Richard's blog

Category: Climbing

  • The Third part of the Saillon VF

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    richard
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    Reading Time: 2 minutesYesterday afternoon after two top rope climbs in Dorénaz we drove to the Via Ferrata de Saillon to climb this one. It is a via ferrata that I know well. This time I decided that I wanted to try the third part of the Saillon VF once again. What makes the third…

  • Gallantry and Rock Climbing

    Gallantry and Rock Climbing

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    richard
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    Reading Time: 6 minutesGallantry and Rock Climbing are a good combination. In Rock climbing the person with more experience or comfort helps the person with less comfort. In some cases it might be helping people walk on trails and in other cases it may be walking at the pace that is comfortable for others. According…

  • Getting Up Getu – some impressive shots

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    richard
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    Reading Time: 2 minutesGetting up Getu is short documentary climbing video about Alex Honnold and Felipe Camargo climbing a beautiful roof climb. The most spectacular aspect of this video is the size of the arch that they are climbing. In two or three shots you see the size of the rock formations compared to the…

  • Lead climbing in to the Sunset

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    richard
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    Reading Time: 2 minutesLast night I was lead climbing in to the sunset, outdoors, for the third time this year. The experience was interesting. Although I am comfortable lead climbing up to 6a indoors I am less confident when climbing outdoors. The challenges you face outdoors are that you’re looking for bits of rock that you…

  • Bouldering as an art form

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    richard
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    Reading Time: 2 minutesI see Bouldering as an art form. By watching people climb you see that they have learned to use their bodies as well as the environment to get any mechanical advantage they can find. In some cases it requires the use of a leg wedged in to a space. In other situations…

  • Rock climbing foot holds

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    richard
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    Reading Time: 2 minutesRock climbing is a full body workout and in practice you can do whatever works best for you. Knowing how to use your arms and legs is important but so is knowing how to place your feet. We know that sometimes to go up we must look down to where there is…

  • “Superhuman” Climbers

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    richard
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    Reading Time: 2 minutesA few days ago the Rio Paralympics “We’re The Superhumans” video popped in to my newsfeed on Facebook and I eventually watched it. The moment that most impressed me is the olympic athlete climbing 2 minutes 20 in. He is dynamic in his climbing technique despite not having any hands. As a…

  • Climbing Photography – for when other routes are too wet.

    Climbing Photography – for when other routes are too wet.

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    richard
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    Reading Time: 2 minutesI have been climbing outdoors for five to six years and during this time I have enjoyed both climbing photography and taking video. The two biggest challenges I face are how to keep myself in place and how to be confident that I will stay where I am. This requires trusting the…

  • Rock Climbing and live distribution

    Rock Climbing and live distribution

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    richard
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    Reading Time: 2 minutesLive distribution of sports such as Rugby, Football, Tennis, Skiing and other sports is easy to justify because of the audience size. Rock climbing and live distribution of this sport however is harder to justify because it is a niche sport. Sponsors exist and interest in the sport is growing. We see…

  • Appreciating the IFSC Climbing World Cup in Villars

    Appreciating the IFSC Climbing World Cup in Villars

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    richard
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    Reading Time: 2 minutesClimbing is a sport that I have enjoyed for most of my life. As a child I would climb on to roofs, on climbing frames and up trees. Occasionally I would climb on rocks but as I had no safety equipment I was limited. Five or six years ago I went climbing…