Texas & New Mexico

Friday, February 22nd, 2013

Texas and New Mexico

Austin, TX

Big Skies over Texas

Hi everybody!  It has been about a month since I updated my blog and much has been going on.  I had a great time hanging around Austin, TX eating some really good food and yes some of it did come from food trailers. J  It is part of Austin culture.  The stories are true – Austin has great food!  Not only is the food good but the people are very nice, especially the climbing community.  On another note, I picked up my running again while in the Austin area.  Lots of nice spots to go for a run!  I must build a huge running base to have a serious shot at breaking the record on Long’s Peak.  Of course I also went climbing while hanging out in Austin despite the Mountain Cedar’s best attempt at putting me into an Allergy coma. I still managed to send a wide variety of very cool climbs all the way up to 14c.  In fact I put up the First Ascent of Enero Mariposa 5.14c, named for the beautiful butterfly that flew up to me at the cliff.  I have been trying my friend Rupesh’s line called I, Me, Mine 5.14+?  I hope to complete this line when I return in a few days.  Having a little free time I went and visited some kids at a local charter school and talked to them about climbing, the importance of education, nutrition and answered as many questions as possible.  It was hard to pick which kid had their hand raised to answer a question.  The whole room had hands up J  It was fun!

Fun Times at School with some great kids!

 

Come on by for a fun time!

I strained my hand a bit on I, Me, Mine and decided that going to Hueco would be good for recovery being as crimping did not seem to agitate the injury spot.  It has been a patient process while climbing at Hueco thus far, being as the hand is healing and the humidity has been non-existent.  Which of course is only bad for me.  However I had the great opportunity to take one of my sponsors TruFit out on an adventure in the Organ Mountains.  They made a fun video of our hike. Click on the link below to watch the Video.

Thanks For the fun day TruFit

Gorgeous Day in the Organ Mountains

Looking out over the Tularosa Basin

The Organ Needles looking north towards colorado ;)

Organ Needle

On top of little Square Top

Hueco Tanks

I opted not to participate in the Rodeo and instead went sport climbing at the Tunnel and went for a run in the high Sacramento Mountains.  There was snow, moon shadow, and a spectacular sunset.  I then woke up the next day and headed down to teach a clinic with Paul Robinson.  We had a great group of participants.  Big Thanks to Melissa Strong for the organizing and facilitating of the 2013 Hueco Rock Rodeo.  Later this week I will be giving a talk for the Geography Department.  I’m a little nervous…but I think I can do a good job.  I hope ;)

Nick_Duttle_Talk_Flier_2_22_13

 Now…I’m hoping for rain ;)   I love the smell of rain in the desert!

A short video I shot of Alex Megos sending Sôl Adûnâmentum

 

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To Infinity and Beyond

Monday, January 14th, 2013

To infinity and beyond! – Buzz Light Year-toy story

Over the holidays I watched Toy Story with family. Pretty inspiring little dude!

 

For the month or so after returning from Argentina, I went on a whirlwind trip through the Southeast.  It started in the New River Gorge, and was followed by Chattanooga, TN and many of its great climbing spots.  I had a great time climbing with Jimmy Webb, Ben Spannuth, Mike Williams, and many other good people along the way.

Sunset over Summersville Lake, WV. Photo taken by Ben Spannuth

 

Enjoying the evening light in the New River Gorge

 

Overhanging! The concave in Little River Canyon.

In a dizziness of visiting so many areas that were new to me, I figured I would try to send as many classic lines as possible.  I managed to send 20+ routes at 5.13 and above, and had a good day out bouldering at one point during which I flashed a V10/11 and sent 3 other V10s.  I was pretty darn surprised to be able to send any boulders since all I had been doing for months was climbing on a rope.  It was eye opening to see that according to the math, I could attempt to send 50 new 5.13s and above in a month if I make a good plan and everything comes together.  So that is one of my goals for 2013.  It fits in nicely for training for my project as well.

Taking a seat at the anchors with my new haircut my friend gave me in the patagonian wind just before leaving Argentina.  Total hack job! But whatever it grows back :) Thanks for the Great photos Ben Spannuth

 

Sending Reflections V10, Little Rock City at sunset

 

Fuzzy hat needed on a cold day out bouldering.  Sending Instinct sit start V10

I figure as long as I squeeze in some bouldering, tons of routes of all different styles, plus some other regular cross-training, I might just have a chance of realizing my goals in the mountains.  I now find myself looking toward the future with the same dreams I imagined as a young child.  Having been challenged in so many ways in my life, I now realize it is my life’s work to continuously meet new challenges, overcome them and quest for the next.  I still see those pictures I drew of myself as a kid – envisioning myself as a professional athlete, and I am amazed at the power of settings goals. The thought of turning my body into that of a world class athlete seemed more than nearly impossible as a weak and frail boy.  The powers of determination, belief, and a strong heart have carried me to my dreams.  I now look back to that little boy drawing those pictures in a simple class assignment of what you would like to be when you grow up, and I smile.

Little River Canyon Waterfall

 

On that note, I have a little request for anyone who has ever climbed in the Red River Gorge, eaten delicious food at Miguel’s Pizza, or anyone who is interested in supporting some wonderful fellow climbers.

