to have ticked the elusive 5.14 grade in Rifle with her recent (second female) ascent of the 7 P.M. Show (5.14a), in addition to ticking off some difficult, sandbagged 5.13d’s there as well such as Living in Fear, Gropius, Simply Read and Slice of Life.
Before coming to Rifle in 2006, Vennon cut her teeth in the Red River Gorge, where the steep, enduro climbing informed much of her unique and intuitive style. High heel hooks and the ability to shake out on any hold forever are her fortes. Vennon, however, likes to say that her weakness in climbing is her “weakness,” and that “if there’s an easier way to do a move, you’ll be sure I will figure it out.” Climbing for her isn’t about competitive performance, but rather it’s a lifestyle and a way to be outdoors, testing her personal limits in the natural world.
For more on Jen visit www.prAna.com
prAnaLIFE on 2011-03-08 | Views: 3680 | Vote: 1 | Comments: 0
|
|
My passion for climbing started as soon as I stepped into my first real climbing shoes, I knew that this is my sport.
I grew up in the middle of the Swiss mountains in a valley called Prattigau. After finishing high school, finding no solid direction in normal life I decided to leave the "routine" and chose to continue my life as a climber. My desire to practice this sport with all his facets was so strong, that I was able to overcome all the obstacles that I came across to peruse my lifestyle.
Besides rock climbing and mountaineering I also spent time competing. During this time, I learned a lot how I have to train and what I have to do, to become a stronger climber. This made me become an even stronger rock-climber, quickly making it possible for me to red-point my first 8b route.
After a while, I lost the motivation for competitions and I started to concentrate more and more on what was for me pure rock climbing. I traveled all around the world and climbed on all kinds of rocks. From big wall climbing in Patagonia and Kirgizstan to boulder trips in Argentina, from deep water soloing in Thailand to sport climbing all around Europe and America. All these experiences and all these different styles of rock climbing gave so much practice, that it made me the well rounded climber I am now.
Through all these experiences as a rock climber, I found my big challenge: I want to climb the hardest multi-pitch routes in the world. To be able to climb a hard multi-pitch route in one day, that is my goal and what I am searching for.
I love my 'non-system' life. To be able to decide myself how I will earn my money, where I will live, when I will get up in the morning. To do what I need to do to survive. And most importantly: to enjoy every single day, with the least amount of seriousness as possible and to climb to my very best!
For more about Nina, visit http://www.prAna.com
prAnaLIFE on 2011-03-28 | Views: 4478 | Votes: 4 | Comments: 2
|
|
As a doctor of veterinary medicine from Las Vegas, Nevada, I work as a general practitioner for small animals, performing anything from routine physical exams and vaccinations to minor surgeries. I discovered rock climbing eight years ago while studying at CSU in Ft. Collins, CO. and after moving back to Las Vegas four years ago, I discovered the endless local sport climbing and embraced the art of projecting difficult routes.
I like the challenge of trying something harder than I've ever tried before, and the commitment it takes to accomplish that goal. Balancing my devotion to a professional career and my passion for rock climbing is truly rewarding.
One of my strengths is that I don't give up. For me, sport climbing requires the same kind of tenacity, mental focus, and dedication that got me through veterinary school. I made the first female ascent (FFA) of Power Windows -- my first 5.13d -- at Mt. Potosi, NV this past spring.
Ultimately, trying to climb at my limit allows me to achieve things I never thought possible.
~Heather Robinson
For more on Heather visit http://www.prAna.com
prAnaLIFE on 2011-05-23 | Views: 5032 | Votes: 2 | Comment: 1
|
|
I believe that life is about living gracefully through the transitions. I have climbed the world over for the last 10 years and developed a keen sense of my body and its strengths. As a healthy expectant mother I continued to listen to the needs of my body. Staying in tune often means exploring the possibilities: changes in balance, energy needs, and the ability to move with ease. I hope you enjoy this video which means so much to me. It feels like a reflection of the adaptability of the human body and the strength of the human spirit. ~Carrie Cooper
For more about Carrie visit http://bit.ly/CarrieCooper
Music: Lasso the Moon by Kelli Schaefer
prAnaLIFE on 2011-10-06 | Views: 3432 | Vote: 1 | Comments: 0
|
|
After traveling the world in search of perfect rock faces for his entire adult life, Chris Sharma has settled down in the Northeast of Spain. He lives, surrounded by an abundance of beautiful limestone cliffs and a climbing scene full of ultra motivated locals - which is now considered to be the center of the universe for hard sport climbing. With the help of his Spanish girlfriend, Daila, Chris has become comfortable in the local language and culture and has truly found his sense of place. For more on Chris visit http://bit.ly/ChrisSharmaClimbs
prAnaLIFE on 2011-10-26 | Views: 3624 | Vote: 1 | Comments: 0
|
