Saturday, March 27, 2010
Vegas Gold, an Ascent of "Desert Gold" 5.13a
Made it down to Vegas for the Red Rock Rendezvous, and then afterward made it up to Desert Gold, one of the most difficult and beautiful cracks in Red Rocks. Read more...
Thursday, March 25, 2010
Battle in The Bubble
This is a short teaser I put together for The Spot Gym. This May 14th and 15th The Spot Gym will be hosting Boulder's biggest bouldering comp. Because this comp is not affiliated with any governing organizations of competitive climbing, the Spot has put together a Fresh and more Audience Friendly format that will culminate with a "First Ascent" battle between the two top climbers. Best of all this will be more than a comp with a very Festival Like atmosphere that is ABSOLUTELY FREE for all spectators!!! Read more...
Monday, March 22, 2010
XXXTREME ICE TRAINING WITH MATT SEGAL
Hold on to Your Hats Verical Carnivalers...this is going to be XXXTREME!!! Follow 5.14 trad climber Matt Segal as he attempts to add the XXXTREMELY dangerous sport of Ice Climbing to his skill set, in preparation for a trip to Patagonia! Have fun out there!!! Cedar. Read more...
Sunday, March 7, 2010
ARKANSAS IN A DAY
It turns out that the climbing and scene in Arkansas is not to be missed...I highly recommend a visit to Horseshoe Ranch, one of the most unique climber camps in the country. Today I was too knackered to climb, but I got to shoot a 38 special...that was different!!!
This march I headed out to Arkansas to give a presentation with Jeremy Collins for the American Alpine Club. I showed up a day early to get some climbing in and brought my GH1 to play with. I shot and edited this piece in a day, so that I could show the video at the beginning of my presentation....I was literally doing color correction and compressing an hour before I went on!!! People were psyched to see their home area on the big screen! Read more...
This march I headed out to Arkansas to give a presentation with Jeremy Collins for the American Alpine Club. I showed up a day early to get some climbing in and brought my GH1 to play with. I shot and edited this piece in a day, so that I could show the video at the beginning of my presentation....I was literally doing color correction and compressing an hour before I went on!!! People were psyched to see their home area on the big screen! Read more...
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
Tawoche Still Selects
So, besides constantly working on the video Cory managed a solid selection of stills from the adventure. We are currently working on a behind the scenes and out-takes cut...stay tuned!
Read more...
Read more...
Thursday, February 11, 2010
THE GAME, V16?!?! Daniel Woods Completes one of World's Hardest Boulders
I first met Daniel Woods about 5 years ago while in Rocklands Africa. Daniel already had a reputation as a steel fingered bouldering phenomena, and watching him crush in the boulders was about as close as I've come to witnessing the defiance of gravity. When Daniel mentioned on a facebook post that he had a new super project up in Bolder Canyon, and felt he might be close to "the hardest moves I've ever tried", I figured it might be a cool moment to film and so I rang him up! For the last two weeks I have been braving the 30 degree temps and shooting Daniel's process and progress. Today in spite of a broken hold and a nasty fall, Daniel sucked it up, figured out new beta and SENT!!! "This is definitely harder than Terremer, and Jade, and I think warrants the grade of V16" he said. If Daniel's estimation is right, this puts "The Game" as a competitor for hardest boulder in the world!!! Daniel had this to say, "I called this problem The Game, because for me the climb was a game I had to play, I had to click into game mode, and really train myself for these moves. I had to grow mentally strong and also physically strong to be able to put it together. I call it the game, because I played the game and I ended up winning the game so game over." A little inside information... one of Daniel's favorite rappers is also named "The Game!" I am also collaborating with with Big Up and Sender Films so stay tuned for the full send in this years Reel Rock Tour.
Read more...
Saturday, February 6, 2010
XXXTREME!!!! REDNECK BACKCOUNTRY
Greetings Carnival Denizens, Cedar Here...So, while you wait for Renan's next uber-genius post from Nepal, here is something a little on the lighter side. I shot this comic short with one of my favorite people on the planet...the comic genius... Timmy O'Neill. This was shot DEEP in the BACKCOUNTRY!!! and is XXXTREME!!! Read more...
