Climbing Narcissist » Industry

DiGiulian Signs With Five Ten

Narc — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 21:08:37 +0000

Sasha DiGiulian ends her long relations with Mad Rock and signs with Five Ten:

I had a fabulous relationship with the people there [Mad Rock], but I came to the decision that in order to pursue my career, I had to find a shoe more compatible for my personal preferences. I found this shoe with Five Ten and I am very enthusiastic about this momentous change.

Given the year DiGiulian had and her relatioinship with Five Ten’s new parent company it’s hard to see this kind of move as a surprise.

DiGiulian Signs With Five Ten from Climbing Narcissist

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“Let Me List Some Of My Recent Accomplishments”

Narc — Wed, 28 Dec 2011 12:05:29 +0000

The then 14-year-old Chris Sharma in a 1996 letter to Prana about a potential sponsorship deal: By sponsoring me you will be getting tons of free advertisement Kind of like this post?? “Let Me List Some Of My Recent Accomplishments” from Climbing Narcissist Become a fan of ClimbingNarc.com on Facebook Related posts: What’s On Your [...]

“Let Me List Some Of My Recent Accomplishments” from Climbing Narcissist

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Final Update On Mike Lyons Case

Narc — Wed, 21 Dec 2011 14:08:37 +0000

Consider this a final update on the most unsavory story of 2011, the story of youth climbing coach Mike Lyons sexually assaulting a girl on the team he coached. Multiple outlets including The Baltimore Sun have reported that the 31-year-old Lyons pleaded guilty to one charge and faces eight years in prison after admitting to the charges against him:

Michael J. Lyons, 31, choked back tears as Howard County prosecutor Kim Oldham told Judge Louis A. Becker III that as an instructor and the former head coach of a competitive climbing team, Lyons had sex with the girl several times this year, though he knew it was wrong.

Another coach at the same gym, 20-year-old Daniel Montague, also faced charges stemming from an incident with the same girl, however he received a suspended 18 month sentence:

Judge Richard S. Bernhardt sentenced Montague to 18 months in jail, with all of that jail time suspended. Montague will be put on probation for two years, must complete 100 hours of community service, cannot have any contact with the girl and no unsupervised contact with any female under the age of 16, and is not allowed in or near any Earth Treks facility. He will not be required to register as a sex offender.

…snip…

Bernhardt said that there is no “one size fits all” approach for cases, contrasting the case against Montague with that of Michael J. Lyons, a 31-year-old Rockville man and former head climbing coach at Earth Treks. Lyons, who also worked at the Columbia facility, pleaded guilty last week to having sexual contact with a 14-year-old girl, who was the victim in both cases and has since turned 15.

Final Update On Mike Lyons Case from Climbing Narcissist

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Adidas Group To Buy Five Ten For $25 Million

Narc — Thu, 03 Nov 2011 14:35:57 +0000

It’s an interesting time for the climbing industry as companies continue to consolidate or be bought outright. Last year Black Diamond and Gregory were bought by a holding company and brought together under the Black Diamond name, while today the adidas Group is announcing that they’ve agreed to purchase my favorite climbing shoe company, Five Ten, for $25 million in cash¹.

The press release seems to indicate that Five Ten will continue to operate as a separate brand, but it will be interesting to see how things develop moving forward. What do you think??

Here’s the full press release:

Herzogenaurach / Redlands, California, November 03, 2011 – The adidas Group today announced that it has signed a share purchase agreement to acquire Five Ten, a leading performance brand in outdoor action sports. The adidas Group intends to purchase the entire Five Ten business, which includes all of the issued share capital of Five Ten USA. The total purchase price is USD 25 million in cash at closing and contingent payments, which are dependent on Five Ten achieving certain performance measures over the next three years. The transaction is expected to close in the next couple of weeks.

As part of its Strategic Business Plan Route 2015, the adidas Group expects sales in the outdoor segment to exceed € 500 million by 2015 based on organic growth. Through the acquisition of Five Ten, the adidas Group will be even better positioned towards the goal to become a leading player in the outdoor market.

