Revolution Climbing

What more can I say?

2011-02-17T08:37:00.000-08:00

Yes, I know it's been 5 months since I wrote anything on this blog. I update it with the same frequency as I wash my dishes.

But this time, we have something more important to say than my usual ramblings. It is in regards to a recent advertisement in the latest issue of Deadpoint Magazine.

I've had the idea for this ad rolling around in my head for some time now. For some reason, it's "verboten" in the climbing industry to call bullshit on other companies products, even if they are blatant, low quality knock-offs. But after reading an impassioned Facebook post by my man (and former Cordless sponsored climber) Josh Helke, I figured the time was right.

I called up Josh, told him the idea, and he started buggin out. Like sending me 4 emails in about 5 minutes. I talked to Matt at Deadpoint, expecting some hesitation on his part, but he basically dared me to do it.

So why do this ad now? Let me put it in context...

A few years ago at an OR Show in Salt Lake, I told Walson at Flashed that I was glad he developed and introduced his Air Pad (I forget the name of it). He said they were not getting a lot of sales for it, people are complaining about the price, etc.

I told him what is more important is that you actually did it. Even if you only sold one, at least you have the balls to try something new and innovative. Which is far more than can be said of the largest companies in this industry.

Yes, Flashed is a competitors of ours, so why was I glad that they developed and introduced this product? Because it raises the bar for the rest of us. It means the standards have gone up for companies who actually give a fuck about making quality bouldering gear. It means that new climbers have options other than the Wal-Mart bullshit from Mad Rock or Black Diamond.

Same thing goes for Josh at Organic. I'll say this right now: even though I am in direct competition with Organic, they do not have a bigger fan. Except for maybe Liz, Josh's wife. But I'm sure even she get sick of his crazy ass. For reals, ask Josh who has brought in more sales in the last year than Yours Truly.

Why? Because ever since Cordless' start in 1995, we have had a much larger goal than just making widgets and earning money. We believe in making the highest quality products we can for the sport we love. We believe in developing bouldering in this manner, same as scrubbing down and sending new blocks.

In that sense, all these companies are doing this for a cause much larger than ourselves. Weather it's me, or Organic or Flashed or some new company that is just getting started, I have a ton of respect for anybody who will not compromise or sell-out.

Unfortunately, that is becoming harder and harder to do these days.

2011 Mission Crash Pad

2010-10-16T14:46:00.000-07:00

First of all, let’s start off with a little spray from our current catalog:

“CRASH PADS

This is our forte. Nobody has developed more innovations to bouldering gear than our team of designers. We have introduced some 60 different Crash Pad models for five companies over the years, more than everyone else combined.

The burrito fold, the taco fold, reverse folds, the hinge/taco combo fold, closure flaps, full suspension pack systems, XXL highball pads, lightweight ‘circuit’ pads, upholstery tops, almost all of the standards, benchmarks and advancements have come from this small, dedicated crew.

That would be enough for us to sit back and rest on our laurels. But we have no intention of doing that. In fact, we have some more design breakthroughs in the works; we’re just sorting out some of the fine points. Just wait and see.”

And with that, we would like to introduce the Revolution 2011 Mission Pad.

This little blog post is mostly writing and a few photos, not as many crude jokes and Photoshoppery as I usually include. I'll throw in a little humor, but please try to stay awake...

For those of you who’ve been keeping up to date on Crash Pad designs over the years (which means almost nobody), you may have noticed that I like to redesign the Revolution line on an annual basis. Those changes usually mean better foam, different closure systems, more versatile carrying systems or maybe just new colors.

But this year, we’re doing a big change to our two most popular Crash Pads, The Mission and The Commando. For anybody who’s been bouldering for a fair amount of time, you probably recognize that the “taco” fold is the safest design for a Crash Pad, as it does not have any built-in weakness, gaps or hinges down the center of the Pad.

But taco folds do have some faults, most of them aesthetic. Since the stiff foam is on the top of the foam layers, it’s on inside of the fold. That makes folding the Pad a little more difficult. Also, the top layer of foam can develop a warp or a slight crease, meaning the Pad never fully lays flat unless you bend it the other way first. And if you’re using a very firm foam on top, it can lead to the corners of the Pad “tweeking” out a little bit when folded.

To keep the landing surface completely clear, the backpack straps are on the outside of the fold. But that means the backpack area will be facing the ground. This is not really a big deal if you’re in dry areas like Bishop or Hueco, but if you’re in a rainy area like England, your back will eventually be covered in mud from carrying the Pad.

And chicks don’t want to hang out with grimy, muddy bastards…. so now you see the problem.

In 1999, I came up with a potential solution to this problem with the Cordless Evel Pad. It had a “reverse taco fold”; meaning the top stiff layer of foam was on the outside of the fold. And the shoulder straps were removable, so there would be no obstructions on the landing area. But it wasn’t perfect.

So for the last few months, I’ve been wanting to work with the “reverse taco” design again, but I couldn’t think up a way to keep the pack area off the ground and still have a landing area that was clean, clear and ready for business.

But somebody else did figure it out. And due to the previously described mud dilemma, it makes sense that the idea came from the UK.

The crew at Moon Climbing came up with a solution to this problem that is so simple and obvious, that I feel like an idiot for not thinking of it first: The bottom flap is the pack area. Duh!

(side note: unlike certain douche-bag companies that are content with only biting other people’s designs and contributing zero to the bouldering world, I prefer to give credit and support where it’s due: Nice one, Ben.)

The backpack set-up of the new Mission Pad consists of 3/8 inch (1cm) thick padded shoulder straps with metal buckles and an adjustable 2 inch (5cm) wide hip belt. The shoulder straps are removable and adjustable for climbers of different height, ranging from torso lengths of 15 inches (37cm) to 23 inches (58cm).

Here’s our male model Johnny showing of the latest in fall fashions with his Zoolander inspired look “Sleepy Magnum”…

See that silver ring and strap behind his head? That’s what pulls in the top and bottom flaps. Just one strap goes from the top flap, through the ring and attaches again to the top flap. The ring acts like a pulley to keep the tension on both flaps. And it’s all hooked together with a single metal buckle.

Since the stiff foam is on the outside of the taco fold, the corner “tweeking” has been eliminated, which means the sides and corners meet with a tighter, cleaner fold.

And if you didn’t notice in the above photo, the flaps are in opposition; the side flap closes on the opposite side of the Pad as the top and bottom flaps.

Big deal, you say? Well, here’s the benefit; with almost all other Crash Pads that are available, the top, bottom and side flaps are all dependent on each other to close up the Pad, that's if they have any closure flaps at all.

Having the flaps close independently from each other means just one buckle can close up the Pad, for a short stroll between boulder problems or a quick approach. It also means you’ll have an easier time stuffing all your gear inside.

So what about the whole “keeping-the-backpack-area-dry-and-clean" or "keeping-the-landing-area-open” situation? Here’s the answer: the top and bottom flaps can hook together on either the top or bottom side of the Pad.

If you don’t mind the backpack laying on the ground, hook it up like this…

… or if you prefer to have it out of the dirt, hook it up on the top side…

… or if you think both of those methods totally suck, there’s a third option. Just roll up the bottom flap/backpack thingy…

… and take the built-in Velcro strip to cinch down the roll (by the way, the Velcro strip is behind the flap/pack, so you won’t even notice it when it’s not in use)…

… and there you go, the whole thing is out of the way and will stay dry and clean. It’s even been suggested that this backpack/bottom flap rig would work great as a clean area for sit-down starts, but that’s up to you.

Yes, I know that this means 1 or 2 extra steps to get your Pad all prepared for a super-kick-ass bouldering session. But trust us, it's worth it.