Thursday, January 21, 2010
TAWOCHE 2k10 dispatches #5
“This is our decision to live fast and die young.
We've got the vision, now let's have some fun.
Yeah it's overwhelming, but what else can we do?
Get jobs in offices and wake up for the morning commute?”
MGMT
As we told our sponsors before the climb, we’ve gone rogue like Sarah Palin. We are off the grid…
As we wake up battered and depleted, everything points us towards bailing. Only we are too hard headed to concede defeat, not realizing in fact that we are just too stupid to know when to call it. We haven’t had water in a day or so…but who needs hydration anyway? Talking with this degree of cottonmouth makes me sound like I am speaking in tongues…Renan looks at me with confused, puffy eyes. Are we really going up? I am as confused as him…the answer is a surprisingly emphatic ‘yes!’
I dodge rocks as Renan leads through some choss. He short fixes, I jug, dry heave, swing leads, dry heave more, and suck down hard candies like an addict locked in the throes of withdrawals. I can’t wait for the snow, for the water, but we still have hours to go before we get there…if we get there. But the unspoken common ground is that we are down to go up…
As are artists, we are locked in a constant struggle between what we want to capture, and the energy our bodies can afford to give. It’s an instinct to reach for the camera, but one that nearly always falls second to the tasks at hand. Often times, I criticize myself for not shooting more…for not nailing the perfect image…but then again, I am fighting just to move. As athletes, we are succeeding, but as creative individuals, we are flailing…it hurts.
There are multiple points in any given day, during any given hour, or on any given pitch, where I want more than anything to call it in. I want to yell up at Renan that I’ve had it. I can’t swallow, can’t talk…can barely breath, and all of it makes me want to descend. I know he feels the same because I can see it in his face. But our mouths stay shut, moving upwards steadily as a cohesive unit. No, it doesn’t make any sense…but we’ve never pretended to understand. Life is reduced to a consecutive series of familiar motions. Our arms begin to cramp due to lack of fluid. The glands in our mouths stop producing saliva. We are dried up…
All the variables in the equation equal out towards descent. But math was never my strong point…apparently Renan suffers from the same learning disabilities.
c & r
Read more...
We've got the vision, now let's have some fun.
Yeah it's overwhelming, but what else can we do?
Get jobs in offices and wake up for the morning commute?”
MGMT
As we told our sponsors before the climb, we’ve gone rogue like Sarah Palin. We are off the grid…
As we wake up battered and depleted, everything points us towards bailing. Only we are too hard headed to concede defeat, not realizing in fact that we are just too stupid to know when to call it. We haven’t had water in a day or so…but who needs hydration anyway? Talking with this degree of cottonmouth makes me sound like I am speaking in tongues…Renan looks at me with confused, puffy eyes. Are we really going up? I am as confused as him…the answer is a surprisingly emphatic ‘yes!’
I dodge rocks as Renan leads through some choss. He short fixes, I jug, dry heave, swing leads, dry heave more, and suck down hard candies like an addict locked in the throes of withdrawals. I can’t wait for the snow, for the water, but we still have hours to go before we get there…if we get there. But the unspoken common ground is that we are down to go up…
As are artists, we are locked in a constant struggle between what we want to capture, and the energy our bodies can afford to give. It’s an instinct to reach for the camera, but one that nearly always falls second to the tasks at hand. Often times, I criticize myself for not shooting more…for not nailing the perfect image…but then again, I am fighting just to move. As athletes, we are succeeding, but as creative individuals, we are flailing…it hurts.
There are multiple points in any given day, during any given hour, or on any given pitch, where I want more than anything to call it in. I want to yell up at Renan that I’ve had it. I can’t swallow, can’t talk…can barely breath, and all of it makes me want to descend. I know he feels the same because I can see it in his face. But our mouths stay shut, moving upwards steadily as a cohesive unit. No, it doesn’t make any sense…but we’ve never pretended to understand. Life is reduced to a consecutive series of familiar motions. Our arms begin to cramp due to lack of fluid. The glands in our mouths stop producing saliva. We are dried up…
All the variables in the equation equal out towards descent. But math was never my strong point…apparently Renan suffers from the same learning disabilities.
c & r
Read more...