“We are very excited to join forces with Five Ten. Five Ten is a leading brand in the technical outdoor market and within the outdoor action sport community. Climbers, mountain bikers and other outdoor athletes around the world highly value their products,” said Rolf Reinschmidt, Senior Vice President adidas Outdoor. “Five Ten has continuously been at the forefront of innovations and shares the same passion for athletes as we do at adidas. It represents an excellent addition to the adidas Outdoor portfolio and will allow us to expand into complementary market segments. This acquisition underscores our clear commitment to the outdoors and our ambition to play a leading role in the outdoor industry going forward. I am very much looking forward to working on this journey together with Charles Cole, Founder and President of Five Ten.”

“The deal provides exciting prospects for Five Ten. Supported by the adidas Group, we can finally reach the full potential that the ‘Brand of the Brave’ has to offer,” commented Charles Cole, Founder and President of Five Ten. “Here at Five Ten, we like the philosophy of adidas’ founder Adi Dassler, with his focus on product quality and in doing whatever is necessary to give the athlete the advantage. adidas has the same principles of putting athletes and performance first that have guided Five Ten for nearly 30 years and we are thrilled to be partnering with them.”

Five Ten has been at the forefront of innovation in the technical outdoor market since the day Stealth, a revolutionary high-friction rubber compound, was created in 1985. Today, the Stealth product family includes more than half a dozen award-winning compounds that provide the highest friction to athletes in various conditions. The Five Ten Elite Team consists of some of the world’s most exciting athletes such as Dean Potter, National Geographic’s 2011 athlete of the year, JT Holmes, champion big-mountain skier and Suz Graham, the most versatile and progressive female action sports athlete in the world.

adidas is the athletic brand in the outdoors. It has a long history in innovative outdoor products including highlights such as the ‘Super Trekking’, the first light trekking shoe, being worn by climbing legend Reinhold Messner for his first Everest ascent without oxygen support in 1978. Its award-winning TERREX collection offers lightweight, technical equipment to athletes in the outdoors. The tradition of adidas founder Adi Dassler, who worked individually with athletes to make them better, continues today. adidas Outdoor has teamed up with top outdoor athletes like the Huber Brothers (Climbing, Germany), Beat Kammerlander (Climbing, Austria) and Barbara Zangerl (Climbing, Austria) as well as prestigious organizations such as Zermatt Alpin Center (Switzerland) and Ragni di Lecco (Italy).

About the adidas Group
The adidas Group is one of the global leaders within the sporting goods industry, offering a broad range of products around the core brands: adidas, Reebok, TaylorMade, Rockport and Reebok-CCM Hockey. Headquartered in Herzogenaurach, Germany, the Group has more than 46,000 employees and generated sales of € 12 billion in 2010.

About Five Ten
Five Ten is a family-owned company that is dedicated to making the best outdoor sports footwear available. It offers innovative products to athletes in categories such as climbing and mountain biking. Five Ten was founded by Charles Cole in 1985, is located in Redlands, California and employs 37 people. In 2011, annual net sales are expected to be approximately € 16 million excluding distributor business in Japan and Korea.

Update: Not mentioned in the press release is Five Ten’s intention to maintain production of their rock shoes and a few other products in the U.S.. They will also apparently be trying to bring other production back here as well.

Maybe now they can afford to waste some money and bring back the original V10s?????? ↩

Adidas Group To Buy Five Ten For $25 Million from Climbing Narcissist

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AAC Launches New Guidebook Finder Tool

Narc — Mon, 19 Sep 2011 13:25:54 +0000

The American Alpine Club has been making a big push of late to expand their membership with a specific focus on getting more rock climbers to join. I’ve personally been on the fence about joining, but new features like their recently launched Guidebook Finder tool may help put me over the edge.

The Guidebook Finder is one more way the AAC is implementing goals set in its Five Year Strategic Plan, announced in February. One goal of the Plan is to provide tools that give climbers better access to climbing information and Library assets. The Guidebook Finder is a next step in expanding digital access to the world-class AAC Library.

The new tool gives Members an easy way to find, reserve, and check out over 600 guidebooks to 200 different climbing areas in the United States. Guidebooks (or other collection items) are mailed to AAC Members for free—up to ten books and five DVDs at a time.

While not an exhaustive collection, the AAC’s library does have a pretty wide selection of books, and the new Guidebook Finder tool is a great way peruse and check out books. If you find yourself travelling to a lot of different climbing areas and you don’t want to have to buy a book for each area, this benefit alone could make joining the AAC worth the money.