The 2011 Revolution Mission Pad is 48" x 41" and 3.5" thick (122cm x 104cm x 9cm), same dimensions we've been rolling with since 1995. The new photos and info will be on the website in the next few days. We're starting production on these rigs in about a week, so feel free to contact us with any questions you might have. And your credit card number.

And for all you guys in the E.U., Norway, Japan and Australia who need to get hooked up with the best bouldering gear in the world, get at these guys:

Friction Walls (Scandinavia)
Crux Co. (Japan)
Big John (Australia)
and our Euro office, Revolution Climbing EU

Thanks Everybody, and say no to drugs!

Quinceañera!!!

2010-09-02T11:02:00.000-07:00

For those of you who don't know what a Quinceañera is, it means a 15th birthday party. No, it's not for me, I'm way, way, past 15. But if I were a 15-year-old Mexican girl celebrating my Quinceañera, it would look like this...

Pretty creepy, huh? I promise you will have nightmares about that photo.

Like I was saying, the party wasn't for me, it was for the climbing company that changed everything. September 1st, 2010 was the 15th anniversary of Cordless.

I was going to post this yesterday, but I figured that it could wait until today because:

A - We decided to go climbing instead of banging away at a computer.
B - There's only like 12 people who read this anyway
C - I haven't posted anything in eight and a half months, so what's one more day?

That's right. 15 years ago, I bought a used Husquavarna sewing machine, a few yards of Cordura and about 40 cubic feet of foam. The rest, as they say, is history.

For those of you who know anything about these machines, it's not a walking foot but it can take bonded nylon thread. This little bastard stitched up at least 100 Crash Pads before I stepped up to a true industrial machine.

So with an initial investment of about 300 or 400 bucks in machines, fabric and foam, we built a multi-million dollar, world-wide industry and changed the climbing scene forever. Not bad, huh?

And I've still got one of those Pads right here in the shop. Technically, this one is Cordless Pad #4, as I sold Pad #3 and the first two were so shitty-looking that I popped the stitches and re-used the foam.

Anyway, yesterday we decided to go out to Little Cottonwood and take part in my two favorite things: a little bouldering session and a half-case of beer.

About a half-dozen of the extended family came out...

... and a few of them thought that crimpy problems in 85 degree heat are fun...

... which is totally stupid. But a good time was had by all, regardless.

So this one's for all of you who have helped contribute to what we have collectively built together since '95: We've taken bouldering from an unrecognized, unappreciated part of the climbing world and turned it into the scene's most popular arena. I want to give all of you my deepest gratitude. What we have accomplished will be appreciated long after we're gone.

On the flip side, I want to give a hearty Fuck You to the companies and people who are diluting the climbing world with low quality knock-offs of Cordless gear and generally treating bouldering not as a genuine, valid and viable activity, but merely as a marketing and branding opportunity. And if you need me to spell it out more clearly: Black Diamond can eat a fat dick.

Instead of getting all weepy and long-winded about who we are, where we've come from and where we're going, the best way for me to sum up the last 15 years is to include the photo and intro speech from our latest catalog...

"Here’s a photo of a shoddy one-car garage at the end of a dirt alley in Bend, Oregon. Big deal, right? To us it is a big deal, because this is where it all started. This was the Cordless shop from 1995 to 1997. And what came out of that sorry-looking hovel built an entire industry.

We didn’t start making bouldering gear because there was a ton of money in it or because there was a huge, international market. Just the opposite was true; back then, bouldering was a raw, fanatic, underground movement and we were initially ridiculed for believing that it would become anything bigger or better than that.

We did it because we saw a much larger potential, something that would take years to develop. We didn’t view the bouldering scene for what it was at the time, but what it could be. Sometimes, you have to look beyond what currently exists and see the larger picture, the massive possibilities.

Fifteen years.

We’ve been making bouldering gear for a decade and a half, longer than anybody else in the game, with more highs and lows than we can remember. But even in the worst of times, one thing has stayed the same: our devotion. Never give up and never sell out.

We don’t want to bore you with one of those “back in the day” stories. We’re all about taking things forward. This year, we are consolidating two exceptional product lines under one roof. Revolution and Pusher are now part of The Cordless Group, a collective that is dedicated to designing and producing the highest quality climbing gear worldwide.

Along with our production in North America, we have developed our European branch, Revolution/Pusher EU, to hook up all you guys on the other side of the Atlantic. We’re franchising like McDonald’s, baby.

Although it’s all too common today, we refuse to dilute the climbing world with shitty knock-offs and mass-produced junk made in some third world sweatshop. All of our products are made locally, if not specifically in-house. Same goes for the Euro crew. Local manufacturing allows us to dramatically lower our carbon footprint, maintain exceptional quality control and quickly introduce new products.

In every little intro speech we’ve written since ‘95, we have finished it with two simple words. We put it down there because we want you to know that the only reason we are still around is because of you. And you are the only reason we got into this gig in the first place. We hope you’ll understand that we sincerely mean this:

Thank You"

The Great Debate

2010-01-15T06:24:00.000-08:00

So once again, it's been a month since I've written anything. I'm really starting to screw up this whole Blog thing. But now I'm making up for that lost time by resolving some of the most pressing issues of our time. Read on.....

COKE VS. PEPSI

Coke is better than Pepsi. Always has been. So there, it's settled. Shut the fuck up, Pepsi. Now we can finally end the stupidest debate in human history.

CAKE VS. PIE

This is a very tricky topic, but one who's answer is easy to rationalize: Cake tastes good because it's made with a lot of sugar. Pie tastes good because it's made with a lot of sugar AND a lot of butter. Therefore, Pie is better.

And this is based on a side by side comparison, both being served individually at room temperature. If one were to heat up the Pie and add Ice Cream, the Pie's superiority is magnified by a factor of 50. Whereas, heating up Cake is just plain disgusting and adding Ice Cream to it makes the Cake a sloppy mess.

Another thing to consider is the special events or occasions these two desserts are served at: Cake is usually served at birthdays or weddings, events about "me". Pie on the other hand is served at Thanksgiving and family picnics, events about "us". So Cake is a narcissistic jerk.

Finally, I have to give credit where it's due: this topic was started by my man Josh Helke at Organic. He even dedicated a T-Shirt to this grand query. Evidently, he has a lot of spare time.

FONTAINEBLEAU VS. HUECO TANKS

Ooooooooh, something about climbing. I know that this is an old-school debate, since better bouldering areas have been found in South Africa and New Zealand. But who wants to sit on an airplane for 37 hours to find out how much more bitchen' those places are? Not me. I'm containing this argument to Font v. Hueco.

Much of this depends on what style of climbing you prefer. Super-steep, powerful moves on little edges or more vert-angled, technical climbing on massive slopers.

And both areas have obvious drawbacks; Would you prefer to sit around and wait for the rare occasion when it stops raining (Fontainebleau) or would you rather pay a guide and get treated like a fucking 10-year-old on a field trip to the local Zoo (Hueco Tanks)?

But there is one thing that these two areas have in common: Although they are both populated by climbers I want to hang out with, they are both surrounded by people that annoy the shit out of me: Texans and French people.

TEXANS VS. FRENCH PEOPLE

I know that putting a picture of Bush next to De Gaulle is going to piss off a lot of French people, like putting a picture of Stalin next to the Dalai Lama. By the way, what would Stalin vs. Lama look like?

The Lama is a nice guy and all, but Stalin had the kick-ass Burt Reynolds moustache, so The Bandit wins.

But this whole "Texans vs. French People" debate is a little too complex. So let's simplify this debate even more...

COWBOY HATS VS. BERETS

One hat says: "I'm an ignorant dip-shit who voted for Dubya, twice". The other hat says: "I'm a pretentious douche-bag who reads his own poetry out loud".

By the way, did you know that "douche" means "shower" in French? Something to think about...

But I think that we can find some middle ground on this, if one were to find combination of these two annoying hats into one hat that nobody likes: Police Hats.

