evolv Climbing

“You better bring lots of tape.”

“And don’t forget your Carharts.”

“If it’s not windy there will be tons of mosquitoes.”

“It might be windy and snowing.”

This was the type of advice we were getting as we planned and packed up for Vedauwoo for our second annual Gimps on Rock event for Paradox Sports. Known, and feared, as the offwidth capital of the world, Vedauwoo is perched on the highest point of the trans-continental railroad, smack between Cheyenne and Laramie Wyoming. Guarded at either end of I-80 by winter closure gates, this phantasmagordical playground of tumbled rock-piles and towers is known for its crystalline cracks, offwidth horror-shows and puzzling labyrinthine approaches. Move carefully or slice yourself on the sharp crystals of the exposed Sherman batholith that stretches from the Colorado/Wyoming border all the way up to Casper. Vaguely reminiscent of Joshua Tree the area is made up a jumbled rocks of a quality that J-tree aficionados can only dream of. 

Except that it makes you bleed. Sometimes a lot.

Maureen Whalley was one of the first people we called after we set the date. “Hell yeah” was her reply. “I’m getting married the next weekend and, with any luck, I’ll have some nice scabs and bruises to show off in my wedding dress.”  Okaaaay. Whatever yanks your chain, Mo. We’ll always love you. See, the thing is, Mo only has one hand. The other one, somehow, didn’t quite make it out of the womb intact. No matter, Mo has been a fixture at our Gimps on Ice events in Ouray for the last few winters and was soon to be a battle-scarred veteran of Vedauwoo. Welcome on board.

Tommy Carroll, another favorite paradox Sports Athlete, lost his leg in a fight with a motorcycle and has been hobbling around since. He doesn’t let that stop him and has been a Paradox climber since our very first event.

 Chad Butrick, wounded while training with the US Army and discharged, later lost his leg in a car accident. Vedauwoo was just going to be training for him. In October Chad was scheduled to climb Lobuche Peak in Nepal. A 20,000 foot giant that towers over the glaciers around Namche Bazar. (Note: Chad summitted Lobuche on October 14, 2010)

And finally, Jeff Lowe, if not the world’s best alpinist, one of the top three in the world. At least until he was struck down by a weird affliction with symptoms similar to MS or ALS. The docs don’t really know for sure what it is, but Jeff can barely walk and mostly gets around in a powered chair. That doesn’t stop him from hanging out with the crew, joining in on the stories and lies and generally participating in, if not instigating a lot of the mayhem which always seems to follow the gimps around.

We were also luck to have a group of dedicated volunteers, family and friends to hang the ropes, help with camp and dinner and make pictures. I think there were 25 pople in all. What a pack.

We were there to climb, so on Saturday morning, after a hearty breakfast of pancakes, eggs and bacon in the campground, we set off to the Walt’s Wall and Fall Wall areas. And promptly got lost. Well, not quite lost. We got split into two groups and didn’t catch up until we were back at camp. Half the group, including Tommy and Mo climbed over at Walt’s Wall, while the other half climbed the routes on the Coldfinger slabs. Lots of successes, some falls and just enough blood to satisfy Mo’s need to bleed.

Dinner that night was a festive affair with lots of swag doled out and raffled off. Many thanks to Ospry Packs for their donations and Evolv Shoes for the hook-ups. Evolv also loaned us an entire demo kit so we could all try out the latest climbing shoes.

Sunday morning was slow, as Sunday mornings after Saturday nights tend to be, but after a hearty dutch oven pile of eggs, sausage, potatoes, cheese and coffee. We all managed to head over to the Ames Monument for a mass assault. This pyramid marks the highest point of the original transcontinental railroad and wherever you climb, it’s 5.6. All the gimps made it to the summit along with a handful of the volunteers for the summit shot.

What a weekend it was!

The Paradox Crew on top of the Aimes Monument, just outside of Vedauwoo

So… It’s been a while since I updated the blog! My apologies… But better late than never in my opinion.

Since my last post, lots has happened! The Outdoor Retailer Trade Show (I think I remember some of it), a few days in Vedauwoo (the outcomes of this trip were scars from shoving ourselves in stupidly wide cracks, mice that thought they owned Eva, and a two inch laceration on my finger), lots of driving through Montana, Idaho, and Washington, and a couple of great weekends of climbing!