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
TAWOCHE 2k10 dispatches #4
Waking at 3:30 a.m. is the least of my concerns. We haven’t really been sleeping anyway. Our minds are filled with “What Ifs?” and scenarios that leave us wondering if we are struggling against basic fear, or fighting intuition.
Alpine climbing is a labor of love…it’s type 10 fun…the kind of fun that doesn’t have to be fun to be fun. In fact, most of the time spent in the actual activity is consumed by the minds’ pursuit of the base desire that has thrust you into the situation to begin with. In short, it is not something that makes a tremendous amount of sense.
Following your instincts isn’t really an option because your instincts tell you not to leave the ground. But conversely, not leaving the ground isn’t a viable option either…because fighting your desire to climb leaves you more miserable than the climbing itself.
We think about friends we’ve lost in the mountains and wonder if they were feeling the same thing the last morning they crawled from their respective tents. There is a massive question mark that hangs gloomily above the whole situation, and this morning is no different.
I light the incense and tuck it into the makeshift Stupa. Over my shoulders, pre-dawn light outlines the horizon…the dark figures of Makalu, Baruntse, and Ama Dablam. The last of the gear is shoved into the packs in silence as our labored breath rises into the light of our headlamps. The only thing left to do is start climbing. Greater fears are boiled down to specific distractions: Will there be water? Will the weather hold? Can we climb fast enough? And before we know it, the sun warms our backs and we are high above the valley floor on new terrain. The fear melts and melds with joy to create a hybrid emotion that feels almost tangible.
Like my friend Colin Moorehead says, “Climbing is the truth.”
c & r
Read more...
Alpine climbing is a labor of love…it’s type 10 fun…the kind of fun that doesn’t have to be fun to be fun. In fact, most of the time spent in the actual activity is consumed by the minds’ pursuit of the base desire that has thrust you into the situation to begin with. In short, it is not something that makes a tremendous amount of sense.
Following your instincts isn’t really an option because your instincts tell you not to leave the ground. But conversely, not leaving the ground isn’t a viable option either…because fighting your desire to climb leaves you more miserable than the climbing itself.
We think about friends we’ve lost in the mountains and wonder if they were feeling the same thing the last morning they crawled from their respective tents. There is a massive question mark that hangs gloomily above the whole situation, and this morning is no different.
I light the incense and tuck it into the makeshift Stupa. Over my shoulders, pre-dawn light outlines the horizon…the dark figures of Makalu, Baruntse, and Ama Dablam. The last of the gear is shoved into the packs in silence as our labored breath rises into the light of our headlamps. The only thing left to do is start climbing. Greater fears are boiled down to specific distractions: Will there be water? Will the weather hold? Can we climb fast enough? And before we know it, the sun warms our backs and we are high above the valley floor on new terrain. The fear melts and melds with joy to create a hybrid emotion that feels almost tangible.
Like my friend Colin Moorehead says, “Climbing is the truth.”
c & r
Read more...
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
TAWOCHE 2k10 dispatches #3
Turn up the RADIO! Coming at you live from 17,000 ft. below the South Central (Gangsta) Buttress of Tawoche…
Renan and I are stuffed in a tent suffering from pounding altitude headaches. This after our 4,300 ft elevation jump yesterday on our final approach to BC comes as little surprise. We have never actually been accused of being the sharpest bowling balls on the shelf…so go figure.
Tawoche in all her glory rises above us another 5,000ft. With the view, comes the all to familiar rollercoaster of emotions that precede any alpine endeavor. Balancing fear and intuition, angst and energy, the action vs. the idea….they all flow into your already pounding cranial vault, leaving you exhausted before you’ve left the ground.
