If I haven’t said this before, I have way too may projects on the go. This week was a killer. I’ve been trying to kick a gnarly ear infection but at the same time trying to climb as much as possible. I climbed the Chief three times last week, once guiding, the other two times trying to uncover a 4 pitch classic free climb, but these things take a while to happen, not just overnight, I need to practice patience. I bouldered a few V10’s, a V11 and put up a new V8, also, I bolted a new climb out by Furry Creek, which is going to be sensational, and hard and closely inspected 2 others. So today I am feeling a little run down, and I’m glad because I probably wouldn’t rest otherwise. So, with all this physical activity, I find my mind to be exhausted as well, not very much creativity. So I’ll post a video for all you out there who enjoy working the bar from time to time. A little kick in the ass to remind you to keep training. There’s a long road of improvement ahead of you, ahead of all of us. Check this out these guys are very impressive, and I hope everyone is getting out , exploring, climbing, and sun bathing or whatever.
If there were two places I could have been this weekend, it would have been Ventura, California and Montreal, Quebec. More about that in a second because Squamish was a tight third. In fact, I got in some pretty damn good bouldering sessions and yesterday I hiked the Chief in the rain looking for new lines. I launched up the rugged trail with two ropes, two full racks and a bottle of water. I was actually product testing in the rain. One, I was testing out some new FiveTen footwear on the wet upper slabs, Two, I was testing the brand new Petzl 9.8 Nomad (Duratec Dry) 70 meter and Three, I was testing out a new base layer for Patagonia plus a new guide pant. IN the end I found a line of epic proportions, a line so good it caused drool to form under my bottom lip and spill out down to the forest below. It will need some scrubbing, but it’s probably one of the most beautiful features I’ve seen in Squamish so far, imagine one single (and steep) crack line that runs the length of three full ropes? CRAZY!
Taken just before my descent into the abyss from the First Summit. The clouds were so thick at one point, I watched everything within 6 feet of me disappear. I took this shot in case I didn’t make it back out so that people knew I loved this shit. Grin.
The drop was so steep, I felt like I could have base jumped it, er, you know, if I was a base jumper that is. AND Check out this picture below of the Squamish Buttress, taken by Bourdon. There is so much unclimbed rock in this picture that it blows my mind. Check out the steep crag in the bottom left, Kashmir Wall, just beggging for hard 5.14 multipitch trad climbing, and in the upper right side, steep, clean and relatively unexplored. The Pan Wall. I’ve been to a lot of places in the world, and I still think Squamish is the best spot for establishing First Ascents, it’s pretty much unlimited when you start digging around and stray off from the main trails and crowded lines.
Okay, back to the opening, two places where I wish I could have been this weekend May 16th and 17th.
ONE: The Sacred Craft Expo in Ventura, California, A tribute to the masters. I think if I was a surfer I’d end up shaping boards, I just love the idea of building something so beautiful, a piece of art that becomes an extension of the body and cuts beautiful lines into the oceans surface, thus creating poetry in motion. No wonder Surfing is such a huge sport, it’s completely and utterly romantic. Climbing is too, but it’s different. Did you know that Andy Irons made over a MILLION dollars last year from Billabong? That’s just one of his many sponsors. While most climbers are scrambling to make a few thousand dollars. Either way, you have to respect this Expo, they won’t even let Billabong in the door, but they do invite surf legends like Gerry Lopez, Rob Mochado and Ricky Carrol. This year they put out a call to action in partnership with Rerip.com, all attendees are asked to bring an old surfboard to the SACRED CRAFT recycling booth. The boards will be broken down and put into cement as filler, keeping the landfills free of old surfboards. In addition to this, professional surfer Jeremy Sherwin, and business partner Benjamin Thompson, who is pursuing a PhD in Structural Engineering at the University of California, San Diego, will be giving a seminar on the enviro-sensitive materials available to backyard shapers. Expo producers are excited to also have a number of eco-conscious specific exhibitors on hand including Surfrider Foundation Ventura, Green Foam and Entropy Bio surfboards. Check out this cool clip of Jerry Lopez (the man who pushed me into my first waves) shaping a board this year. It’s a little long, but hopefully you can appreciate the attention to detail.