To start things out, we ended up going bouldering in Little Cottonwood Canyon before OR. It was about 100 degrees. Needless to say, climbing didn’t last very long and resulted in us drinking beer by the pool, which turned into general shenanigans (involving random objects and climbing/falling over a couple of fences) till about four o’clock in the AM. 

The next morning, whether we liked it or not, we had to assemble the evolv booth. The awesome part about this was that we didn’t have any instructions, and only one person out of our group had put it together before. So after scratching our heads and looking lost for about 3 hours, this is what we had come up with:

A good start, right?! Yeah… Not so much! It only took eight more hours to figure out the rest of the booth. Don’t worry, this is pretty standard operating procedure for booth set-up. A huge thanks to the set up team!

After assembling the booth and decompressing for a bit, we migrated back to the hotel where I proceeded to get into a fight with a couple of bottle caps

If you ever wanted to know what happens to your stomach/shoulder when a projectile (the bottle cap) is moving at a rapid rate of speed (FAST!!!) and makes contact with skin (upper right stomach and right shoulder), look closely at the above shot… Don’t let the face fool you, I was in a state of shock and it actually produced bruises the next day.

After the show, I headed East to Vedauwoo, WY. If you have ever climbed off-width, this is the Yosemite of off-widths; beautiful large grain granite with thousands of 4”-to-WIDE cracks (and a fair number of thinner, but still a ton of fun and more enjoyable, lines).

I’ve been coming to Vedauwoo for about 20 years now, and each time I leave bloodied, bruised and feeling totally taken advantage of, but for some reason I keep coming back. There’s something about shoving your arm, shoulder deep into a crack, grunting your way up the rock, that draws me here. It is truly an awesome feeling when you are racked up with nothing smaller than a #5, and an even better one when you flop, like a beached whale, onto the top of these climbs, panting, groaning, and writhing in pain.

With the grunt-fest out of the way, it was time to crawl back to camp, lick our oozing hands, and delve into a bottle of JD

After we finished reminiscing our exploits of the day, we discovered that a posse of mice had taken over Eva… I have no clue how these mice entered the van, seeing that there is a 15” gap between the door and the ground, but our only conclusion that made sense, at the time, was that these were specially trained Ninja Mice that were able to use advanced jumping techniques that us humans can’t even fathom. After much discussion, we decided to do the in-humane thing and set 4 mouse traps around each wheel. By the end of the night, we had heard and cleared 15 snaps of the traps.

We repeated the process of the day a few more days. On the last day, I managed to slice the inside of my middle finger while removing a tape glove. Needless to say, I felt like an idiot and total amateur. This has resulted in me not climbing for almost three weeks while I passed some of the best rock in Montana and Idaho! Fortunately, I am made of flesh and bone, and both of these things heal… for the most part!

I spent a weekend at Banks Lake, WA with the Mountain Gear crew. It was a great reintroduction to climbing…pure granite slab awesomeness!

So now I am up in Ririe, ID hanging out with one of our athletes, Dean Lords, and his wonderful wife, Heather. He has consecutively kicked my A$$ two days in a row on fantastic tuff bouldering and steep limestone sport routes.

And the phenomenal crag dog, Tessie!

Anywho, that’s all I’ve got for now!

To make a long story short I decided to have my leg cut off 5 years ago right after my high school graduation. I had always been an adventurous and athletic but after years of pain and problems due to a congenital deformity I decided I had had enough. Soccer was my passion before my amputation, but I was dismayed by the fact that amputee soccer was played on crutches. I left soccer in my past as a series of happy but distant memories.

Everything was really going great in my life at the time, I went off to college, had a great time with friends but for a couple of years my life lacked the passion and enjoyment that soccer had brought to my life. By chance I was sitting in my prosthetist’s office reading an amputee magazine when I came across an ad for the Extremity Games, essentially an amputee X-Games. I scanned through the list of events and saw rock climbing. I started training to compete in the games and have been hooked on climbing ever since.

Climbing restored everything that I had lost in my life. It renewed that sense of passion that I had lost when I decided to stop playing soccer and filled the void that I felt in my life when I lost my leg. Climbing has shown me that I can accomplish anything that I put my mind to with a little hard work and determination. Climbing has taught me that sometimes the answers to a problem just require a little out of the box thinking. It is different for everyone and one of the most liberating things about the sport was the fact that there was no set way to make it up the top of a route. The rock is the canvas and it is up to each of us how we make it to the top. I have become a better prosthetic user because of climbing, all the hiking has really taught me how to use my prosthetic leg to my full potential.

