The fall season in Yosemite Valley hadn't quite begun, but the temperatures were becoming more manageable and the summer crowds were dwindling both on the ground and up on the walls. This was part of our "grand plan". A plan that we spent months preparing for and dreaming about in an attempt to convince ourselves that everything would go perfectly as planned. There would be no need to abandon, chop apart, and resurrect the "grand plan". All that we could be certain of was t

It was my pleasure to work with guidebook author Jerry Handren on his second edition of the comprehensive guidebook for Red Rock Canyon, Nevada. We teamed up throughout the 2015 season to gather climbing images of some of Red Rock's most classic routes, as well as new additions to the area. It was a fun project and one that I was very excited to work on. As you page through the book you'll notice an array of high quality images from several photographers over many years tha

The summer in Las Vegas can be a little tricky for adventure climbing. The temperatures at times soar in the 110 degree range and just going for a walk sometimes can be face melting. I usually take a trip in early June to beat the heat and the last two years I have gone to Yosemite Valley to explore the tall granite walls there. After this most recent trip, having successfully climbed Zodiac (see my last post) I was pretty psyched up to keep on big-walling on the regular.

There are few natural formations as massive, inspiring, and recognizable as El Capitan in Yosemite National Park in California. To some, its a symbol of the impossible and to others its a mecca of climbing and seeing what's possible. To me it was a longtime goal that took many years of climbing to even begin to understand. Since I was a child this single piece of granite and the accomplishments of the pioneering climbers before me have been a constant unwavering inspiratio

The following article was written for Travel Nevada and can be found published here. The spirit of adventure is alive and well in Las Vegas and you don't need a reservation, players card, or your name on a guest list to experience it. The Red Rock National Conservation Area, located 17 miles outside of the entertainment mega-hub of Las Vegas, is attracting people from around the world for a wildly different reason. From hiking, canyoneering, rock climbing, or sightseeing it

I am beyond excited to have a good selection of images published in John Long and Peter Croft's latest book The Trad Climbers Bible. I grew up reading John Long's climbing books so there is something really rewarding and almost full-circle when I realized my photos would be published in one. The book is much different than any of the books I read as a kid because it features many short vignettes rather than technical climbing text. There is a huge array of brilliant color ph

A few months Andy and I hatched a plan to climb a wall route in Zion, something I've been eagerly waiting to do all summer. The steep clean cut walls of Zion are always amazing, and there are so many great looking walls to choose from. I suggested that we get up on Desert Shield, a mixed aid and free climb that goes up onto and impressive steep headwall that looks practically blank. It had some 5.11 free climbing down low to psyche Andy up, and two moderately hard C3 aid p

Summertime living in Las Vegas is not necessarily a climber's dream. Consistent 100+ degree temperatures and a scorching sun beating down on your back aren't exactly inviting conditions. The beautiful Aztec sandstone of Red Rock Canyon is pretty much all out of the picture, unless you're climbing at night during a full moon. Luckily, some other options do exist. Probably the best local alternative is to take a 45 minute drive Northwest up to Mt. Charleston for what some co

The following article was written for Climbing Magazine and can be found in issue #317 and online here. I was barely halfway through a 90-foot route when I used the last of my breath to wheeze “Take!” Blood from my skinned elbows leaked through my shirt, and sweat dripped into my eyes when I realized I simply couldn’t climb anymore. The route was the classic 5.9 offwidth Chrysler Crack in Red Rock, Nevada, and I was stuck. I wasn’t lacking strength, or even persistence—it was

Back in mid December I took a trip over to Indian Creek and the Moab area to get crushed by as many offwidths as my body and mind could simultaneously handle. When I arrived in the land of endless cracks my perma-psych was at an all time high and I was eager to get out and climb! But unexpectedly my psych was at a level that sleeping seemed next to impossible despite being exhausted from the day's drive. So in preparation for tomorrow's offwidthing we stayed up till 4am drink