USA OLYMPIC TEAM

SPORT CLIMBING

Brooke Raboutou, 18, Nathaniel Coleman, 23, and Kyra Condie, 23, earned a spot at the 2020 Summer Olympic Games in Tokyo, Japan. They will be representing the United States for the first time. And to everyone's surprise, Margo Hayes, Ashima Shiraishi, and Sean Bailey (all accomplished 5.15 climbers) failed to qualify.  However, Bailey will get another shot at the PanAmerican Olympic Qualifying Competition at Sender One in Los Angeles (February 27-March 1, 2020), but he will be facing stiff competition.  Only the winner goes and there's no guarantee the winner will be an American.  Continue reading...

FEATURED PODCAST

Also available on Apple Podcast

With the 2020 Olympics rapidly approaching with the introduction of Climbing, there's a lot of questions as to how the athletes will be chosen.  There's a concern many of the world's best climbers could get eliminated because they fail to compete at a high enough level in the other two disciplines.  How is that possible?  What is the format?  For the low down, I asked John Burgman with Climbing Magazine to break it down so we can wrap our heads around it.  

SURFING

SURFING legend Kelly Slater failed to qualify for the 2020 Summer Olympic Games at Tokyo, Japan, despite being heavily favored. However, John John Florence, 27, from Hawaii, clinched the last remaining spot, joining California’s Kolohe Andino, 25, for the USA men’s team.  While four-time World Champion Carissa Moore, 27, from Honolulu, Hawaii, and Caroline Marks, 17, the youngest surfer ever to qualify for the women’s Championship Tour, each clinched a spot for women’s squad, completing Team USA’s allotment. 

Worth noting, prior to the last qualifying competition, there was speculation as to whether Florence would be able to compete due to a torn ACL.  According to numerous sources, Florence was unable to stand on his board the month before, but to everyone's surprise, John John came roaring back and clinched his spot in history!  

John John Florence Surf Film Highlights 2011-2019.  

SKATEBOARDING

SKATEBOARDING World Champion Nyjah Huston along with superstar Tom Schaar qualified for a spot to compete in the Tokyo, Japan 2020 Olympic Games. With two divisions to fill (Park & Street), skateboarders were selected based on their specialty.

The Women's USA team in Park Skateboarding will be Jordyn Barratt, Bryce Wettstein, Brighton Zeuner, and Nicole Hause.  While the Women's USA team in Street Skateboarding will be Mariah Duran, Jenn Soto, Alexis Sablone, and Lacey Baker.

Representing the USA Men’s Street Skateboarding will be Louie Lopez, Jagger Eaton, Chris Joslin, and Nyjah Huston, while the USA Men’s Park Skateboarding team will be: Alex Sorgente, Tristan Rennie, Tom Schaar, and Zion Wright.  More info coming soon.  

The 2020 SKATEBOARDING Olympics EXPLAINED.   This is an excellent video for those wanting to know the rules of the game. Josh Friedberg, who started skating shortly after the 1984 LA Games, explains the history behind this historic occasion and how skaters can qualify to represent their countries

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TRAGEDY STRIKES 

11.27.2019. 

BRAD GOBRIGHT

FREE SOLIST, Brad Gobright, 31, was killed in a simul-rappelling accident in El Potrero Chico, Mexico.  Simul-rappelling is when two climbers descend the same rope on opposite strands that are fed through a rappel anchor.  This technique is rarely used for safety reasons.  A lot can go wrong and it must be done correctly or disaster can happen.  1) the rope should be centered with equal lengths 2) a knot should be tied into either end to prevent rappelling off.  But they didn't adhere either of these rules.  

When the news broke that Brad Gobright was dead, many in the climbing community were deeply saddened, but at the same time, most were not surprised.  Brad was a risk-taker and was willing to accept the consequences.  He just didn't think he would go that way.  And neither did his partner, Aidan Jacobson, 26, from Phoenix, Arizona, who survived.

“My first thought was that some anchor bolts had blown.  

I was worried I was going to get pulled off the edge by Brad, so I grabbed onto a rock and held on tight for 30 seconds.”

FEATURED PODCAST

Also available on Apple Podcast

BRAD GOBRIGHT & JIM REYNOLDS

THE BIG WALL SPEED CLIMBERS

PASTRANA TRIPLICATES!

Repeats Three of Evel Knievel's Greatest Jumps

“It’s such an honor to live a day in Evel's footsteps, and literally his boots. 

There's not a better showman that's ever happened in the sports action industry like Evel Knievel!" 

LAS VEGAS - Travis Pastrana has done what no man has ever done before, including Evel Knievel.  Dressed in a similar red, white and blue costume, Pastrana launched 143 feet in his Indian Scout FTR750 - to clear 52 crushed cars on his first jump.  Then shot 192 feet over 16 Greyhound buses for his second jump.   And concluded by jumping 149 feet to clear the fountains at Caesars Palace, the legendary jump that nearly killed the late Evel Knievel. 