This summer I have been lucky enough to have the opportunity to share my passion for climbing with other persons with disabilities. Climbing is a very accessible sport for persons with disabilities. Reaching the top of the wall for the first time is a huge accomplishment for anybody. It can help increase a person’s confidence and even if it is something they choose to pursue further in the future or if it is the only time they ever will climb it is one more thing that participants can add to their list of accomplishments. 

Back in October of 2009 my friend, Jacquelyn Farris, had contacted me wanting to recruit me to help her host an adaptive climbing clinic as part of the Endeavor games in Oklahoma City, OK. Since climbing is my passion I immediately volunteered to help. The Endeavor Games is a really cool event revolving around several paralympic sports including track and field, weightlifting, swimming and cycling among other sports. It attracts amputees and persons with disabilities from around the country to come break down their personal barriers and meet others in their sport. The adaptive climbing clinic, hosted at Rock Town Climbing Gym, was a huge success where we were able to introduce 18 persons with disabilities including Cerebral Palsy, Spina Bifida, and various amputation levels etc. to climbing. It was inspiring as every participant made it to the top of the wall and came down with a huge smile on their face and a proud sense of accomplishment.

To finish off the summer I attended Amputee Coalition of America Youth Camp as a camp counselor. It was probably one of the coolest events I have ever been a part of. There was a huge turnout this year with 100 campers ranging from ages 10-17 attending with the farthest coming all the way from Tunisia. I was really excited to be able to host several adaptive climbing clinics at this event also. The clinics fit right in with the camp’s mission of making a difference in the lives of children with limb loss and limb difference by increasing their self-confidence and self-esteem through a traditional and supportive summer camp experience. In my five years as an amputee I have had a lot of different experiences that I could share with the kids, but for as much as I had to give I received even more. Seeing some of the obstacles some of the campers have overcome and their determination to succeed is really inspiring. 

It has always been my belief that climbing is a very accessible sport for persons with disabilities and the clinics I was a part of this summer only reaffirmed that notion in my head. Two of the neatest moments were when a girl with no arms made it to the top of the wall at ACA youth camp and when a boy with little use of his legs because of Spina Bifida made it to the top of the wall at the Endeavor Games clinic. Anything is possible if we put our minds to it and the only boundaries that exist are the ones that we create for ourselves!

I would like to thank Evolv for all of their support in my endeavors. Without them I would not be the climber I am today. They have shown their huge support for climbers with disabilities through releasing the only prosthetic climbing foot out on the market. I look forward to continue to give back and pass on climbing to others. I am happy to announce that on April 9^th, 2011 courtesy of Athletes with Disabilities Network I will be hosting an Adaptive climbing clinic in Joshua Tree National Park for persons with disabilities. The only thing better than indoor climbing is outdoor climbing! Stay tuned for more info as the date gets closer!

Hello Blogosphere!

Here’s an update about some awesome work evolv athlete (and professional Snowboarder) Lonnie Kauk has been doing when he’s not killing it on the slopes or dispatching projects at the crags.

You’re a phenomenal athlete and a total inspiration Lonnie!!

Snowboarder Brings Positive Message to Campus <http://herd.gcu.edu/?p=2136>
Published: July 8, 2010Posted in: Featured
GCU National Tribal Liaison Manager Sandra Hicks begin_of_the_skype_highlighting     end_of_the_skype_highlighting poses with professional snowboarder Lonnie Kauk.
 

It seems crazy that a Californian would visit Phoenix in the dead of summer to talk to Native American basketball players about snowboarding.

Or does it?

In a sense, that unlikely scenario was a perfect fit for the optimistic, anything-is-possible message of 28-year-old Lonnie Kauk on Wednesday evening, July 7, at Antelope Gym on the GCU campus. The occasion was NABI Night, an event held in conjunction with the annual Native American Basketball Invitational in Phoenix.

Kauk (pronounced COWK) is a professional snowboarder who looks the part with his stringy hair, backward cap and loose-fitting clothes. But those judging him by his gear and laid-back vibe are in for a surprise.