New Guidebook Finder tool from the American Alpine Club

AAC Launches New Guidebook Finder Tool from Climbing Narcissist

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News & Notes – 8/17/2011

Narc — Wed, 17 Aug 2011 13:31:47 +0000

News…

Jorg Verhoeven had a good week recently redpointing Hades (5.14d) at the “God Wall” in Nassereith, Austria and sending The Never Ending Story (V14, although V13 is getting mentioned a lot these days) in Magic Wood, Switzerland.
Adam Pustelnik and Nico Favresse teamed up to make the first repeat of the much-hyped multi-pitch Orbayu on the Naranjo de Bulnes formation in Picos de Europa, Spain. The climb was first done in 2009 by the Pou brother Eneko and Iker with difficulties suggested up to 5.14c/d. In this report on Black Diamond’s website Favresse and Pustelnik confirm the quality of the line but humbly suggest that most of the pitches felt easier with difficulties “only” up to 5.14a or b. Best wishes to Pustelnik as he was badly injured in a ground-fall attempting a new route after the Orbayu ascent.
According to her 8a scorecard Audrey Sniezek redpointed her first 5.13d in Porn Star at Washington’s Little Si.
I had to double-check my calendar to make sure it wasn’t April Fool’s Day after Jonathan Siegrist posted some pictures of a huge swoop of blue limestone south of Salt Lake City called The Hoop. That rock can’t be in American can it? Apparently it is, and Siegrist had made the trip there to do some work on a video project for Arc’teryx. Like a true professional he managed to throw down a repeat of Chris Sharma’s “savage, delicate and powerful” Moose Licks (5.14b) after four tries.
Sasha DiGiulian blogs about her win at the European Youth Cup in Imst, Austria.
Since breaking his back in a fall in Rifle last summer Josh Wharton won the 2011 Ouray Mixed Climbing comp, enchained three summits in Patagonia and now he’s done the FFA of the Dunn-Westbay route on the iconic Diamond of Longs Peak:

On the day of the free ascent I stumble and fall, and generally epic before sending the crux pitch on my third try of the day. Above, I fall again, cramping and fighting wet rock on numerous sections of tricky 5.12. The rope gets pulled and I manage to put it all together for the first free ascent. I’m tired for a week.

…and Notes

The Access Fund is looking for your feedback on a series of grant proposals
The 2011 Bouldering World Cup wraps up this weekend in Munich, Germany. Scheduled to compete for Team America will be Daniel Woods, Alex Puccio, Courtney Sanders, Sasha DiGiulian and Audrey Sniezek. Watch the comp live starting Friday at IFSC.tv.
Speaking of amazing looking rock
The Outdoor Retailer Trade show has come and gone. I don’t know if I’ve just been conditioned by my overlord Steve Jobs to want to run out and buy new products the second I see them or what, but I find the product cycles of the outdoor industry to be a bit frustrating. Some interesting products are being unveiled but it seems like you are lucky if they are actually released within 12 months of being unveiled. That said, for an overview of some products you might see at some point in the future check out the OR recap from Splitter Choss as well as part 1 and part 2 of DPM’s coverage.
Today is the last day to enter for a chance to win a free download of Better Than Chocoloate
On Saturday, August 27th the Rifle Climbers’ Coalition will be putting on the 2011 Rifle Rendez-S.P.E.W in conjuction with the annual clean-up day. More on how you can compete in the elaborately thought out game of S.P.E.W. here.

In southern California? Head out to Carlsbad to meet Steph Davis and Chris Sharma tonight at the SoCal premier of Chuck Fryberger’s latest movie, The Scene.

Comping up September 2-5 is the Skaha Climbing Festival in Penticton, BC, Canada. The event will have the usual array of clinics, competitions, gear demos and appearances by Will Stanhope and Beth Rodden.

News & Notes – 8/17/2011 from Climbing Narcissist

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PCI Pro Clinic Series

Narc — Tue, 16 Aug 2011 11:51:25 +0000

Earlier this year I announced a partnership with PCI that was met with decidedly mixed reviews. While that partnership is still developing (perhaps a bit slower than expected), PCI is continuing to evolve and better define their mission. In this guest post from PCI founder Kevin Jorgeson he shares a bit more on PCI’s mission as well as their developing Pro Clinic series.

