OR show

all photos courtesy of Dane Burns

A couple of weeks ago, I had the chance to head down to Salt Lake City to attend the Outdoor Retailer show at the Salt Palace. It's always a great opportunity to see the "newest latest" in gear and textiles that most of the major manufacturers in the outdoor industry are offering for the '11 year. It's impressive to see what was considered well designed gear improved. Makes me wonder what developments will happen next year.
The OR show is also an event that attracts many like minded people so it's not uncommon to run into friends that I haven't seen for up to 10+ years. Really cool to see old friends from times past and to catch up on the evolutions in our lives.
One of the best parts about being down there for me was the time I got to spend hanging with the KAVU crew and to catch up with the "boys" from KEEN. Super positive energy while looking toward the future was all about laughing it up and planning adventure. Pretty easy to be stoked around those guys. So psyched to be involved with both companies. First, they provide the clothes and shoes that keep things comfortable and casual during daily life, and, both are all about "giving back" and sharing the positivity with communities around the world. Their generosity has lent to the Cloudbase Foundation's effort to help the kids in Canoa, Ecuador. Proud to be linked to KEEN and KAVU, for sure.



Along with seeing old friends, I had the opportunity to meet some new people. I had heard about Bill Belcourt for years in both the flying and climbing circles. He heads the gear department at Black Diamond and has climbed rock and ice routes all over the world, some of which are routes that I would either love to try or have been lucky enough to have done. He is also a multi time US Paragliding world team member and is still killing it with huge flights in his home state of Utah. A true mountain pilot and climber, he also has a family with a young kiddo. We have so much in common that I was hoping to get a chance to meet Bill and to check out the Black Diamond booth while in Utah.



After meeting up, It worked out for Bill to take a day away from work and the family to go out and swing the tools on a road side route, just up the canyon from the house O'brien lived at while in Provo. I met him and his friend, Dane Burns, at the park and ride next to the Point and we drove up to climb the 5 pitches of ice on a route called "stairway to heaven". On the short walk in, he schooled me on the many ways to strategically convince your partner to allow you to lead the best pitches. In the end, it just stung him as my "nice guy" technique allowed me to get to lead the money pitches but, the truth is, he had done the route so many times in the past that he only allowed me to think I was playing it well. I felt like I lost by winning...or is it won by losing? Either way, I was stoked to be there, so it was winning regardless;-) It was the perfect thing to do before an 8 hour drive back to Missoula. The ice was in pretty good shape and the climbing was fun. After topping out, we rapped off, I thanked Bill and Dane for getting out and was on my way. It was a great end to a good trip.



I had 6 days to crank in the shop, sewing as much as I could before heading down to the WW factory in LA to meet up with Steve and Mike, Jeff, Dustin, Zippy and our good friend from the Italian team, Filippo to get him sorted with his new glider and harness. More on that later.

New Coverts

Just finished a few harnesses that are on the way to pilots around the country. I have been working hard on the patterns, adjusting the chute zippers, changing the cut and improving the features. The purple and silver one is Greg Dinauer's and is a single chute version (note the two large "in flight accessible" pockets of the left side). The Red and white one is Miller Stroud's and is a two chute version. Neither has chute(s) mounted or drogues installed. When looking at the photos, keep in mind that the outer skin tension will improve dramatically with chutes and drogues in. I'm getting happier with the shape and feel strong about the functionality changes.





the screamer is not laying in the chute area in the above photo and creates the weird bump off the side of the back plate


I wanted to show the fit difference as well. Greg's is really close to what I would build myself and Miller's is 4" larger in circumference and 1.5" longer. I am trying to make a shape that will look good even if it's way too big as some pilots prefer a looser fit. I'm swimming in the red and white one and just a bit tight in the purple one. Both would be easy enough to fly in for me so I'm encouraged. After all, the benefit of a custom harness is to get what you want in fit and shape.



With 2 chutes installed, the shell wrinkles will pull clean

I'm having so much fun building harnesses and dealing with interesting people. Although at times it can be daunting, I'm committed.