Taaaaa-Daaaaa! (or as the French say: Viola')

Some old stuff...

2009-12-10T13:38:00.000-08:00

I've been going through some old stuff on my computer, and I found this Article I wrote for Urban Climber Magazine a few years back. This is the unedited version, the mag didn't want me to use the "F-Word". Read on...

Imagination and independent thought are not highly regarded these days. We are generally expected to shut up, stand in line and follow the rules. Six years of Republican administrations will do that to you. There’s not a lot of free fun any more. Oh, you wanna have fun, do ya? Then buy a ticket, get on the ride and pay $4 a gallon to find some fun, chump. Fun is now a commodity, unless you can find it for yourself. But with the right eyes, you won’t have to look too far.

When I was a little grom, skipping school to climb at Smith Rock, I walked past a woman strolling down the river trail who gave me, from her perspective, a valuable piece of information: “Why are you going to climb that, don’t you know there’s a trail that goes to the top?” Being a wise-ass, I probably responded with “Wow, thanks for the info, old lady” and kept walking. For some reason, I’ve never forgotten the example of her shortsightedness, but it does bring up a good point; Climbing as we practice it today is an abstraction. If getting to “the top” of something were the only goal, then you could take a mellow 3-hour hike to the summit of El Cap instead of spending 3 days banging away at the wall. The top of Midnight Lightning can be attained via tree, so why waste time on a boulder problem?

Climbing is more like an art form than a sport. It’s one of those rare things that are completely open to your own interpretation and practice. It’s different than other sports-like-activities in that there are no distinct measurements of achievement. There are no rebounds, RBIs or rushing yards. There are no assigned positions like halfback, point guard or pitcher. There are no set playing fields, time limits or regulation goal heights.

Some people focus on the difficulty aspect of climbing, others aim towards boldness or speed and some people just climb for fun. Some climbers spend months in the Himalayas and others spend months on a two-move boulder problem. Whatever it is, do your thing. Don’t let anybody dictate what “real climbing” is.

In that vein, you only need to look at Skateboarding for a progressive, innovative mentality towards a sport to truly realize it’s potential. In the 80’s, it was all about riding pools and half-pipes, structures designed or adapted specifically for skateboarding, until the evolution of street-style-skating. At that moment, the whole world became a skate park; everything could be ridden.

In the early 90’s, a group of Skateboarders in Portland started one of the most ambitious do-it-yourself projects in recent history. Looking for a dry and harassment-free place to skate in rainy PDX, this crew rounded up some concrete and shovels and made their way underneath a downtown bridge. Those first few banks and ramps were the foundation of what is now the Burnside Skate Park, a massive selection of terrain that is known world-wide, immensely respected within the skating community and built entirely by volunteers with their own money.

Most of us have saved up cash to visit some super-bitchin’ climbing area hundreds of miles away. Plenty of us have built little torture chambers out of plywood and plastic to stay fit. But you only need to look around you to see that we are surrounded by rock, a man-made rock called concrete.

When people talk about recycling, they use terms like “pre or post-consumer waste”, meaning the creative use of what most people throw away. Buildering is possibly the best use of massive consumer waste for the purpose of fun. By definition, it is recycling; by turning a huge, bland, soul-less piece industrial stone into an object of entertainment, challenge, diversion or whatever you want. It’s creating a use and a destination from dead space.

To borrow from a famous boulder problem in the Gunks, have a look at these man-made crags with “A New Pair of Glasses” to see what could be possible: The steep angles underneath bridges, parking lot ramps and stairs, the massive rounded bulges on freeway supports and the ubiquitous, clean-cut 90 degree arêtes on the corners of every building…the same cool features we look for at climbing areas.

This wide world of concrete is a blank canvas for climbers. But “blank” is not a good thing when you’re trying to climb. And so just as an artist steps to a canvas with his paints, the chemical gods have granted us with our own medium: epoxy.

Say you’ve found a steep angled wall that’s devoid of anything to hang onto. Any glued-on little nugget, edge, chunk, blob or pebble can potentially be used to turn a grey, lifeless, overhanging slab into a burly array of routes. The most barren arête, boring vertical wall or lame corner can become a masterpiece of technical moves, all thanks to our friends in the industrial adhesive business.

The potential of what could be done is nuts. Think about it. A handful of rocks, a $3 tube of epoxy and a wall of concrete is all you need. Every shitty industrial part of every town could have it’s own bouldering area. Places that are devoid of rock could become destinations. Lincoln, Nebraska could be the next Bishop, California. OK, that’s a big stretch of the imagination, but you get the idea.

The good news is the best potential places for such a project are located in areas that attract the least amount of attention. Chances are, the spaces around giant retaining walls and huge bridge pillars are not the best pieces of real estate in town, so your presence would be less conspicuous than trying to press out a mantel on top of the neighborhood 7-11.

So what’s the main obstacle to creating something like this? To sum it up in one word, it would have to be: Validation. If you’ve read this far and you have some comprehension of what we’re discussing, you probably have figured out that this is not entirely acceptable or 100% legal, as far as the larger community is concerned. There will be people who consider it vandalism, trespassing, etc. There will be people who have no interest or understanding of climbing, and even less of a willingness to try and understand and appreciate it. There is no easy answer to dealing with these people. The best method is to treat them with gentle respect and pity, because these sad fucks are already dead inside.

But finding validation within the climbing community itself could be an obstacle. Every new aspect of climbing is invariably met with some kind of resistance. This is the same mentality that derided John Bachar for bolting on hooks, slandered Alan Watts for working out moves by hang-dogging and thought that John Gill was wasting his talents by just bouldering. This myopic view of what climbing is and where climbing should be has rarely created anything of progress, so why bother with seeking their acceptance?

What we do is hard to describe and even harder to contain into a singular interpretation of climbing. It grows and evolves without eliminating any of preceding forms of climbing. There is a massive amount of potential that is all around us, if you know how to find it.

C.O.R.N. C.O.B

2009-11-30T09:32:00.000-08:00

The title is an acronym. It means Central Oregon Really Needs Concentrated, Obvious Bouldering. Because what currently exists is neither concentrated nor obvious.

So last week I went back to Oregon for Thanksgiving. Mostly to chill with the family and eat a shit-load of mashed potatoes, but the weather was good enough to check out a few of my favorite Bend-area bouldering areas.

So join me for a little trip down memory lane...

Soon after the mighty Jim Karn moved to Bend from another town full of dirty hippies (Boulder, Colorado), he put up a sloping lip traverse called "Snail Trail" at Meadow Camp. I mean really slopey.

It starts on a wide, flat edge rail on the left "wing" of the boulder and tops out somewheres in the upper right of the photo. You may remember this boulder problem from the cover of the 1996 catalog for Jim's clothing company, Worm. And if you do remember that, it means you are one of about 20 or 30 people and you're at least 40 years old.

A few months after that, I found a feeble array of basalt blocks by Tumalo Creek. I started calling it "The Tick Ranch" after I came home and found four parasites had burrowed into my skin after a little cleaning session.

The Tick Ranch's only real claim to fame is a route that Alan Watts put up some time in the late 70's or early 80's. It's an 11d (French 7a for you Euros) that goes up an overhanging corner and out a roof. At that time, it was probably the hardest route in Oregon. And it looks like this:

Yes, I know that 11d is not really a big number, but you have to put it into context: It's an 11d protected by thin wires, on slick basalt patina. And this was before Spanish rubber, so Big Al was most likely wearing shitty EBs and sporting a Swami, no leg loops. All of this means extra credit points for being a bad-ass.

One of those boulders I called "The Ming Boulder", short for Mingus, a variation of Jingus, which means shitty or heinous. Not much to do in Bend but think up stupid slang and drink heavily.

I squeezed out a few problems on this block, "The Ming" and the "Ming Traverse".

