Like most desert rats, I first heard of Tom Randall during his and Pete Whittaker’s infamous off-width tour of the United States in 2011. Both hailing from the United Kingdom, with very little access to actual off-widths, they constructed their own in Randall’s basement, aka “the cellar,” and began a ruthless training regimen. The training…
If you are sick of new climbers coming in and ruining everything, do something about it. If you hate how distracted you are by technology, put the phone down and climb. If you love climbing outside, do something about it to save it. If you are dissatisfied in any way with the state of the…
We’ve got that springtime crazy Our hearts have grown hungry under desert skies by Georgie Abel, Contributing Editor, author of Go West Young Woman. art by Rhiannon Williams We wanna take shots of lightning Use thunder to make heavy hip-hop beats Frost a cake with the snowcapped peaks Scoop the cookies-and-cream stars from the sky And…
by Spenser Tang-Smith To the Tamers of the Fiery Rooster God, We three travelers attend no church, recite no prayers, read no scripture. Instead, we thrice daily build altars to the Great Feathered Deity and adorn it with the red-hued holy water that pours forth from seventeen-ounce vessels adorned with His image. We consume the…
This spring I got to check out some items from The North Face’s Progressor Collection, and this piece, the Insulated Hybrid Hoodie was my favorite. Retail: $199.00 Essentially this is a layer that is light (less than 12 ounces), keeps you insulated, and allows for movement while climbing. The insulation comes from PrimaLoft Gold body,…
Go to the desert Or whatever place Is The Desert To You by Luke Mehall, photo by: Greg Cairns For me it’s The Desert You know why I capitalized that shit The blue sky Doesn’t know that Donald Trump is President And maybe, you too. Should forget about that just, just for a second Breathe.…
Note: this piece appears in the Off Route column of the newest Zine, Volume 10, The Raw Issue. Hello, I am looking for my dirtbag princess. Have you seen her? Qualifications include living on the cheap, adventuring every damn day, and having more fun than anyone. The ideal princess will love splitter cracks, getting scared,…
Oh baby I like it raw, Yeah baby I like it raw —Ol’ Dirty Bastard, “Shimmy Shimmy Ya” It’s a fine line between work and play when developing a new splitter crack. Of course that crack isn’t new; it’s been there longer than you and will remain long after our spark of existence that we…