Since our last dispatch, we are one man, one camera, and one crucial lens down. Chhewang accompanied us to BC, but has since descended to Pangboche to wait. One 5D was tragically lost to a windstorm last night, as well the lens attached. Left with merely pieces, I am more than just a little bummed that the culprit time-lapse didn’t even make the cut for the dispatch.
Thanks for hanging with us…while we have no real comms up here, it means a lot to us to know someone might be listening.
c & r
Read more...
Renan and I are stuffed in a tent suffering from pounding altitude headaches. This after our 4,300 ft elevation jump yesterday on our final approach to BC comes as little surprise. We have never actually been accused of being the sharpest bowling balls on the shelf…so go figure.
Tawoche in all her glory rises above us another 5,000ft. With the view, comes the all to familiar rollercoaster of emotions that precede any alpine endeavor. Balancing fear and intuition, angst and energy, the action vs. the idea….they all flow into your already pounding cranial vault, leaving you exhausted before you’ve left the ground.
Since our last dispatch, we are one man, one camera, and one crucial lens down. Chhewang accompanied us to BC, but has since descended to Pangboche to wait. One 5D was tragically lost to a windstorm last night, as well the lens attached. Left with merely pieces, I am more than just a little bummed that the culprit time-lapse didn’t even make the cut for the dispatch.
Thanks for hanging with us…while we have no real comms up here, it means a lot to us to know someone might be listening.
c & r
Read more...
Thursday, January 7, 2010
TAWOCHE 2k10 dispatches #2
The good news is the plane didn't crash...and there is no bad news.
The lights that dot the hillside outside our window go out one by one...it’s late in Namche. Our floor is less carpet space than duffels overflowing with camera and climbing gear.
Namche is the hub of almost all activity in the high Khumbu and yet now in the off season, it’s hard to find a shop open before noon. We’ve been here for two days, breathing the thinner air, adjusting to the cooler days and hanging out with the Tibetan traders below the village. Thamserku, Kwangde, and Kusum Kanguru tower above us in an impressive trifecta of ice and stone...conditions look good and we are stoked.
Tomorrow we’ll leave before the sun hits the village and wander up the Thame valley towards Tibet. Our friend Chhewang Nima will come along fort he ride.. You’ve never heard of him...but you should have considering he’s climbed Everest 17 times (yeah, you read that right)! His is just another example of Sherpa modesty and stoicism.
The next four days will take us over the Renjo La at roughly 17,400 ft., down to Gokyo, and finally to Phortse where we will stage for our attempt on Tawoche. Three friends, two cameras, one trail....epic.
Read more...
The lights that dot the hillside outside our window go out one by one...it’s late in Namche. Our floor is less carpet space than duffels overflowing with camera and climbing gear.
Namche is the hub of almost all activity in the high Khumbu and yet now in the off season, it’s hard to find a shop open before noon. We’ve been here for two days, breathing the thinner air, adjusting to the cooler days and hanging out with the Tibetan traders below the village. Thamserku, Kwangde, and Kusum Kanguru tower above us in an impressive trifecta of ice and stone...conditions look good and we are stoked.
Tomorrow we’ll leave before the sun hits the village and wander up the Thame valley towards Tibet. Our friend Chhewang Nima will come along fort he ride.. You’ve never heard of him...but you should have considering he’s climbed Everest 17 times (yeah, you read that right)! His is just another example of Sherpa modesty and stoicism.
The next four days will take us over the Renjo La at roughly 17,400 ft., down to Gokyo, and finally to Phortse where we will stage for our attempt on Tawoche. Three friends, two cameras, one trail....epic.
Read more...
Tuesday, January 5, 2010
The Other Side of the Lens
So while I was in Mallorca bringing you the Psicoblogs, Tim Kemple was busy shooting Stills and Video. He is creating a short profile of each athlete on the trip, and this is the one he created for me...hope you like it...and stay tuned for more of Renan's sick dispatches from Nepal where soon he'll be going for the full on winter alpine gnar. Cheers. Cedar. Read more...
Monday, January 4, 2010
Nepal Expedition 2K10 Dispatch #1!!