“I put my heart and my Native spirit into all of this,” says Kauk, who is from Yosemite Valley <http://herd.gcu.edu/?p=2136> , Calif., and is of Ahwahneechee descent. “I found something I love to do, and I’m very passionate about it.

“If you’ve got Native blood and it’s pumping through you, you’ve got to be proud of that. That can take you places.”

For Kauk, some of those places are spectacular and can be seen in snowboarding films featuring him. As his NABI audience watched one short film of Kauk gliding down the face of a mountain in British Columbia, there were audible gasps of amazement at his fluid technique and athleticism.

Pro Snowboarder Lonnie Kauk signed autographs following his NABI Night presentation.

Kauk, who says he was on skis at the age of 2, dreamed of making the U.S. ski team until he took up snowboarding in his teens. For years, he worked overnight as a janitor at Mammoth Mountain <http://herd.gcu.edu/?p=2136>  so that he could be on his board during the day. He says his worst injury has been a dislocated finger.

None of this would have happened, he says, if he hadn’t found his purpose and acted on it. The odds of a Native American — or anyone — becoming a snowboarder backed by corporate endorsements are steeper than the mountains he loves.

“No matter what, I carry my Native side, the spirit that’s alive in us all,” says Kauk, who is half-Native and whose father is a rock climber. “The Native side is special. You have respect for everybody and everything.”

He acknowledges he hasn’t taken the “regular route” to a career <http://herd.gcu.edu/?p=2136> . But the perks can be out of this world.

“I’m always in beautiful places all the time, and that’s the best part of it,” says Kauk, a rock climber in the warmer months. “Anything you can put your heart into, that’s where it’s at. The second you think, ‘I just love what I do, I don’t care what anybody thinks, I just love it,’ that’s when things happen for you.

“I get to live a crazy good life, and I can’t believe it.”

Every third Wednesday of the month, Bent Gate in Golden putts on a “Community Night”.

It is a lot of fun because Bent Gate does a great job at bringing in interesting folks within the climbing community to talk about various topics.

This last Wednesday’s “Community Night” had Evolv team member, Nick Duttle giving a great slide show and informational segment on training, cross training and balance. Originally from Las Cruces New Mexico, Nick has been a fixture in the Hueco Tanks scene and is now a Colorado crusher. As a climber of 13 years, I learned quit a bit myself from Nick’s presentation. He was very informational about his training techniques and about nutrition. 

Nick giving a great presentation at Bent Gate Night.

Here is a great article on Nick I found that you may enjoy. Nick is one of the nicest and hard working climbers out there, enjoy.

Nick Duttle: American Hero

Written by Kerry Ellard   

by Kerry Ellard

When you hear that Nick Duttle is a champion rock climber who is one of only a few in the U.S. to have …

        … climbed a boulder with a V14 rating, it would be a fair assumption to think that his skill and success in this area is the most interesting and impressive thing about him.  However, once you get to know Duttle’s story more fully, you realize that his success as a rock climber is really the pinnacle of a life of even greater challenges and triumphs. 

Duttle says he his perseverant personality is why he likes climbing, and from the time of his birth in Las Cruces, New Mexico, in 1981, it was clear that he would need tremendous inner strength in order to just survive, let alone thrive as he has.  He was born with Hypohydrotic Ecodermal Dysplasia, a genetic condition that affects the development of many bodily structures, such as skin and hair, and in Duttle’s case impeded the development of his sweat glands, which was especially dangerous because he grew up in the desert, and as a result experienced heat-induced seizures and other health problems. He faced social discrimination due to his sparse hair and other physical issues, but Nick never let such issues hold him back, instead choosing to focus on his positive attributes. Nick’s optimistic and driven personality and natural athleticism allowed him to overcome these difficulties and participate in activities like soccer, which allowed him to develop ways to get around his condition, such as dumping ice water over himself during games to simulate sweating.

Nick’s athletic skill and work ethic made him a standout competitive runner from 6th grade on, and he took part in Junior Olympic track events until he suffered a severe injury to his ACL at age 15 while playing soccer.  He was unable to pay for the surgery or continue competitively participating in soccer and track, but still he did not give up.  Instead, Duttle was amazingly able to rehabilitate himself through swimming, hiking, and cycling, and moved on to excel at a new sport: rock climbing. 