The Ming is a little 2-move vert face problem on the left of the photo. John Cronin got the FA and called it V9, because every Cronin problem is V9.

The Ming Traverse starts around the other side of the boulder, passes the pine tree and finishes above the Ming face. It's somewhere in the V7/V8 range. The pine tree is really close to the boulder, so I would take a 2x4 and prop it away from the rock to give me some space to pass by. That's some MacGyver-type shit.

Soon enough, Cronin got the FA on another problem I had been trying a hundred yards away from the Ming block. It starts with a sit-down near the small cave on the left of the photo and moves around to the right, finishing on a slab on the back side.

Cronin graded this V11, which means it may be the only Cronin problem not graded V9. He called it "Path of the Righteous Man" after that famous speech in Pulp fiction...

You may think that the theme of this little blog session is "A tribute to sloping lip traverses". And you would be correct in assuming that. But you have to work with what you got in Central Oregon: a shitload of sloping lip traverses.

That does not mean there is a lack of rock in the area, actually there is plenty of rock. But 99.999% of it is just too short for decent climbing. As Metolius employee Erik Von Heidiken once said "Central Oregon would be the greatest bouldering area in the world if you were 12 inches tall".

Important info about Machetes

2009-11-23T13:59:00.000-08:00

If you're confused about this title and topic, please refer to the previous post about New Bouldering Areas. Then it will totally make sense and you'll understand how incredibly important and relevant this is.

As the proud owner of a new Machete which I have purchased to hack any obstructing vegetation out of a New Bouldering Area, I would like to introduce you with a few other owners of Machetes, many of them cooler than me.

JASON VORHEES

For reals, I think that this is Sarah Palin, not Jason Vorhees. Why, you ask? Because he wore a hockey mask and killed teenagers who were trying to have sex in the woods.

INDIANA JONES

Han Solo's gonna carve you up, punk! Then he'll whip you. Seriously, a whip? What kind of fruit-cake uses a whip? Is he trying to be a dominatrix? Where's the black stiletto boots to go with that whip, Mistress Jones?

DANNY TREJO

I once met Danny Trejo at a mall in Salt Lake. He was buying shoes. He is also much shorter than he appears on film. But I still think he could beat the shit out of me. Just look at him.

DUDES IN FRANK FRAZETTA POSTERS

OK, that last one is not really a Machete. It's more like a sword. I'm putting it on here as a reference to my future plans...

Now that I have a bitchin' crag-grooming instrument like a Machete, I may need an equally bitchin' Chevy Van. On the side of the Van, there will be a big, Frank-Frazetta-style, air-brushed painting of me and my Machete, on top of a volcano, wearing a Viking helmet, with a girl wrapped around my leg. And I'm totally slaying a dragon, with a Machete.

It will look something like this:

Why would I do that? So that when I pull up to your local crag, You will know I mean business. Nobody drives a van like this unless they intend to kick massive ass. And you will say to yourself: "I bet that motherfucker has a Machete inside that van".

One last thing: Sorry it took me 6 weeks to write more stuff on the blog. Just been busy.

2010 Spot

2009-10-17T15:42:00.000-07:00

In case you missed my constant spray about the 2010 line of Revolution Crash Pads, here's some more. But this one is a little different because it's not really about Pads specifically. It's about the cosmic anomaly that is known as The Spot.

In case you've never heard of The Spot, which I assume means you've been living in a fucking cave for the last 15 years, this is one of the most versatile pieces of climbing gear ever made. In 1994, the one and only Mike Call came up the the basic idea behind this baby when he wasn't busy doing his Spielberg/Scorsese thing.

The idea behind this rig is that it is a lean, mobile bouldering pad, a very capable backpack, a rope bag, there's even been a few folks who have specifically used this for Yoga. Nice one, Hippies! Work your Chakras!

Anyways, here's what's new this year: the Pack System. We sell the majority of The Spots to Japan, and we were getting a few concerns about Spot customers of "shorter stature". So we did the same 3-option pack height set-up that we have on the Mission Pads and the 12-G.

As for the open size, it's 48" x 27" x 1.125".

Before you ask, the answer is Yes: that extra 1/8 of an inch on the thickness means something, we're not just artificially jacking up the thickness to look cool. It's a lamination on the top of the foam that provides a more rigid landing area and improves the over-all life of The Spot's foam. So there.

1/2 Off Crash Pad Sale

2009-10-07T08:27:00.000-07:00

We have about a dozen of last year's Crash Pads sitting around here, so we figured that we might as well get 'em out the door and make some space for the new stuff. So we're offering 50% off the remaining 08/09 Crash Pads.

Here's the breakdown:

12-Gauge Pad (54" x 48" x 5") now $212 - 5 remaining
Mission Pad (48" x 41" x 3.625") now $138 - 4 remaining
Commando Pad (41" x 32" x 3") now $89.50 - 2 remaining

As far as we can tell, this is the best deal on Crash Pads at the moment. Not to mention these are QUALITY Pads. So if you're interested, give us a free call (877-2-BOULDER) or do the e-mail thing: info@revolutionclimbing.com

Crash Pad art

2009-09-22T09:30:00.000-07:00

So we've been messing around with a few new things on the Crash Pads. For years, we've had a small rubber logo on the side of the Pads, but with the current production run, we have a larger silk-screened logo on the side.

Another option that hit me this summer is vinyl banners. We had a big one made for this summer's OR show, and it got me thinking. Since this is a sew-able material, we could use it on some of our products. I made a sample backpack, which didn't really come out perfect, but you get the idea...

But there is a lot of crazy shit we could do with this. The only problem is that it's way more expensive than our standard fabrics. But it may be worth it, especially if we did a line of Crash Pads with Playboy centerfolds...
Note the Revolution tattoo on Miss February's ass. Really classy, huh?

End of Upholstery, End of an Era

2009-09-09T14:09:00.000-07:00

So we have some bad news for you: The shoe-cleaning upholstery fabrics that have been a staple of Cordless and Revolution Crash Pads for the last 14 years will be going away. Don't worry, it won't happen for another six months or so, but it's going to happen.

Here's the problem: Almost all of the mills that make this material in the USA are moving, or have moved production to Asia. We used Automobile upholstery, the same stuff that covers the seats in your kick-ass Buick LeSabre.

But the US Auto industry is in a swan dive, so the domestic demand has fallen off. It's kind of an ugly way to learn about economics, huh?

So the only way we could have a consistent, inexpensive supply of this fabric is if we purchased a boat container quantity of fabric rolls. And that would cost us about $150,000. In other words, it ain't going to happen anytime soon.

But we have another idea to remedy this situation: The little Ammo Rugs. These small rugs are easily available for us now and in the future.

Plus, it makes more sense to have a separate shoe-cleaning utensil that's not built into the Pad: The area where you need to place a Crash Pad is not always at the base of the boulder problem, where you would need a rug.

So when we run out of Upholstery, we will be including the rugs with our Crash Pads. So it's not really bad news, just a little change.

Commando Part 3

2009-09-05T13:20:00.000-07:00

Just in case you have no idea of what "Commando Part 3" means, I am not suggesting that there is a sequel to that Schwarzenegger film, although it would be totally bitchen' if there was.

No, this is a sequel to my little spray session about the Commando Crash Pad.

We're doing a little production run of the Commandos right now, about 60 of them. The total amount of fabric needed for these Pads is 1845 square feet, if you include the new shoulder strap. That's 171 square meters, for you guys on the metric system. And the amount of waste is a mere 1200 square inches (.77 square meters), which looks like this...

Think about that. 1845 square feet of fabric. That is roughly the same area as a three-bedroom house. And all the waste can be held in your hands. All the materials are sourced in North America and all the production is done right here in Salt Lake.

That's why I call the Commando the most efficient Pad we have ever made. Possibly the most efficient Crash Pad, period.