Back in January, we unveiled a non-profit we had spent 1.5 years building, Pro Climbers International (PCI). Anyone who has ever tackled a large writing task, business idea, or climbing project can relate to the process of turning the intangible into something real. PCI is a living, breathing, growing organization. Our mission and programs continue to crystallize and materialize. With that said, I’m proud to share a video we created in collaboration with Louder Than 11:

PCI works in three core areas: Athletes, Community and Environment. Each area has its own set of programs. However, I believe our most meaningful programs emerge when these core areas intersect. The PCI Pro Clinic Series is born from our talented athletes working with the broader climbing community.

PCI’s Pro Clinic Series is a one-of-a-kind instructional tour, connecting the sport’s most inspiring athletes with the next generation of climbers. Each event features three PCI athletes working for a weekend of youth clinics, adult lessons, product demos, posters signings, raffles and slideshows. The goal is to share our passion, plain and simple.

Our first clinic is being held in Portland, OR at The Circuit on September 17 and 18th. This is the first of three clinics in Portland, all centered around the ABS schedule. This ensures the youth climbers of the Pacific Northwest will be as prepared as possible for ABS Nationals in February! These events are not just for the kids. We also offer adult lessons in small groups of 4 with each athlete. To top it off, we are giving free slideshows for those who couldn’t make it to the clinics. We will raffle off some great prizes from each of the athlete’s sponsors and give all the money raised to the Access Fund!

PCI’s membership base is growing and now includes Tommy Caldwell, Sasha DiGiulian, Thomasina Pidgeon, Daniel Woods, Alex Johnson, Alex Honnold, Lynn Hill, Alex Puccio, Carlo Traversi, Ethan Pringle, Mayan Smith-Gobat, Chris Webb-Parsons, Paul Robinson, and more.

All of the above members have expressed interest in teaching these clinics. Our goal is to host 30 events in 2012, but the larger question is, are you interested?

Note: There is a poll embedded within this post, please visit the site to participate in this post's poll.

If you have any questions or are interested in booking a PCI Pro Clinic in your home gym, please contact me at kevin@proclimbers.com.

Thanks!

Kevin Jorgeson

PCI Pro Clinic Series from Climbing Narcissist

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News & Notes – 8/3/2011

Narc — Wed, 03 Aug 2011 13:33:06 +0000

A few lingering pieces of News & Notes left over from my recent vacation…

News…

Jonathan Siegrist had a pretty productive month of July. On a trip to Ten Sleep, WY he managed to send 2 5.14a’s on his first try, gave the featured presentation at the International Climber’s Festival in Lander, WY, did the first repeat of Ben Gilkinson’s Wide World Of Fitness (suggests 5.14b) at Little Si, WA and made quick work of A.D.A.T.O. (5.14b) at Vancouver Island near Squamish.
Sonnie Trotter checks in with Black Diamond to report on some new route efforts he and Tommy Caldwell did in the Canandian Rockies.
Nick Duttle has made a rare repeat of Tommy Caldwell’s Grand Ol’ Opry (5.14b) at the Monastery. Commenting on his 8a scorecard he confirms the difficulty of this route that was originally given a grade of 5.14a:

This is a true technical test piece. By far the hardest line I have sent on granite. 8c+ is a grade that falls on easier lines than this one… Respect to the 4 prior ascents!

Not done, Duttle then made the trek to RMNP’s Upper Chaos to repeat Wildcat (V12) for an impressive double dip. Climbing a 5.14 sport climb and a double-digit boulder problem in the same day is something that I can’t imagine has been done by too many.
One of England’s first 5.14d’s, Big Bang, sees its first repeat at the hands of James McHaffie
Bernd Zangerl adds two new problems in Rocklands, South Africa

And Notes…

For decades, rock climbing was a sport about reaching places thousands of feet off the ground. These climbs can take days and require sleeping up on the rock. Spectators watch with binoculars below. Pinning ropes to the rock along the way is a necessary safeguard, and learning how to climb with a rope is a lengthy undertaking that long kept the sport on the fringe.