TWO, The Canadian National Boulder Championships in Montreal, Quebec. This year had a really strong showing, about 50 in the mens catagory, so not for the limp wristed. John Bowles came from nowhere to claim the crown, following in second place was super strong Terry Paholek. I can’t remember what year I did my last National Comp, maybe I was 23 or something. I barely qualified in 6th. The field was super strong, Sean McColl, Lil Jay, Seth Mason, yadda yadda yadda. Then in the finals I couldn’t even do the first move of the first problem, completely discouraged. It was a crazy mantle and I kept stepping on my fucking fingers, then I’d be stuck and I fall off of course. After that i think I let myself go a bit, I relaxed because the situation was so funny. Then I sent the next couple of problems and fell off a few moves from the top on the final one. In the end, i think I placed second to Nelly Rossasen, who at the time was pretty unbeatable by anyone standards (just ask Chris Sharma), so I didn’t feel too bad about it. But the event kicked ass, I will always remember the feeling of climbing in front a big cheerful crowd that like, it’s electric. In 2005 I helped set for the comp in Montreal, we drank Red Bull until 4 am and then went for the best POUTINE I’ve ever had. Montreal is pretty much the best city in the world, (between May 1st and Oct 1st). he he he. Check out this clip of ‘05 and the highlight is Sean’s final problem performance, super huber highpoint.
So I am currently in Austin Texas, which is like an Oasis for the state, the people here are incredibly friendly, funky, and creative. They say ‘Keep Austin Weird’, and that is being achieved around every corner I go. It seems like every person here wants to know your story, where you’re from, how you enjoy your visit and if they can help in any way, bring you home for dinner and some fried pies.
In fact our Shuttle driver last night was so friendly, he even asked us if anyone minded the heavy metal music he was listening too, no objections here I said. He didn’t want us to waste any time in the van, so he did about 65-70 in most 35 zones. He was very concerned for us, and made sure we got to the hotel as soon as humanly possible, something I appreciated at least, but i think it freaked out the ladies in the row ahead of me. It wasn’t the near rear ending, or the multiple red lights he ran, I think it was when he passed a bus on the inside by entering a merging lane that really set them off, he near;y bought himself a side view mirror. At the hotel I flipped him two George Washingtons and went about my way to the pleasant sound of screeching tires. After checking into my room with was arctic and blasting with AC, I freed up my toes with some flip flops and headed the district of 6th Ave. Imagine, pizza joints, saloons, tatoo parlors and 1 dollar shots. Imagine every kid in University on one street. But again, there was a friendliness about every single one, no fight ensued, no weird vibes, just a group of young punks looking to pick up and some of the best live music I’ve heard in years. JT Coldfire, what a voice, what a Sax player, bass, drums, amazing. I stayed for longer than I should have when they started playing BB King covers and Stevie Ray Vaughn songs.
I think I’m allergic to the Cedar around here, woke up feeling prity groggy, but I’m working on my second cup of peppermint tea to kick it. The Hideout, a funky artistic coffee shop on 7th. I wish there were more unique establishments like this in Squamish. They’re coming. I have a slide show to do tonight, at the new (6 months old) Patagonia retail store on 4th Ave. Looking forward to it, it’s a beautiful store and I like the vibe a lot. Like all the rest. The show starts at 7:30pm I believe, looking forward to showing some new stuff, some older stuff, but to a new crowd entirely. I love hearing about new climbs, so I guess I should return the favor and talk about my stuff too. Okay times up here. Hope ya’ll having a great week.
Sonnie Trotter
Ya’ll know Five Ten Kicks Ass, I certainly don’t need to be spraying about that (again), but I will say that this time they’ve gone ahead and taken it to a whole ‘nother level of Ass Kickingness with the newSTEALTHPAINTKIT. If you haven’t seen this or tried this, WTF are you waiting for?It’s an absolute must, especially if you enjoy climbing up rocks for a good time. And if you’re here, I’m assuming you do, unless of course you’re an up and coming pole dancer looking for fresh moves? For that, see“From the Federation”below. But stealth paint, offers a completely new way to protect your shoes, add stability, longevity and yah, stickiness too. It’s a ‘do it yourself’ kit that turns any shoe into a bat hanging, toe jamming, stone crushing freak of the industry, it won’t surprise me if you bag your proj on the next go either, not in the least. Maybe then you can score a date too, and if that happens, thank Kevin here for the smooth instructional video. He shows you how easy it is to transform the Mocs into killing machines, a rare breed of shoes that“REAL”ninjas don’t want you to know about. Poor little Ninjas. Anyway, the secret is out now, andFIVE TENstill holds the title for the most innovative shoe company on the market, easily, I almost feel bad for the other companies playing catch up all the time, they try so hard. For the video click here or HERE.