And if that ain't enough, we're doing this run of Commandos in Black and Camo fabric, in honor of Schwarzenegger and his goofy-ass films.

"Ja, now I am totally zee Gofenor of Cullyfonia, so Fack Yoo."

Southern by the grace of God

2009-08-27T12:36:00.000-07:00

We just cut the fabric for about 200 Crash Pads, so I figured this is the time for a little project, a favor to our homeboy in Atlanta, Chris Sierzant.

He wants a custom Crash Pad with the Confederate flag on top, where the shoe-cleaning upholstery fabric usually is. You can almost hear the Dixie National Anthem playing in the background.

More new holds

2009-08-15T15:17:00.001-07:00

So I was adding up all the new shapes we've made in the last year. Care to take a guess on how many that is?

Over 500 new holds. That includes the reshaped Training Holds and the ones we just finished today. That's larger than some companies entire lines.

Obviously, this means we need to get our shit together and put new photos of these holds on the main Revolution website. Sorry for the delay on that, the last 5 months have been the busiest I can remember.

Here's what we've got finished today: XL Edges sets 1 and 2, XL Granite sets 1 and 2 (5 holds per set. We're also re-shaping a few of the XXL Slopers and there will be new sets of the Limestone Large 1 and 2. Peep the photos:

Vaya con Dios, Mixing Barrel

2009-08-06T13:20:00.000-07:00

Our boy Chris Sierzant, owner of the Escalade Gym in Atlanta, and a few of his crew stopped by for a few days and we put them to work moving the Revolution shop.

For those of you who ever poured plastic for Pusher or Revolution (which is about 75% of the Salt Lake climbing community), we have a bit of nostalgia for you: the mixing barrel/tilt stand rig is no more.

This big-ass contraption mixed and poured about 2.5 million pounds of plastic, from Pusher, S7, Revolution and most recently, a line of custom climbing holds for Backyard Adventures.

A very brief service was held in its honor, then it was given away to a local scrap metal yard. See you in hell, giant chunk of iron.

We'll be movin' on up...

2009-08-04T08:24:00.000-07:00

... like George Jefferson.

Yes, it's been almost a month since we put anything on the Blog site. Just busy.

We're moving to a new shop, which means we are putting all the machines, products, office stuff, etc. in a big-ass truck and driving about a half-mile down the road.

One thing that ain't going with us is the climbing wall. 14 feet high, starting at 50 degrees overhanging and curving to a level top-out. That's the benefit of high ceilings.

And it's up for grabs if anyone wants it, free. Here's a shot after we removed the panels and the studs:

New 12-G Crash Pad

2009-07-08T15:18:00.000-07:00

We've been working on some updates to the 12-Gauge Pad, just like the Mission Pad and the Commando Pad

We're going with a slightly new name for this baby: The 12-G Pad. Not much different than the old name, we know. But it's nice and simple and I'm too damn busy to think up anything better. Sorry.

For the closure straps, we put on big top and bottom flaps that connect to the side flap via two metal buckles. Again, nice and simple.

And in that top flap we built in a big pocket. We're going with pockets on the top because we believe that they're more accessible that way; It's quicker and easier than opening up the side flap to dig out your car keys.

This massive sumbitch measures 54" x 48" x 5" and weighs in at respectable 19 lbs.

The 2009 Revolution Crash Pad Line

2009-07-08T14:28:00.000-07:00

(click here for a big-ass image of the Pads)

We've been doing this for almost 14 years, longer than anybody else. We have developed about 4 dozen different, original models and innovative designs for five different companies. So we are pleased to introduce the best line of Crash Pads we have ever made.

I just finished the prototypes and these rigs are tough. 1680 denier Ballistics Nylon shells, stitched together with a new bonded nylon thread, 37% stronger than our previous thread, bar-tacked stress points, adjustable height and adjustable use Pack systems. And of course, the highest quality, longest lasting foam available today. And it's all sourced and manufactured right here in the USA.

Sounds like a lot of spray, right? Well how's this sound; We are willing to put these Pads in a side-by-side comparison next to ANY Crash Pad made today, under any conceivable stress or type of wear. And we are certain that Revolution Pads will be the last ones standing.

We don't spray, we don't exaggerate, we don't talk a lot of bullshit. We simply believe in our product. We believe in making the best bouldering gear possible.

These bad boys will be on display at the 2009 Summer Outdoor Retailer. Stop by the booth and check 'em out. We will be going into full production in late August or early September. So start saving your money, because this is worth it.

The Man

2009-07-06T12:57:00.000-07:00

In 1994, I took a little road trip along the California Sierras. Working my way south, I stopped by the little bouldering area of Deadman's Pass. I put in a little session and met a guy who needed a lift back to Mammouth, a few miles down the road. He said he was staying next to a guy who had a climbing wall in his backyard and the owner was cool with people coming over to climb.

So we rolled into Mammouth, I grabbed my shoes and checked out one of the coolest walls I had ever seen. After a little warming up, a lean blond guy walked out of the house. I remember thinking to myself "Dude, that's fucking Bachar!".

He sat back, sipped a beer and we bullshitted about various climbing stuff. The topic of climbing didn't really demand all of his focus, I could tell he had been having the same conversation for about 2 decades.

It turned out, the guy I had given a lift to happened to be a musician, a trumpet player. At this point, Bachar lit up, full of interest and the topic turned to their mutual love of Jazz. Bachar was a talented Sax player and he invited the guy to come over and jam, just for the hell of it.

This isn't about me, and it's not some kind of "Yeah, me and John were tight" kind of story. What impressed me about the guy was his interests far beyond climbing, his generosity in letting us climb on his wall and his general lack of ego.

It's really hard to explain. I'm sure that he was an inspiration to thousands of climbers. But his character should not be forgotten, either. He was the fucking man.

New XL Hold Shapes

2009-07-02T15:04:00.000-07:00

We've been screwing around in the shaping room again. We've got 12 new shapes that are currently in the foam stage: 10 new XL Pinches and 2 new XL Balls (the green ones in the photos). They all come in sets of 5. Give us a couple of weeks to mold them and they'll be ready to roll.

These aren't the highest quality photos, but click on them for a larger view. Check it out.

Melloblocco - The Aftermath

2009-07-01T10:31:00.000-07:00

During our little stay at Melloblocco,, we had a room at the "Casa delle Guide" for a few days.

And then we got the bill. Which is not really a big deal, until you check out what we spent at the bar...

That's 354 Euros, or an even $500. And that's just the bar tab. There is a lesson to be learned here: Never give climbers a line of credit on booze.

Commando Part 2

2009-06-23T14:15:00.000-07:00

Hey, Everybody. Here's some more info that you may or may not find interesting.

I would like to introduce you to a little known aspect about new Commando Crash Pad that I think is really cool. After 14 years of designing dozens and dozens of different Crash Pad models, this is without a doubt the most efficient Crash Pad I have ever made.

Here's one example: Rolls of fabric come in standard widths of 58" or roughly 1.5 meters. A product designer needs to find the best usage of this area, or else the remaining fabric would be wasted. And that would just be dumb.

So I designed the 09 Commando and it's patterns to lay out at a perfect 58" x 36". The main body, the side flaps, the top and bottom flaps, all of it. The result is less than 1/2 of 1% of the total area is waste. This is an exceptionally good use of fabric. Check it out:

That ain't all. The Commando also uses minimal energy to put it all together. The eight different pieces of fabric require just 18 short cuts (145 total inches of cutting) with a stack cutter (a vertical blade that cuts fabric), 16 passes under the single-needle machine and 13 passes under the bar-tacker. That means less electricity used in the production of this baby.

And since we're on the subject of energy consumption, there's one more important aspect to address: we don't float these Crash Pads in from China. They are all manufactured right here in our humble little shop in Salt Lake. In fact, we are the largest manufacturer of Crash Pads that does NOT outsource production to China, Honduras, Philipines, etc.