But in recent years, another, younger type of climbing — called bouldering — has opened the sport to a far wider group of participants and spectators. Bouldering requires no ropes because it centers on short climbs, usually up to 18 feet and lasting no more than five minutes. It is easier in many places to find a low rock to climb than it is to find a giant cliff.

And it is easier to watch friends, or professionals, when they are right in front of you.

The AAI’s blog details the continuing threat of development faced by Red Rock Canyon outside Las Vegas
Would you be willing to drive 3 hours, take a 5 mile boat ride and then gain 2500 ft. in elevation over 9 miles of hiking to go bouldering? These guys were…and the boulders do look pretty amazing.
Look for several of Five Ten’s athletes, including Sonnie Trotter, Carlo Traversi and Kevin Jorgeson, to appear in an upcoming web series from the Discover Channel featuring Bear Grylls.
The Outdoor Retailer Trade Show starts tomorrow (no, I’m not going), and Splitter Choss gives a little preview of some of the gear they’ve been using this summer.
Unfortunately, the annual climbing competition that usually accompanies the summer Trade Show was cancelled. More on that tomorrow. Hopefully.
These new Gipsy “frictional anchor systems” are crazy looking
Sasha DiGiulian, Sean McColl, Alex Puccio and Gareth Parry join the IFSC’s Athletes Commission
Abbey Smith looks at the history of bouldering at RMNP and Mt. Evans:

In the fall of 1998, world-class climber Tommy Caldwell hit upon another prime bouldering spot in the park. Chaos Canyon’s gigantic field of blocky and swirly gneiss surrounding Lake Haiyaha, which sits at 10,219 feet.

“Chaos was the freaking mother lode,” says Caldwell, an Estes Park local. “For me it was like winning the lottery.”

News & Notes – 8/3/2011 from Climbing Narcissist

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Access Fund, Jeep Team Up For National Conservation Team & New Access Fund Smartphone App

Narc — Mon, 01 Aug 2011 14:32:11 +0000

A couple of interesting tidbits from the Access Fund during the past few weeks.

First, the Access Fund has teamed up with Jeep, with support from REI, Outdoor Research, and CLIF BAR, to launch their Access Fund-Jeep Conservation Team:

The Access Fund-Jeep Conservation Team will employ two full-time conservation and trail building experts who will travel the country in a new 2011 Jeep Patriot to help maintain climbing areas throughout the United States. The team will work with local climbers to address conservation needs and will provide training on planning and stewardship best practices. Look for the team to hit the road later this summer.

This new program will extend the success of the Access Fund’s existing Adopt a Crag and TeamWorks stewardship programs that help local climbers around the country take care of the places they play. The Access Fund-Jeep Conservation Team will provide climbing communities and volunteers with the training and resources they need to address conservation issues before they become dire.

Visit the Access Fund’s website for more details on the job and to find out how you can apply. Applications are due by August 8th.

Second, the Access Fund also recently launched a new smartphone app for iOS and Android devices that aggregates various climbing news feeds, including this site, into one convenient app. The app will also be used to push out various access alerts. Here are a few screen shots from the iOS version:

Access Fund, Jeep Team Up For National Conservation Team & New Access Fund Smartphone App from Climbing Narcissist

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CCH Alien Cams Are Coming Back

Narc — Wed, 20 Jul 2011 15:10:54 +0000

I imagine this news might make some of you react like New York Yankee’s radio announcer Suzyn Waldman did when Roger Clemens returned, but please try to restrain yourself. Yes, after a hiatus that came about due to the unfortunate passing of creator David Wagoneer, the CCH Alien cams are coming back.

The news was first reported on Spanish language website Barrabes (via Google translator):

The guidelines David Wagoneer, inventor of the Aliens, left his widow before she died were clear: the company to continue with making the aliens would have to be of medium size, would have to continue with the name, the same philosophy and he performed precise manufacturing, including machinery and raw materials. Finally, after 1 ½ years of negotiations, Fixe-Faders has obtained the patent, the machinery and all the knowledge transmitted and begins manufacturing.

Fixe-Faders will be rolling out the Blue, Green, Yellow, Gray and Red cams to the international market this September. No word yet on the cost.

CCH Alien Cams Are Coming Back from Climbing Narcissist

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