Have fun out there

aggression managment

Therapy continued with a couple of days of climbing frozen waterfalls and melt freeze with Chris. Having substantial avalanche hazard in the alpine, we decided to head over the divide to Bozeman and into Hyalite canyon for some safe travel and the abundance of formed ice lines. We got to climb classic routes in interesting condition with the benefit of "camping" in hotels in town complete with hot food and good whiskey. Certainly better than getting poked in the eye with a stick.


my turn on "Airborn Ranger"



Chris topping out and then starting the last pitch of "AR"



Chris navigates the right side of "the Good Looking One"


"Good Looking One proper"


"Bulldog World"

local relief

With temps in the single digits at night, snow and ice have been getting progressively better and a fulfilling way to distract from no flying. Chris Gibisch and I got to take a break from work and spent a couple of days in the mountains making turns and swinging tools. The back country skiing has been fantastic in the Bitterroot so on day 1, we met up with a friend and went up behind the house, close to Lolo pass, for a few laps in the trees before waking up early the next day for a drive to Bozeman to climb. A couple of Hylite routes were reportedly in great shape and after doing what we came to do and rappels to the packs, we put our headlamps on and boot skied our way back down the trail to the truck, laughing and talking smack the whole way. Drove by full moon back to Missoula, arriving home last night at 11 pm. Good times, for sure.



With a priority shift in the last few years, It's been super fun reacquainting with climbing. Climbing allows the constant opportunity (just like flying) to be humbled, to feel small and to work on character. There is no faking. When racking up for a lead, you either do it or don't. Either way and for what ever reason, the decision has consequence and at the least, allows you to learn more about yourself. Limits are absolutely created and when those borders are defined and redefined, I learn that life isn't just what I make it, it's exactly what I make it. Just starting to feel the sea legs getting steadier and the motivation with Chris as a partner is high. Life is good and constantly getting better.


Chris firing Airborne Ranger

Time to Hybernate?

The snow is dumping and the ice is forming here in Montana which spells no flying and the beginning of climbing season. I really enjoy sitting at the sewing machines, building harnesses for fellow pilots but it's nice to escape day dreams of thermalling in the sun and get the personal rewards that come from hard work in the mountains mixed in with some good old fashion suffering.



Climbing in the mountains here during winter is really special. There are absolutely no crowds and in fact, it's rare to see much of anyone after a long approach. There are lessons earned that sometimes take us to a place of understanding long forgotten, or in completely new ways because of the uncertainty of it. You don't know if the routes are formed or not, or, if a particular route is formed in a remotely similar way to what you have experienced in years past. Ice is dynamic. A moving crystal that creates a line of weakness to travel high on alpine walls which would otherwise repel us easily. Every year it's different and new. Climbing rock is fun but usually quite sequential, forcing you to do sometimes particular moves to efficiently navigate the route. Ice allows multiple lines and opens the chance to be creative and to use your imagination to discover what feels possible to you.


The flanks of Mt Edwards



Chris and I decided to go and have a look at the intimidating routes on the North Face of Mt Edwards in Glacier National Park. It was still fairly early season so we had realistic intentions and really just wanted to ski in to see what and how things were shaping up. Although, still early in terms of the "cold cycle" of our area, it was pretty late for any Grizzly bears to be out so we were a little apprehensive as we followed a big pigeon toed bastard into the circ. I kept wondering when it would turn off the trail but low and behold, we followed it for the 6 mile ski into the dead end circ we were planning to camp in. It was snowing and the claw holes were not filled in yet which meant, a couple hours max in front of us. It was pretty cool that he broke trail for us though because the further we got into the circ, the snow got pretty F*^&'n deep;-)





We ended up approaching the routes the following morning after hearing the unstable snow pack "whumphing" all night knowing that the avalanche hazard was most likely horrendous from a cold snap followed by a Chinook. After climbing 30% of the slope toward the wall, we dug a pit and confirmed that the slope was primed for wet slab avalanches so we clicked in and skied our way out.



After getting some more work done at home, my jones was far from satisfied so we post holed into the Mission mountains and climbed some local ice in full value conditions. Our friend Justin Woods met us at the trail head which made for lighter loads and a great "bro factor". Although it was not the adventure we look to find when climbing in the Park, it was really cool just to swing the tools and always great to climb with good friends.

Harnesses and harnesses

Been working hard to get this batch of harnesses out the door to psyched pilots and also working hard to continually refine and do my best to make improvements. Design is a process that keeps ideas and creativity a focus. Gotta keep up the fun factor, yea?



Apparently, wearing Matt Barkers "inner shell" on my head helps the process.


Took an afternoon off to go pull in one of the Bitteroot canyons. One of my friends from Alaska showed up with his wife, Anna, and their two kiddos, Alder and Oden. Alder came to the crag with us to keep the pup warm and scream out beta to her dad while he was climbing one of the cave routes. Snow is just starting to fall here. Ice is forming;-)

Jonathan's Covert

One of the harnesses that went out from the last group we built is being flown by Jonathan Dietch. He has been gracious enough to send me a few stills and a video from his first flight in the Covert.

This shot is fuzzy from being cropped but shows the clean shape of this version

You can tell a lot in the video. When he points his toes (as we all do sometimes), the top of the harness, just above the boot, gets loose. When it's tight is when he's relaxed.