It’s 5:45 a.m. and Renan and I are up and throwing the last of the goods into barrels and duffels. What stays? What goes? Where are my shoes?
Our days in Kathmandu have been good…a productive and creative time to sink back into Nepali culture before getting on a plane to fly into the mountains. There is no doubt it is time to get out of the city and up into the hills. The flight to Lukla is a time-warp…you get on the plane surrounded by the amenities of modern life and 45 minutes later, after landing on a super sketchy runway that angles steeply uphill, find yourself surrounded only by trails, monasteries and deep gorges. No more car horns and pollution…it’s sick!
The motivation and creativity are running thick and Renan and I are busting at the seams to capture our trip and bring everyone back home along…it’s good to be here, but the extended tribe is never far from our thoughts.
~Cory
The new year is staring out right! I'm in Nepal for 2 part adventure. First I'll be meeting up with my friend Cory Richards for a first ascent attempt on the 6000M Tawoche Himal followed up by teaching Nepali climbers technical skills as part of the Khumbu Climbing School. Nepal holds a special place in our hearts with its vibrant people, iconic mountains and rich culture. We are going to do the best we can to share the endeavor! ~renan
Read more...
Our days in Kathmandu have been good…a productive and creative time to sink back into Nepali culture before getting on a plane to fly into the mountains. There is no doubt it is time to get out of the city and up into the hills. The flight to Lukla is a time-warp…you get on the plane surrounded by the amenities of modern life and 45 minutes later, after landing on a super sketchy runway that angles steeply uphill, find yourself surrounded only by trails, monasteries and deep gorges. No more car horns and pollution…it’s sick!
The motivation and creativity are running thick and Renan and I are busting at the seams to capture our trip and bring everyone back home along…it’s good to be here, but the extended tribe is never far from our thoughts.
~Cory
The new year is staring out right! I'm in Nepal for 2 part adventure. First I'll be meeting up with my friend Cory Richards for a first ascent attempt on the 6000M Tawoche Himal followed up by teaching Nepali climbers technical skills as part of the Khumbu Climbing School. Nepal holds a special place in our hearts with its vibrant people, iconic mountains and rich culture. We are going to do the best we can to share the endeavor! ~renan
Read more...
Tuesday, December 22, 2009
Living the Dream
Thanks for all the support for the Nikon Festival Submission. Although it was denied from the finals, I'm psyched about the experience....looking forward to future projects with art and climbing.
My quintessential day here in Boulder Colorado.
For most of the last 6 years I've been a traveling vagabond following my passion for art and climbing. This existence involved sleeping outside in wild places, hitching rides, having very little belongings, a drained bank account and some gourmet dumpster diving for food. I climbed everyday and lived my dream.
These days I'm a domesticated man. By most people's standards I'm still living in the ghetto with my 1988 beater car and trailer-like house. Each day I find time to escape to the nearby rock spires and bag a summit. Making this creative short I realized that I still live my dream everyday...!
Read more...
My quintessential day here in Boulder Colorado.
For most of the last 6 years I've been a traveling vagabond following my passion for art and climbing. This existence involved sleeping outside in wild places, hitching rides, having very little belongings, a drained bank account and some gourmet dumpster diving for food. I climbed everyday and lived my dream.
These days I'm a domesticated man. By most people's standards I'm still living in the ghetto with my 1988 beater car and trailer-like house. Each day I find time to escape to the nearby rock spires and bag a summit. Making this creative short I realized that I still live my dream everyday...!
Read more...
Sunday, December 20, 2009
BAck To The Roots: Indian Creek 5.13a F.A. of M.D.M.C.P. 09
My most recent foray into the unknown continued with this trend. Nick and I were lucky to establish our new route over a few days and headed back to Boulder psyched on our little dose of adventure. We both lead the crux pitch, and I managed to onsight the wild twenty five foot roof on the third pitch by the skin of my teeth. We named the route the "Micah Dash Memorial Choss Pile" in honor of our good friend Micah Dash who was lost in the mountains of China this year. I think he would have appreciated the tongue-in-cheek name, which as it turns out is not a choss pile at all!! Micah loved the creek and was always good for a laugh and a quality shit talking session around the fire. Well...Enjoy everyone. Happy Holidays!! Cedar Wright.