Cedar!

Here is my little buddy Cedar Ventura.  She is my friends’ Dario and Emily Ventura’s daughter.  Cedar must undergo a pretty big time surgery, as she was born with an incredibly rare (like 1 of less than 200 cases ever) liver disorder.  It is a very expensive procedure that will allow Cedar to explore life and live out her own dreams.

If you are interested in helping, here is the link to make a donation towards her surgery.

http://www.youcaring.com/medical-fundraiser/Cedars-Medical-Fundraiser-/37653

Thank you so much!

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Petzl RocTrip 2012 – Patagonia, Argentina

Friday, December 7th, 2012

Last surise run in Kentucky before heading to Argentina

See ya horse buddies. I’m off to Argentina!

 

Many of you may wonder what the Petzl Roctrip is about.  I was wondering the same thing.  Being as this was my first RocTrip I was eager to find out.  Having been down Piedra Parada to do route development this last spring I knew what to expect in terms of the area and climbing.  The difference this time was that there would be around 1600 people in this extremely isolated location.  From my observation and attendance the RocTrip is in essence is a celebration of climbing.  The event is dedicated to adventure, exploring and cultural exchange.  Every year for the past 10 years a destination is selected and a multi-day gathering of avid climbers from all around the world descend on the newly developed climbing spot.  The RocTrip literally puts places on the map in a global sense for sport climbing and outdoor recreation, and it did exactly that with Piedra Parada.   It was a total success in terms of bringing climbers from different countries and cultures together by way of a shared love for the outdoors and of course climbing.

I know from talking with many of the attendees/climbers that they were extremely excited to have a highly concentrated sport climbing destination which I learned did not previously exist in Argentina.  During the bolting aspect of the trip back in March, the team contributed 100+ routes.  It is easy to take it for granted that in the USA we have amazing destinations like Rifle, The Red River Gorge, etc, that exist as our developed playgrounds.  As a result of the media exposure associated with the RocTrips people from all around the globe travel to climb at the new area.  Word of mouth travels and the new spot ends up being a destination for years to come.    This increase in visitors stimulates local economic activity and growth.

In fact, I can say from visiting the Red River Gorge over the years that a huge increase in climbers has occurred since the RocTrip there which allows for more local small business success.  Many small businesses in the area now thrive due to increase in climbers coming to climb year round.  Some of these nomads even end up going to college and working at these places of business in order to live in and enjoy the incredible climbing Kentucky has to offer. It is a pretty interesting phenomenon. Nice job, rock climbing!  Now The Piedra Parada has a campground, boasts a title of an outdoor recreation site and also serves as a destination for South Americans to enjoy.  The place has sprung from the dust of the Patagonian desert onto the map and seems to be a much appreciated addition. The sky is the limit!

 

Jon Cardwell and I taking in the scenery form our double decker bus while on our 26 hour bus ride across the country. A country wide protest cancelled our plane ticket and forced us to travel by bus.

 

Lago Nahuel Huapi y Los Andes! Very beautiful!

 

The Andes mountains, Lake Nahuel Huapi, pine trees, and Retanas Flores – The yellow flowers at the bottom of the picture.                               Amazing Landscape!

 

Bus ride from Esquel to Piedra Parada.

 

Arrival! The layout of the event with nice chalk art.

Hanging out and climbing as soon as we set up camp

Jon Cardwell checking out a super fun roof climb.

 

Moonrise next to the Piedra

Stunning evening by the river

Hiking out with Dave, Enzo, Jon, and Etienne.

Hanging out at our pro climber demonstration for the Roctrip with Dave, Yan, and Jon. It was pretty windy that day.

Marcos on his way to the river!  The river by camp is perfect on warm days.

Audrey was attacked by a vicious desert stick. I hope it heals quick.

A traditional Argentina BBQ! The cooks/dudes by the fire spent all day making this meat feast for the final party. The people of Argentina do not mess around when it comes to the eating and cooking of meat.

On a personal note I really enjoyed the people I met while visiting Argentina .  They were overall very friendly, genuine, and easy going.   The stark landscape and beautiful night sky will not be forgotten.  For those who read my blog and visit Piedra Parada, please wear a helmet as the rock is a bit loose and routes are brand new!

 

Back in San Carlos Bariloche after the RocTrip. I might need to shave?

 

Crazy volcanic rock in Bariloche area that climbs sort of like limestone.                                        9a projects at this wall!

The “choking dog birds” as I referred to them. They kind of looked like parrots but made the weirdest sounds…

Santi walking out of the awesome hostel where we stayed a night in Bariloche.

I look forward to exploring more of the stunning landscapes of Argentina and South America, and who knows – maybe I will even eat a little more pan blanco!  Huge thanks to Petzl for being such a cool company!  It was awesome being included in such a fun event that gives back to climbing and helps it grow throughout the world.   Since I was away for Thanksgiving I hope everybody had a yummy feast and a great time!    Big thanks to my other great sponsors: Gramicci, Elete, Scarpa, Bob’s Red Mill, Organic, and TruFit for all your great support!

I want to see more of South America!

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