from James Pearson
Can you see the Katana Lace up hiding in the picture? I promise it is there! Spot the Shoe... Photo - Caroline Ciavaldini I am lying on my back, half stuck inside a hole on this giant block of Swiss Cheese, trying to figure where to go next. I squeeze upwards, or is it sideways, limbs twisted and inching slowly... then finally, there it is; the next quickdraw! You would be forgiven I was caving, but no, this is just another strange and funky route in the mega roof of Pha Tam Kam, the newest discovery in
published: 4 months ago
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downloaded: 4 months ago
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40 views
from James Pearson
...and where better to spend them than South East Asia. Avoiding the cold and the snow, adventuring in the jungle, and eating mangos on the beach - not forgetting a little climbing. To make us appreciate the things to come even more, we spent Christmas and New year in a very soggy England, where there are definitely no Mangos - just a LOT of chocolate. Its safe to say that right now I feel like quite the glutton, but luckily Christmas comes but once a year. In addition to the usual orgy of Tonsai, we plan
published: 4 months ago
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downloaded: 4 months ago
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32 views
from James Pearson
France, Italy, France, Italy, Greece, Italy, France, Austria, France, Italy, Austria, England, Austria, Itally, Switzerland, France, Spain, Mexico, France - My last two months... This time of year is always hectic, it seems like the majority of my work and non climbing commitments all come at the same time, which is a good thing as it leaves a lot of the year free, but can sometimes be frustrating when climbing has to be put on the back burner, and you feel yourself growing fat from all the eating out and
published: 5 months ago
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downloaded: 5 months ago
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40 views
from James Pearson
When I first moved to Innsbruck, The Source was known as “the Sprung project”, due to its crazy all points off dyno in the middle of the route. I tried the project during my first visit to Schwarze Wand, pulling through the quickdraws to arrive in the jump, then failing miserably on the move, again and again and again, finally lowering off thinking it would be a damn hard route. The infamous dyno! - Photo Riky Felderer Two years later, and a lot has changed. The project has become The Source, 8c+, and
published: 5 months ago
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downloaded: 5 months ago
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19 views
from James Pearson
I can finally (so happily) say, that last month I made the first "1 push" ascent of Joy Division - The big wall in Val di Mello I have been working on all summer. The story of the ascent is long, too long for right now as I am rushing out to go training, but thankfully, The North Face has just released an incredible video along with a small write-up and some pretty pictures. You can find it all over at TheNorthFaceJournal Thanks to all the people that made this possible, it was a journey I will never ...
published: 6 months ago
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downloaded: 6 months ago
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20 views
from James Pearson
It was surprisingly easy to wake up at 5am. The sun was still hiding behind the opposite hill, but the oppressive heat was instantly noticeable. Breakfast went down and final items were packed in relative silence, words were not really needed, we both knew what to do. The walk to the base of the wall was as horrible as ever, the uneven ground unbalancing you at every step, bringing your stumbling sleepy body uncomfortably close to some rather large drops. The sanctuary of the ancient and crusty fixed lines
published: 7 months ago
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downloaded: 7 months ago
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41 views
from James Pearson
The nights were a cold and uncomfortable time during my last visit, partly due to mistakenly bringing only a sleeping bag liner rather than a full bag, but mostly just because it was f@%king cold for August! Not this time however - shivers were replaced with sweats, it was uncomfortably obvious we were in the midst of a little heat wave. Chilly times during my first visit (Photo Riky Felderer) Today was supposed to be the first attempt at the “big push” but motivation was not super high as I rolled out
published: 8 months ago
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downloaded: 8 months ago
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31 views
from James Pearson
Time in Insbruck is training on the rock and in the gym, which always provides a nice balance of motivation and humiliation. We began preparing ourselves for the next trip to Val di Mello, trying hard to pack well, taking the minimum amount of kit, for the smallest loads up that damn hill. With 150m of static fixed in place and some food and supplies stashed from the time before, I was hopeful for a sub 30kg pack this time round. The addition of a portaledge however played havoc with this plan, and we set
published: 8 months ago
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downloaded: 8 months ago
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38 views
from James Pearson
The difference between clean and dirty on this wall is immense, and should have been expected on an alpine wall of this exposure, parts of which rarely get wet. I spent a long time cleaning the 4th pitch and checking out the moves, thankfully to find that it was not so bad. Sure it is hard, sure it is a little scary, and there are parts where one must be very cautios with large chunks of rock. However, there are holds – positive pieces to grab with hands and feet, success will be more dependent on ...
published: 8 months ago
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downloaded: 8 months ago
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48 views
from James Pearson
Since Canada I have been in real adventure mode; exploring, questing, learning, suffering, progressing and resting, usually in the middle of the mountains, with no phone or internet. The reason - Joy Division, a 20 pitch route on the Qualido wall, Val Di Mello. The result – sore muscles, sorer skin, and a fast track course in Big wall bumbling. A Brief History of the route... Climbing on Qualido dates back to 1978, and as expected, a whole host of mixed (aid and free) routes appeared over the next
published: 9 months ago
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downloaded: 9 months ago
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75 views