I can also get into the efficient use of foam, but you're bored by now, right?

2009 Commando Pad

2009-06-19T15:34:00.000-07:00

Here's the info on the updated Commando Pad. Like the Mission, the Commando still has the same dimensions as the last couple years (41" x 32" x 3"), but the major differences are in the transportation/carrying system.

There is now one padded shoulder strap and 3 metal buckles that can be configured to carry this baby 3 different ways. Just thread the webbing ends through these several optional points.

We also made the top and bottom flaps a little longer and wider to keep your stuff inside. We're just finishing the prototypes now. In about a month, it's going into full production.

Revolution European Website

2009-06-18T14:06:00.000-07:00

A massive update on the Rev E.U. site. It's only been up for a few days now, but we will continue to throw on lots of cool info. Check it out...

http://www.revolutionclimbing.eu/

... and spend some money! Because the German economy is on the verge of falling apart without you! Don't you watch the news?

2009 Mission Pad

2009-06-18T13:07:00.000-07:00

Here's what we've been working on. We're doing some upgrades to the Revolution Crash Pad line. The Mission still has the same dimensions as the last 2 years (48" x 41" x 3.625"), but we've moved around some things on the fabric shells and added a few features.

NEW BACKPACK SET-UP
This one is cool. We've had a few complaints from shorter climbers about the shoulder strap-to-hip belt area being a little to large for them, so we are doing a removable shoulder strap that can be mounted in a higher or lower place.

We've also made the back of the pack area a little more narrow, so that it better fits the small of your back and the hip belt is a little more snug.

I'll throw on some photos of the new shoulder strap soon. Needless to say, it's bitchen'. We are using a .375" thick EVA foam in this strap, which means that it's thicker (more comfortable) and longer lasting. EVA foam is the type of stuff used in padding Tennis Shoes, so it's designed to last.

"MUDFLAPS"
No, not this kind of mud flaps...

We're talking about a little modified design to keep the back of the Mission Pad clean...

The same side, top and bottom flaps used to close and secure the Mission Pad can be folded in the opposite direction when the Pad is open and ready for climbing useage. This means that you can cover the Backpack area of the Pad to keep it free of mud, dirt, etc. that would otherwise cover your clothes when you're carrying the Pad (the above photo shows the back or "ground" side of the Mission).

NEW POCKET
Changed this Sumbitch, too. For years, we've mounted the velcro-closing pocket on the side flap. We decided to add a top flap with a pocket so's you don't have to open the pad to access the pocket. The actual pocket opening is on the inside of the flap, just an extra measure to keep your stuff safe.

That's it for now. I'll throw on more info about the modified Commando Pad as soon as I can. Later.

Like a Boss

2009-06-12T13:37:00.000-07:00

So this is the new theme song down here at Revolution World Headquarters. Whenever you have some important shit to do, do it "like a boss"

Krom!

2009-06-12T13:28:00.000-07:00

Oh yeah, one more thing: I just bought the Double DVD of the Conan the Barbarian films. Both of 'em.

Screw that "Lord of the Rings" crap with the dwarves and fairies and shit. This is all about stabbing people with a sword.

Plus it has the best movie quote ever...
Mongol General:Conan! What is best in life?
Conan: To crush your enemies, see them driven before you, and to hear the lamentation of their women.

That's deep, yo.

yo

2009-06-12T13:14:00.000-07:00

Sorry I haven't done any blogginess in 2 weeks. We've had a ton of work to do.

We just finished some custom Crash Pads for a gym in Canada, almost 500 square feet worth. Check the photos...

And the Euro branch of Revolution just finished the new web-site: http://www.revolutionclimbing.eu/

I'm impressed. Leave it to the Germans to organize something this complicated. We will be throwing a lot of cool stuff on there; photos, videos, topos to new bouldering areas, etc., so keep checking it out.

And Revolution employee and general nice guy Johnny Landry has started a blog about his photography and his climbing sessions.

And we're working on re-designs of the entire Crash Pad line. More info on that soon...

Michele Caminati - Super Genius

2009-05-27T11:16:00.000-07:00

Sorry we haven't posted anything for 3 weeks... just busy.

One of the benefits of the Euro-trip was meeting some really strong climbers. One of them is the newest member of the Revolution Team: Michele Caminati.

Other than climbing, Michele is a University student working on Mathematics. So I proposed a little question to him that I've been thinking about: What is the force of a falling climber's impact on a Crash Pad?

Here's some of what he wrote back:

"... its total kinetical energy at the ground is Ek=mgoh and in the case of our 75 kilos climber falling from 2 meters would be Ek=75*9,8*2=1470 J (as the Joul "J" is the measure unit for energy: 1J=1N*1meter)..."

Huh?

I forgot to tell him that I never even passed Basic Algebra in High School, so everything he wrote might as well be in Chinese. But thanks for the effort, Mike.

Michele also gained a lot of respect in my book by developing some new bouldering areas around Northern Italy. Here's a little video of his work...

Hallo

2009-05-04T06:48:00.000-07:00

I take back some of the things I said about Delta. The food still sucks, but at lease they added individual video screens with the option of a dozen movies.

Chillin' in Germany today. Going to Italy tomorrow. I'm going to tear shit up on the Autobahn.

Melloblocco part 8 ... and I'm out

2009-05-01T13:57:00.000-07:00

Damn, the registration for this year's Melloblocco is a 28% increase since last year, and there's still 5 days until the event. I didn't think they would break the 2000 mark, but I'm sure they will.

28% doesn't sound like a big number, so I'll put it this way; As of 3pm my time, there's another 541 people registered, versus last year's registration. And like the last few years, there will be a lot more climbers arriving who have not registered.

Other than that, I have to start the long voyage in about 15 hours. I'll see if I can procure a lap-top in the next 4 days....

Melloblocco part 7: More news

2009-04-30T13:54:00.000-07:00

So I've been checking out the weather for the Val Masino area. It's supposed to be sunny for the entire event. That surprises me, because every time I come to Europe it pisses rain the whole time.

I'm getting on the plane Saturday morning, but I'm going straight to Germany, the land of beer and Lederhosen and sick-ass cars.

After a few days up there, a gang of us will be going down to Italy for the Mello shin-dig. And my man Jansen Gunderson will be showing up too.

Jansen will be shotting some photos for an article about Melloblocco in an upcoming issue of Rock & Ice Magazine. He's a really talented photographer with a more subdued style, who shoots stuff like this...

...and this...

... so with a photographer like J, the Melloblocco coverage won't be another "posing-superstar-visual-spray-session". It will actually have some class.

Melloblocco - part 6: '08 Video

2009-04-28T13:51:00.000-07:00

Here's a video from last year's Melloblocco event. Most of the narration is in Italian, so if you can't understand, just pretend that they are talking about how cool you are.

Melloblocco from Radio TSN on Vimeo.

Melloblocco part 5 - Boulder Bus

2009-04-28T10:59:00.000-07:00

Here is yet another cool Melloblocco related piece of news. A crew of guys in jolly olde England have a service called "The Boulder Bus"

It has standard trips from England to Fontainebleau and they even drive across the Atlantic Ocean all the way to Oregon, which I assume is correct, unless there is some crag in the UK called Portland.

OK, I guess there is a Brit crag called Portland. But I prefer my theory of driving a bus across the Atlantic, because that would defy physics, which is really cool.

Anyway, this year (as they've done for previous Melloblocco events), they are offering a shuttle service from the Milano airport to Val di Mello. I don't know if they have some kind of inclusive service all the way from England, maybe you should contact them.

And by the looks of it, this rig is NOT some jingus, piss-smelling Greyhound Bus. It's fully decked out: a few beds, DVD player, Xbox, little kitchen, etc.

Melloblocco part 4 - tutto arrivato

2009-04-28T09:15:00.000-07:00

Hell Yes!

