One of the trends in the online climbing world that’s gaining popularity is the self-filmed expedition report. While quality photographs of alpine expeditions make for great eye candy, they struggle to capture the full scope of what it’s like to be in the mountains. Fortunately for those of us stuck sitting at a desk climbers are more and more willing to carry a camcorder (increasingly HD to boot) in order to chronicle their trip for sponsors and/or general public enjoyment.
One recent expedition to share a window into their experience was that of Jason Kruk, Will Stanhope and Matt Segal. Reporting on his blog, Kruk recounts their successful expedition to free routes in Canada’s Bugaboo Mountains. Capitalizing on dry conditions, the trio successfully freed an old aid route called Chocolate Fudge Brownie at 5.12+ as well as a route called Sendero Norte, also at 5.12+.
The North Vancouver/ Miami variation to Chocolate Fudge Brownie – Photo: Jason Kruk
Here is a video the team put together while working their way up CFB:
Another expedition to share their story via video is that of Zack Smith and Renan Ozturk. The pair recently made a trip to Alaska’s Ruth Gorge where they were thwarted attempting a big link-up. Despite not achieving their main objective, the pair brought back some amazing HD footage of what it’s like to be in Alaska pushing ones limits. Also worth reading is their report on Black Diamond’s website where they speak to the difficulty of returning to the mountains after the tragic passing of their 3 friends earlier this year.
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