The hot Indian sun beamed down on my forehead, I wore sunglasses to shield me from the sizzling light and no shirt. I lay on my crash pad, waiting patiently for the boat to arrive, the boat to Hampi. I sat and watched dozens of family’s walk up to the edge of the river. They bathed, drank and cooled off, I was startled. This water was thick and greasy like Cambells Soup. But hey, they were adults, they could make decisions for themselves, I shrugged it off. Until I watched a mother gathering the toxic river water and feeding it to her infant son. The small boy drinking the whole cup down, trusting his family, craving nutrients. There weren’t any. I saw everything floating in this water. EVERYTHING and I could barely wade through it, let alone swim in it or drink it. I heard a stat that said nearly 90% of Indian people live with Giardia their whole lives. It doesn’t surprise me. There are too many people, and not enough systems in place to support them. Everything is overflowing, the rivers, the streets, the toilets. Not to say there aren’t nice places to visit, there are, but still, do you drink the water?
This was a choice I had to face in India, and I bought bottled water everyday. It made me sick to my stomach, nearly as much as the poisonous river could have. When I asked about recycling these bottles one local boy grabbed it from me and threw it to the edge of the river. I asked him where it goes, he shrugged and waved his hand and said “AWAY!”. Away from where? Here? This is what we as people have reduced ourselves to, throwing things away from ‘here’. But don’t be fooled, it always comes back. Every single action you make, has a reaction, can’t FORGET that, and it may come back to land in your living room one day.
At the camp site I stayed at, we continued to buy water, when I asked the kind hostess Sharmilla if she could switch to a filter system, she told me that if she installed a filter, the mob would destroy her business and ultimately her life. The MOB controls the people, and they make too much money selling bottled water to fat, greedy tourists like myself. When people ask me if I want to go back to India, I tell them yes, I tell them it was the most amazing country I’ve ever been to, but then deep inside my heart sinks and I wonder if I’ll ever board a plane for India again. We say we want to save the world, we want to cause the least amount of harm, but then we jump on planes and fly across the world to drink bottled water? How, in any way is this good? or sustainable? We are the cause, ME, YOU, HIM and HER. Everyone. And we need to ask ourselves when it stops? Maybe never, maybe one day it will be oure great great grandchildren feeding from a cup of spoiled rotten and contaminated water. I am an optimist at heart, but honestly, if we don’t start to change the way we live right now, we are all going to hell in a handbasket. We need to stop using so much plastic, stop supporting the manufacturers who make them, start building our furniture out of wood instead of buying all that plastic SHIT from Ikea. Stop being so lazy, uncreative and think about every action we make. By joining your local community you’re joing the global one too. The next time you feel thirsty, ask yourself this question, – What’s more important, the Economy or the Environment?
I realize this post is a bit negative, but it’s the harsh reality, and I don’t mean to sound preachy, I HATE preachers, but, if working with my sponsors has taught me anything, it’s to ask questions, express my concerns, and work together to make things better. Change is the only constant, and we need to roll with these changes to improve the quality of our life and the lives beyond, as our needs begin to change, our products need to reflect that. Here is my favorite quote this month. Read it carefully.
“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed people can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.” – Margaret Mead
With that being said, the email that inspired this post and the video that followed.
Well. Happy Thusday.
This should depress even the staunchest heart. Once again, I weep for what we do to this planet. I thought I was morose before this, but now, I’m just sad and angry.
Ya’ll remember that video I posted of Dominic Laccase doing the human flag? ya well…BORING, in comparison to these lovely ladies. So check it out, this is um…very impressive. I didn’t even realize they had competitions for stuff like this, but these girls make most of us climbers look like real pathetic losers. They dress better for one, they act much more professional and they are stronger than Pure Wrought Iron. A friend of mine sent me this clip, so now we’re going to go out and buy sparkling bikini’s this weekend and take one of the Poll Dancing Workshops in (where else) NEW YORK, NEW YORK, anyone wanna join us? Odub?
MR. CONTROVERSY. Eminem thinks to himself, “Well, it’s been a while since I’ve put out a new album, so if I’m gonna make a comeback, I gotta go all the way, after all, these 24 Farrari’s ain’t gonna pay for themselves. Shit. I gotta shock all them muthafuggers”. And so he does. Eminem knows how the whole VIRAL thing works. He’s got a team of Monkeys on the payroll, working around the clock to make sure everyone see’s him, hears him and hates him. I’m willing to bet he’s got quite the I.Q. how else could he freestyle so quick? The man’s a fast thinker, a sharp tool, but still a tool nonetheless.