I was almost certain that there would be some kind of massive fuck-up with the shipment of gear to Italy. But it has arrived. Thank You God.

So now I have to deal with the flight. Yes, I already have the tickets. What I mean by "dealing" with the flight is a combined 12 hours of sitting in a tiny-ass seat.

Oh yes, one more thing, Fuck Delta. The United States airline companies are gradually going out of business and it's their own damn fault. The only way that I can bear these flights is with one of two options: seating in the roomy emergency aisles or lots of Jack Daniels.

Here's Delta's genius plan: If you want to sit in those coveted emergency aisle seats, you have to build up enough mileage with their airline to cover the distance between the Earth and Saturn. And the only way to build up those miles is by enduring Delta's shittyness.

The last time I flew to Europe, I went on SwissAir. The difference between SwissAir and any American carrier is like the difference between riding in a Rolls Royce and riding a donkey covered in shit.

Seriously, SwissAir rules. It was unbelievable. Each seat had it's own little TV screen with the option of 4 or 5 movies to watch and a selection of video games. I spent half the flight playing Tetris, which is way better than watching the latest Julia Roberts lame-ass-romantic-comedy on Delta.

The seats were comfortable and they actually reclined. Even the food was good. Not AlItalia good, but at least edible. And the stewardess looked good, for a change.

Well, not that good. But you get the point.

Our unbelieveable weight-loss program!!!

2009-04-20T15:12:00.000-07:00

Are you tired of pills and diet supplement scams? Are you too lazy to get off your ass and get some exercise ? Do you really, really, really like cheeseburgers?

Well here's the answer you've been waiting for: The Revolution Hollow-Back Diet!

Scientists at Revolution World Headquarters have developed a new hollow-back to lighten your load. Don't believe us? Here's proof from one of our satisfied clients...

That's right. The old Boss poured from polyester resins, using the old hollow back, weighed close to 22 pounds.

But with The Revolution Hollow-Back Diet, using our burly polyurethane resins, the Boss now weighs only 12 pounds!

Alright, I'm sure we all had a good laugh with that "diet program" bit. But here's what you really want to hear...

Yes, The re-molded Boss does weigh 12 pounds, which means less shipping and of course, less cost.

The retail price of the Boss is $99 American bucks. Comes with the bolt, too. And if you work for some kind of wholesale-viable entity (i.e. Climbing Gym), our standard wholesale discounts apply.

So give us a call or fax or e-mail or carrier pigeon or Morse code. Because this Sumbitch is ready to go...

...and here it is.

2009-04-20T14:47:00.000-07:00

This is a photo of the first re-molded and revived Pusher Boss. We cleaned the new mold, poured it and popped it just about an hour ago. With the new hollow-back.

In other words, it's ready.

I'll add some pricing and weight info in a few minutes.

In the lab...

2009-04-19T17:07:00.000-07:00

The Boss has finished the molding process. I told you it was time-comsuming.

But I just put on the last coat today. So tomorrow, We'll do the fiberglass shell (which supports the silicone mold) then I'll get it poured. With the new hollow-back. That means we'll know how much it costs.

Thanks for being patient. But I'm sure you will be physced with the end result.

Melloblocco part 3 - It's out the door

2009-04-14T10:58:00.000-07:00

166 cubic feet of kick-ass Revolution bouldering gear. That's 4.7 cubic meters for you metric-system-types. All for sale at Melloblocco.

So bring your money. Any kind of money; Euros, Dollars, Rubles, Ducats, Pounds, Francs... we're like Switzerland, we'll take any kind of dough.

This doesn't mean the stuff has arrived in Italy. It's just out of this place. It's in God's hands now. Or at least in the hands of the Italian Customs and Import Department, who think they are God.

I'm probably jinxing this whole thing by writing about it. So I'll shut up now.

Melloblocco part 2 - Shit that would never fly in the USA

2009-04-14T09:41:00.000-07:00

So here's more info about Melloblocco that I think is really cool.

This event takes place in a "Y" shaped system of valleys. The left branch of the Y is called Val Masino and the right branch of the Y is Val di Mello. The whole area is closed to automobile traffic during the 4-day event.

You can't drive up and down the valley? Why is that cool? Because of this: "The Municipality of Val Masino ... grants a free-of-charge network of minibus-shuttles."

Get it? Free bus rides to the different bouldering areas. For 4 days. What is really impressive is that this service is offered by the local government. Try making that happen here. It's hard enough just getting access to cool crags, much less a free ride.

It would be even more bitchen' if they use this bus:

Now I'm not one of those douche-bags who claim "everything is sooo much better in Europe". True, the food is better, most of them speak some kind of heavily-accented English, and you can drive really fucking fast on their roads. Other than that, it rains all the time and everything is too expensive.

But this kind of cooperation from a government really impresses me. They get it. For the public servants in the USA, this concept (promoting a local climbing area, which brings more visitors, which brings more money to the region) is as difficult and abstract as quantum physics.

Here's another one:

What's so cool about a couple old guys doing yardwork? The caption on this photo says "Cleaning of the brush by Comune di Val Masino workers".

Get it? The local government is actually PROVIDING THE SERVICE of cleaning new bouldering areas. And by the looks of it, this one is sick...

See you there!

Melloblocco 09

2009-04-08T11:33:00.000-07:00

So I'm sure you're wondering why we don't update this blog, or the main website, or the Facebook page as often as we should. The answer is easy: we're getting our shit together for the largest climbing event in the world.

It's called Melloblocco. The longer title is "Il Raduno Internazionale di Sassisti (International gathering of Boulderers)". It's an annual event, now in it's 7th edition, taking place in the granite valleys of Val Masino and Val di Mello in Northern Italy. When we say "largest climbing event in the world", we mean Large: 4000 in attendence last year. No shit.

Check it out: http://www.melloblocco.it/index.asp?lang=en

Revolution is one of this year's sponsors. That means we will be setting up a big-ass tent and selling our wares, right in the middle of everything. We are preparing a couple of big shipments of gear and shipping it off to Italy in the next week or so.

More news about this later on...

Boss, 2nd coat & hollow-back

2009-04-03T09:28:00.000-07:00

We've had time to throw on another coat of silicone on The Boss. Yes, I know this is an incredibly boring thing to read. It's even more boring to do the actual molding work.

We are also working on a new hollow-back (the thing that creates a massive cavity on the backs of huge holds). When The Boss was made of polyester, the hollow-back couldn't remove too much plastic, or it would compromise the over-all durability.

But Polyurethane is way stronger, so we can have thinner side-walls on the hold. There is a "rib" down the center of the hold, for a little more structural integrity. We will have to wait for the first pour to see how much plastic is removed, and therefore, money saved.

If you look at this hollow-back, imagine that this is the "void" area on the back of the hold. That sounds like something Buddah would say: "Imagine if something was nothing". That's deep, yo.

The Boss, 1st coat o' silicone

2009-04-01T11:10:00.000-07:00

In 2005, I poured what I believed was the LAST EVER Boss. And I gave it to Mike Call, since he shaped it. I figured he may want one for sentimental reasons. But he's not all sappy like that.

But we've had a few requests in the last few months to pour The Boss. Unfortunately, the old Pusher molds are really burnt out, even a few rips in places. And pouring Urethane into a mold that had Polyester usage can damage the mold even more.

So considering that we had some extra silicone, and there is no shortage of Pusher bills still to be paid (seriously, you would not fucking believe the dollar signs involved), we have decided to remold The Boss.

If you're interested, give us a little time to get this ready. Molding is a very time-consuming process. We are also making a new hollow-back, which will dramatically lower the weight, and therefore the price.

There's a long back story involved with The Boss, if you're interested. I'll see if I can get MC to write about it. But that guy is always busy with his films, so I can't promise anything.