Initially, it was hard for Duttle to even hold on to the rocks, because his lack of sweat meant it was impossible to achieve the necessary friction.  But after attempting to climb immediately after swimming, he learned that if he applies moisture to his hands before climbing, it allows him to grip more easily, and, combined with his skill and strength, allowed him to succeed at boulder climbing. He was able to climb a V14 rated boulder, which is a world class level “only thought to be achievable by climbing
legends”.  Despite these accomplishments, the “legend,” as he has been referred to, has not lost the desire to challenge himself, and has branched out even further into sport climbing,

Duttle is skilled in more than just the athletic world, having graduated from New MexicoState University with a bachelors of science in Geography and a minor in Mathematics in 2006.  He hopes to climb 5.15.c or harder despite his struggle to balance work and climbing and his ongoing health problems, including continuously deteriorating vision due to his Hypohydrotic Ecodermal Dysplasia.  However, with all Duttle has overcome and accomplished so far, it is clear that nothing will hold him back if he can help it, and it is only a matter of time before he moves on to his next achievement.  As he humorously puts it, “I hope to inspire but I just can’t perspire,” and he’s definitely an inspiration.  

NOTE: Nick Duttle is represented by nationally prominent attorney David C. Grossack.  To learn more about Nick, please contact Attorney Grossack at dcg3@ix.netcom.com 

Here is a video of Nick crushing Esperanza V14 in Hueco Tanks.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kgDnNAxM_Zo

 Hey all, this is EZ, the Rocky Mountain sales rep and  I just got home from my rounds around Wyoming and my first WICF event.

Wyoming is one of the most beautiful places I have ever been to. I made my way up to Jackson Hole to say hello to our retailers and climbing gyms on my way to Lander.  One of our retailers, Teton Mountaineering, http://www.tetonmountaineering.com/,  is situated dead center of Jackson Hole and has everything you could ever need for your outdoor adventures.

Enloseure,  http://www.enclosureclimbing.com/,  is a beast of a climbing gym that is located just outside of town on your way up from I-80. Not only do they have tons of steep terrain, but they also have a really great retail shop that carries many Evolv models. I was bummed to have to leave Jackson Hole, but I had to get to the WICF and represent.

The Grand Tetons.

Teton Mountaineering’s main man Neil Starrett.

Enclosure’s owner, Randall Townsand.

Lander Wyoming is situated right below Sinks Canyon,  one of many world class climbing destinations in the Lander area  and is home to the Wyoming International Climber’s Festival. http://climbersfestival.org/

The town has a great vibe with super friendly locals that are very accomidating and strong as shit. The local mountain shop is Wild Iris Mountain Sports,  http://www.wildirisclimbing.com/, and is located right on Main St. Just outside of town to the south is Wild Iris,  also a world famous limestone crag that boasts 100’s of super fun and inspiring routes.

Brian Rhodes warming up at Wild Iris Wyoming.

The 17th International Climber’s Festival was in full swing this last weekend and Evolv was there to represent. Ryan Arment busted his ass running this awsome event and is a wicked climber in his own rite. There were parties, pull up contests, arm wrestling contests, clinics, demos, slide shows, crate stacking, slack lining, dyno comps, running races, and beer of course. The Lander Brew Pub kept everyone in great spirits as the four day event unfolded.

The Evolv booth in City Park.

Vendors, vendors, vendors.

Oh yeah, the Crate Stacking contest.

Free camping in City Park.

Pretty shoes with Wild Iris in the background.

The ever hard working Ryan Arment.

The watering hole.

Laif in the Dyno comp.

5.10’s very own Ronnie Jenkins gettin some.

Bikers in Wyoming love watching dyno comps.

Ryan Arment getting his dance on!

Free camping in Wild Iris.

Evolv team member, Brian Rhodes gettin his Wyoming on.

Laif Gasch is one of our team members that is from Lander and has been a part of the WICF since it’s infancy.  He pretty much knows every single person in town and helped me with my first WICF, thanks Laif.

Everyone had a lot of fun and Evolv was welcomed with warm hearts and happy feet.

I look forward to having Evolv being part of the 18th WICF. until next year, happy climbing:)

Smiles from all around:)

Happy climbing from your Rocky Mountain Evolv sales rep, EZ.