Man was it great to get back down to Indian Creek over Thanks Giving!! The Creek has always been one of my favorite climbing areas, and it felt like coming home as I rolled into Beef Basin with my good friend Nick Martino. Over the years I've been lucky to put up some classic First Ascents in the Creek that buck the trend of the straight in splitter and offer up more complex esoteric climbing.... Read more...
Man was it great to get back down to Indian Creek over Thanks Giving!! The Creek has always been one of my favorite climbing areas, and it felt like coming home as I rolled into Beef Basin with my good friend Nick Martino. Over the years I've been lucky to put up some classic First Ascents in the Creek that buck the trend of the straight in splitter and offer up more complex esoteric climbing.... Read more...
Tuesday, December 15, 2009
VERTICAL CARNIVAL THE ALBUM
If you have been following the Vertical Carnival blog for long, you probably realize that I make most of the music for the short films that Renan and I bring you every week. I produce the music on my computer fusing together live and electronic instruments, along with my funky vocal stylings. If you like what you've been hearing, I now have the album for sale as a digital download. For six bucks you get 21 songs!!
Read more...
Wednesday, December 9, 2009
BLIND AND NAKED
Hey Guys!!! Cedar Here!! So I am pleased to present this short piece that I created for the Access Fund. A few weeks ago I filmed Erik Weihenmayer Climbing the legendary Naked Edge in Eldo Canyon. What's special about that....well for those of you who haven't heard about Erik...he is blind and probably most famous for his historical ascent of Mt. Everest. This is one of the most inspiring feats of climbing I have ever witnessed first hand and I am so psyched for you all to see it...Eric only hung a few times on the route and it was wind to watch his techniques, such as scanning the rock for footholds with his hand then placing his feet with impressive precision. Eric definitely became one of my heros that dayCheers... Enjoy and please, please join the Access Fund by clicking this link.
Hey Guys!!! Cedar Here!! So I am pleased to present this short piece that I created for the Access Fund. A few weeks ago I filmed Erik Weihenmayer Climbing the legendary Naked Edge in Eldo Canyon. What's special about that....well for those of you who haven't heard about Erik...he is blind and probably most famous for his historical ascent of Mt. Everest. This is one of the most inspiring feats of climbing I have ever witnessed first hand and I am so psyched for you all to see it...Cheers... Enjoy and please, please join the Access Fund by clicking this link.
Read more...
Hey Guys!!! Cedar Here!! So I am pleased to present this short piece that I created for the Access Fund. A few weeks ago I filmed Erik Weihenmayer Climbing the legendary Naked Edge in Eldo Canyon. What's special about that....well for those of you who haven't heard about Erik...he is blind and probably most famous for his historical ascent of Mt. Everest. This is one of the most inspiring feats of climbing I have ever witnessed first hand and I am so psyched for you all to see it...Cheers... Enjoy and please, please join the Access Fund by clicking this link.
Read more...
Thursday, December 3, 2009
"Like a Prayer" 5.13- trad FA
Here is the matty segal send from just after thanksgiving, a great new climb at the most popular crag in Indian Creek. Thanks for tuning in. ~renan
Read more...
Tuesday, December 1, 2009
Monday, November 30, 2009
Indian Creek Rukus
It was great to get back to the roots and spend thanksgiving in the unique red sandstone landscape of Indian Creek, Utah. After the tragic deaths of our friends this past summer it made me sad not to share this with them. It was clear that they helped the community grow stronger than ever and get psyched to live life to the fullest everyday. Here is the quick and dirty edit of about 3,000 photos that tell the story of T-day with the monkeys, complete with on location camp-fire music from the late Jonny Copp's father Jonathan Sr. We missed you Micah, Jonny & Wade! Stay tuned for footage of Cedar and Nick Martino's new 5.13 at the 2nd Meat Wall and Matty Segals new 5.13 at Battle of the Bulge...
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