Boss Resurrection

2009-04-01T10:57:00.000-07:00

We all have collective fond memories of The Boss; the massive girth, the influence it had in it's community and how it has not been forgotten in these many years past. But the bad news is that Sorrell Booke (aka Boss Hogg) passed away in 1994, and he ain't coming back.

But we do have some good news: modern science does allow us to revive a different Boss.

Style of the Month program

2009-03-16T15:32:00.000-07:00

A few people have asked us for a "Hold of the Month Program", but we thought up something a little different: a "Style of the Month" program.

Here it is: 6 holds per month for a 6 month period, from 6 different styles, with a 6% discount (obviously the magic number here is 6).

Since we have 18 different styles of holds, we want to get this variation seen by people, so we will be sending out packages of holds of these various styles each month for 6 months. So we will split our 3 different series (Basic, Real, Abstract) into the 6-month programs.

For example, if you want Style packages of our Real Series holds, then sign up for this program, and every month for 6 months, you'll receive 6 holds from the 6 different styles in the Real Series.

The "Style of the Month" packages will include:

2 Hand Jib
1 Small hold
1 Medium hold
1 Large hold
1 XL hold
All bolts and screws included.

Regular retail price for these 6 holds would be $46.80. But we will throw in a 6% discount for people who want the entire 6 month program, so that would be $44.00 per month or $264.00 for the entire 6 months and 36 holds.

Here's the schedules for the next 6 months. You can sign on for one, two or all three:

Basic Series Style of the Month Schedule
APRIL 2009: Jugs Style, 6 holds
MAY: Incuts Style, 6 holds
JUNE: Edges Style, 6 holds
JULY: Slopers Style, 6 holds
AUGUST: Pinches Style, 6 holds
SEPTEMBER: Pockets Style, 6 holds

Real Series Style of the Month Schedule
APRIL 2009: Desert Style, 6 holds
MAY: Fontainebleau Style, 6 holds
JUNE: Granite Style, 6 holds
JULY: Hueco Style, 6 holds
AUGUST: Joe's Style, 6 holds
SEPTEMBER: Limestone Style, 6 holds

Abstract Series Style of the Month Schedule
APRIL 2009: Atrophy Style, 6 holds
MAY: All-Star Style, 6 holds
JUNE: Balls Style, 6 holds
JULY: Diamond Style, 6 holds
AUGUST: Fossil Style, 6 holds
SEPTEMBER: Skehls Style, 6 holds

If this sounds like something you're down for, give us a call (877-2-Boulder) or e-mail (info@revolutionclimbing.com) and we'll set you up.

Here's a photo of the Real Series Style of the Month: the Desert Style. We'll throw on the photos for the other April Styles soon.

09 Catalog/Poster

2009-03-11T15:20:00.000-07:00

It's big. Almost 3 feet by 2 feet of classy Black and White glory.

One side is a cool photo of our boy Johnny Goicoechea in Squamish.

The other side is the 09 Revolution product line and info.

And it's free. Give us a call or do the e-mail thing and we'll ship it off.

877-2-boulder
info@revolutionclimbing.com

New Bouldering Areas

2009-03-11T14:20:00.000-07:00

So here's the problem with new areas; The lack of approach trails. And the subsequent hacking of trails that will be required.

I've had to chop out MILES of trails to bouldering areas and near the climbing itself. It is a completly thankless task. If one were to climb a V15 super-duper-project, that person gets a ton of respect. But what about the loser who actually found it, hacked out the trail and scrubbed down the problem? Who loves him (or her, but in this case it's me)?

Take a look at the photo below. Yes, the right side of those rock are fairly lacking any form of obstructing vegitation. But the left side looks like the Amazon.

And this is nowhere near as bad as Little Cottonwood Canyon. I've almost given up on trails in that place. Even if you mow down a 3-lane highway in LCC, it will be overgrown again within 6 months.

But I had an idea the other day: how can one (again, me) enjoy the brutal task of cleaning and establishing trails and landings in a new bouldering area. How can this ungrateful, lowly job be given the status of cool that it deserves?

The answer is this: A big-ass Machete

Machetes were originally designed for cutting down thick, heavy vegitation like bamboo or sugar cane. Or at least that's what they say.

I'm calling bullshit on that story. Machetes are just a means of turning a tedious job like gardening, farming or landscaping into a slasher flick. What better way to kill an afternoon than by actually killing stuff with a long sharpened piece of metal.

I'm going shopping for a Machete. I'll let you know how it turns out.

Dog vs. Couch

2009-03-11T13:53:00.000-07:00

The boys from So Ill shot this while they were out here in January.

Here's a really deep question

2009-03-11T13:36:00.000-07:00

Ads the Mags won't run

2009-03-11T13:17:00.000-07:00

We have made a few print advertisements for the climbing mags that they refused to print. We understand and we won't name any names. But we wanted to share this one with you. This would have been published a few day's after Obama's inauguration.

Bouldering Code of Conduct and Etiquette

2009-03-11T13:04:00.000-07:00

In case you've been living in a cave for the last decade, you've noticed that bouldering has become more and more popular. Unfortunately, more people means more crowds at bouldering areas. More crowds means getting on other peoples nerves.

So I've decided to write up a few simple rules, ethics and guidelines that we should all follow. Not only will this improve and maintain our sport and culture, I believe that it will keep it from turning into something incredibly lame. Like inline skating.

This list will be updated from time to time and we welcome any suggestions.

THE BOULDERING CODE OF CONDUCT AND ETIQUETTE

ITEM 1- SPOTTING
Although spotting is a necessity and responsibility in the bouldering world, improper spotting techniques can create annoying, and thus, dangerous situations. Therefore;

a) No spotter shall offer or express Beta for any boulder problem that they themselves have not climbed. At no time shall a spotter offer or express Beta while another is climbing, unless specifically asked for by the climber.
b) No spotter may use the French word “Allez” when speaking to another climber while they are climbing, unless the spotter is a native French speaker addressing another native French speaker.
c) No spotter may use the word, or any variation of the word “brother” when speaking to another climber while they are climbing (examples; broheem, brutha, bro, brah).
d) No spotter or climber may use any combination of these words or phrases (example: “Allez, Brah. Hit that crimp.”) at any time. Failure to due so shall be punishable by castration and/or fratricide, bro.

ITEM 2- TICK-MARKS
Tick-marks that indicate the location of holds on a boulder problem can be beneficial to one’s successful ascent, but excessive tick-markery can potentially reduce the overall aesthetic of one’s ascent. Therefore;

a) No foothold with a total area greater than one-half inch square shall be tick-marked. No handhold with a total area greater than one-inch square shall be tick-marked. The exception to this rule is if the handhold/foot hold is obscured from the climber’s perspective of sight (arêtes, bulges, roofs).
b) At no time shall any tick-mark exceed one-half square inch in total size, length and width combined.
c) If said tick-marks are for the benefit of a climber from Colorado, the tick-marks shall be no less than two feet (twenty-four inches) long and two inches wide. Evidently, Colorado people can’t climb unless the ticks are fucking huge.

ITEM 3- SLACKLINING
Although Slacklining is not specifically within the realm of the boulderer’s code of conduct and etiquette, excessive participation in Slacklining may be grounds for your removal from the climbing community. Therefore;

a) A Slackline may only be erected with the written consent of a two-thirds majority of the climbers in the campground, parking lot or other communal area.
b) If your total cumulative time spent Slacklining is greater than your total cumulative time spent climbing, you are not a climber. You are a tool.

Hey Everybody

2009-03-11T12:24:00.000-07:00

So we decided to do the blogging thing. The Facebook page is cool and all that, but it ain't really the place for our excessive spraying, long-winded philosophies on climbing gear and psycotic rants. So we'll do all that here.

We'll also have a few more guys and girls posting stuff on here with their photos, videos, and any other random silly shit.

Thanks