I’m a fan, at least I was, I think I still am. I like some of his music and I’ve got about 10-15 favorite tracks that can get me fired up if I need it, he makes me laugh more than anything, he’s a talented artist no doubt, I’m not here to argue that and I enjoy the way he challenges our thinking, But how far is too far?
He knows he has to shock the world, like Marylin Manson, he has to come back with a voice so powerful that it puts him at the top again, but how? Write a song about Drugs and Murder and create a video that pushes our society’s limitations. What a surprise. So original. His latest on youtube, 3am. And it’s not a “sense of humor” song, just straight up killing people. wtf? I liked the older funnier songs, where you knew he was joking, and he probably still is, this is his big joke on the world. He knows how to shock and he knows it will spread. Is he dark and twisted or just clever? Anywho, he’s got us right where he wants us. Oh and I fully realize that even by touching on this subject, I’m supporting his cause. Doh!
I wish I could call him on his money grabbing scheme, I wish I could just say “Fuck dat - I’m not going to get sucked into Eminems vulgar little trap. I’ll sniff the goods, maybe, but I ain’t gonna bite.” Honestly, I’m disappointed, I’m bummed that he feels the need to push the edge so far, I’m not sure he’s CONTENT, and that’s sad. I think he wants to go over the top, like many people before who’ve tasted any sort of power or influence, I think he wants to be remembered as a god, but instead, he’s so close to being remembered as a shirtless douche who can’t dance and didn’t know when to stop.
But I can’t call him out, not because I have no morals, but because this video may not make it through the first week on youtube, internationally anyway. So I’ll post it here now, and you can decide for yourself: Is he a smart guy with a talent for poetry and rhythm or just another wanker preying on the wallets of innocent teenagers? Is it possible he’s gone beyond his own limits as a rapper forced to change his voice (clearly just to annoy me), and falling victim to his own ego? I dunno. Anyone can make something dark I guess, it’s not hard. I think Eminem is running out of ideas, does he truthfully feel good about this track, this video? I wonder. Opinions are important, let’s here yours if you got one. Just don’t let your kids see this.
Honestly his rapping isn’t that far off of Jim Carry’s ‘Snow’ remake, Imposter (see below). Musically speaking at least. Listen to both of these at the same time and see if you notice the similarities ha haha. Tomorrow I’ll talk about climbing rocks again. Probably.
In the early years, I took what I could get – and what I got was plastic grips on an indoor wall. Climbing in the gym exposed me to comps, so I did them, partly because most of my friends were going and partly because I wanted to watch women I never met, climbing in tight lycra. But I won’t lie, I had a lot of fun at climbing comps and I met many of my best friends there as well. But as time wore on, I got less and less motivated by them (thank god) and more and more motivated by outdoor rock adventures. But there is still this little boy in me that wants to compete a bit, and I find I get excited when my friends do, so I can live vicariously through them. Right now Sean McColl (CAN) is in Austria, he did the World Cup Bouldering comp last week and placed a very impressive Ninth place, just one spot ahead of Daniel Woods. Among 80 of the worlds strongest competition boulderers. Things may have been different had Dia, Nalle, Sharma, Nicole, or Bock had of competed too, but they didn’t and so here is the latest scoring. Again, I am MOST impressed with Adam Ondra, here is a 16 year old kid who does not fit the typical bouldering profile, tall and straight up skinny to the bone, who doesn’t necessarily train specifically for the little blocs, unlike most of the other men here. Adam climbs 10 pitch 5.14’s onsight ground up, and then ticks 5.15’s ‘accidentally’ while he’s merely getting acquainted with a new crag. So for him to switch gears and stand on his first World Cup Bouldering podium, I think that’s a pretty incredible feat. I am constantly impressed by this little ninja. The season is just beginning so stay tuned and I’ll report some more events as they unfold. Congrats to all the men and women out there just givin it all. We salute you.
This is hilarious, a buddy of mine from California (whom I can’t name) and I were talking about getting fit for spring season and here was his latest workout routine. I tried it for three days and crashed. Hope this helps some of you get over that weird hump your at. If not, I’m afraid to say there’s nothing more you can do!
Go with my Top 10 Xfittooughcowboy program:
1. 4 situps. Overkill to do more.
2. One circuit on the home wall. That means grab a hold, then grab another, jump off.
3. Smoke break
4. Watch 5 mins of Dosage XXIV, grunt like a stupid monkey and get psyched.
5. Hydrate, PBR
6. Lift the lid (important if you live with chicks), pee as hard and fast as possible.