IN THE NEWS: 

ETHAN PRINGLE Send THE NEST V15

JIMMY WEBB

Send Lake Tahoe's First V15

"More than 50 days of effort, hundreds of miles of hiking, hundreds of hours spent at this boulder, thousands of tries, and it was all over in a minute."

Ethan Pringle

Watch Jimmy Webb send Lake Tahoe, California, hardest lines with four first ascents, including The Outer Limits, Tahoe's first V15 boulder problem.

NINA WILLIAMS

FFA of Ray of Light V13

WATCH Nina Williams make the first female ascent of Ray of Light (V13) in Rocklands, South Africa.

EDU MARIN

Sends Odyn's Crack 9a+/5.15a

WATCH Edu Marin send the fifth pitch of Valhalla in Getu, China. The full route ascends one side of Getu Arch, climbs across the roof, and then tops out on the other side.

ADAM ONDRA

Sends Underground Dreaming (5.15a/9a+)

WATCH Adam Ondra made the FA of Underground Dreaming, a link-up of Underground (5.14d/9a) into Pure Dreaming (5.14d/9a). 

ALEX MEGOS

Sends Perfecto Mundo (5.15c/9b+) FA

Watch ALEX MEGOS spent three weeks working on a route that had been originally bolted by the legendary Chris Sharma (see profile page) .

MARGO HAYES

RAW FOOTAGE: FFA Biographie 

   WATCH

Margo Hayes make history by redpointing Biographie, which was first established by Chris Sharma, back in 1981,  See film below.

Daniel Woods & Paul Robinson

 Bouldering in Joe's Valley

Daniel Wood & Paul Robinson, take us a journey to one of America's best bouldering areas known as Joe's Valley.  Despite the frigid temperatures,  they were able to send some extraordinarilly hard lines.  

Heather Weidner

First Female Ascent of China Doll

Oriane Bertone

Heather Weidner, just captured the first female ascent of China Doll, becoming the fourth women to climb a 5.14 trad route.  Watch this incredible story by Louder Than Eleven, as Heather battles her demons.

Oriane Bertone, 12 years old, just sent an 8b, sending shockwaves around the globe. 

 Sends Psuchopad 8b

Nalle Hukkataival

Sends  The Finish Line V16

Nalle Hukkataival describes The Finnish Line (V16) as a Gem rarer than diamonds."  

Nalle’s latest testpiece could be a contender for Rocklands’ (South Africa)  hardest boulder problem

 ON EVERYTHING IS EVERYTHING

Chris Sharma

CHRIS SHARMA ON "EVERYTHING IS KARATE" 5.14 C/D

BABSI AND JACOPO

Babsi and Jacopo went to battle Zodiac 5.13d, one of El Cap's most formidable free routes. Some of the hardest climbing in the valley crammed into 16 pitches. It has only seen 2 previous ascents till Babsi and Jacopo.

sends  ZODIAC 5.13D

MATT BUSH

Matt Bush free solos Paarl Mountain, one of the world's largest domes in South Africa. "I've soloed overhanging routes at 8a+/5.13d repeatedly, but this route feels much harder. The movement style is delicate, on balance and very technical."

  The Art of Solo

DANIEL WOODS

repeats POSITION OF POWER V12

Daniel Woods repeat Position of Power V12 in Rocky Mountain National Park. This boulder sits above Bear Lake Road and can easily be seen driving up. 

RYUICHI MURAI

Murai, headed to Magic Wood on a mission, with a tick list of some of the hardest problems in the forest. He climbed quickly sending most of the 8b/c after only a couple of tries.

  Destroys Magic Wood's Hardest Problems

ALEX MEGOS

Sends FIGHT CLUB 5.15b

Alex Megos completes historic first ascent of Fight Club 5.15b, at Raven's Crag in Alberta, near Banff National Park, the first and hardest 5.15 sport climb in Canada.

NINA WILLIAMS

Sends AMBROSIA V11

Nina Williams makes the first female ascent of Ambrosia, a 50 ft V11 boulder on the Grandpa Peabody Boulder in the Buttermilks, California. NNNinaNNi

Catalan Witness the Fitness V15

CHRIS SHARMA

"I had a great start to the new year by sending the "Catalan Witness the Fitness" at Cova de Ocell the other day.  I've been trying this line on and off for quite some time so it felt good to see it through finally." 

 

JERNEJ KRUDER

Sends ES PONTAS 5.15a/b

After 39 attempts, Jernej Kruder repeated Chris Sharma route saying: "This thing is so specific. For sure it's about 9th grade, but there are so many different factors. Like the dyno. If there are 200 people in the world climbing 9a, maybe just 10 percent of them can do it."

TONY HAWK Skates Downward Spiral Loop!

Tony Hawk made history by becoming the first person to skateboard a downward spiral.

'So this is all my crazy idea. Basically this ramp is a vertical spiral, a sideways loop. As far as I know no one's done anything like this'

KELLY SLATER launches Wave Company

NINE YEARS into the making, Slater Wave Company constructed the longest, open-barrel man made wave in the world!  "I’m still a little in disbelief, and trying to process how much fun this wave is, but it certainly feels like this is going to change a lot of perceptions about human-made waves."