December 11, 2008

"Heart of Stone" Climbing Access Film (Watch the Full Version!)

This is the full, high-def version of Andrew Kornylak & Josh Fowler's new movie. As Climbing magazine noted, "Heart of Stone debuted at Rock/Creek in Chattanooga, TN, during the Triple Crown - Stone Fort Finale on December 5th and 6th, 2008 to crowd of close to four hundred and the crowd response was nothing short of amazing." Word has it the film will also be picked up by a rock climbing film series, so it might show on the big screen in a town near you soon. We'll post details here as we have them.

Heart of Stone - HD from Andrew Kornylak on Vimeo.

It's no secret that the Southeastern US has some of the best rock climbing in the country. Grassroots organizations like the Southeastern Climbers Coalition and the Carolina Climbers Coalition are gaining and preserving access to this treasure in a unique way - by buying it. the annual Triple Crown Bouldering Competition - the largest outdoor climbing competition in the world - is at the center of this access revolution. This new film celebrates what many are calling a Golden Age of discovery and stewardship in the South. It's a look at the miraculous mix of activism, generosity and respect for tradition, in the Heart of Stone.

"Heart of Stone is the first film that takes the focus away from superstars, grades and the glory and puts it back where it belongs, on the local community, retailers and climbers that work tirelessly to keep the crags open and open the ones closed. Rock/Creek needs to take some of the credit here even though they won't ask for it; because it's the local businesses that make it happen in each of these SE communities.

Jim Horton and Chad Wykle have created a competition series that is the pride of the industry and one that needs to be taken to the rest of the nation so that others may carry the torch in their region. It blows me away at each of these comps, just how many people will open their wallets in order to open more crags and protect the ones we have here in the SE. I had a 10 year old boy empty his piggy bank at this last comp to buy raffle tickets for Yellow Bluff. The rest of the nation needs to learn what is happening here and how to duplicate the banding together of community, local business and land managers/private land owners for the sake of preserving our open spaces for all to use.

Access is the holy grail of climbing and the SCC, CCC, NRAC and Access Fund have done a tremendous job over the last 10 years to secure more new climbing here in the SE than anywhere in the US."

--Kurt Smith

Posted by Mark McKnight at 3:01 PM | Comments (1)

November 25, 2008

Heart of Stone Climbing Film Premieres at Rock/Creek

Heart of Stone Climbing Film Premieres at Rock/Creek Friday December 5th

November 25, 2008 (Chattanooga, TN) - Rock/Creek and The Triple Crown Bouldering Series proudly present an exclusive premiere showing of the highly anticipated climbing access film-- Heart of Stone-- a film by Andrew Kornylak and Josh Fowler. Rock/Creek invites the general public to their retail location at Two North Shore in Chattanooga, TN for the premiere. The store will close at 7:00 pm on Friday, December 5th and doors will open at 7:15. The show will start promptly at 7:30 PM EST.

Heart of Stone investigates a critical point in rock climbing history in the southeast, while celebrating the many fantastic rock climbing resources that the Southeast has to offer.

As Kornylak explains, "the film celebrates what I think is the beginning of a golden age of discovery and stewardship of the amazing treasure of rock we have in the Southeast. The grassroots climbing community here is a miraculous mix of activism, generosity and respect for tradition: the Heart of Stone."

After the presentation of the film, acclaimed climbing athletes/activists Tommy Caldwell, Beth Rodden-Caldwell, Lisa Rands, and Kevin Jorgeson will speak with the audience about the current state of climbing access in the southeast and across the country.

It's no mystery that the Southeast holds some of the best rock climbing in the country. From uncountable fields of immaculate sandstone, granite, gneiss and quartzite boulders, to fantastic buttresses of steep, single pitch crags, to valleys filled with giant multi-pitch granite domes, the South simply has it all for the rock climber.

However, unlike the Western United States, most of the land of the Southeast is privately owned, with much of the remaining property being managed by State and National Parks. Rock climbing in the Southeast has become a matter of relationships between the climbing community and land managers.

Historically, climbers as a group have been known to the general public as conservationists...and simply excellent stewards of land. The number of rock climbers participating in the sport has increased dramatically over the last ten years, however. This increase in the number of climbers and the popularity of some of the rock climbing resources has placed a strain on some of the natural environments where climbers recreate, and as a result have placed the relationship between climber and land manager at risk.

Active local non-profit climbing organizations like the Southeastern Climbers' Coalition, the Carolina Climbers' Coalition, and regional activists are struggling to find a common voice for the entire climbing community--a voice that is steeped in the historical tradition of respect for the environment and the private landowner, but also one that advocates a spirit of adventure.

Please join us at the debut of this film at Rock/Creek's Two North Shore location. For directions and more information on our stores, visit: http://www.rockcreek.com/customer_service/locations.asp

A trailer for the film can be viewed online:
http://blog.rockcreek.com/archives/heart_of_stone_a_film_about_climbing_access_in_the_southeast.html

If the link is broken, try:
http://tinyurl.com/5eu24k

For more information on the Triple Crown Bouldering Series, visit:
http://triplecrownbouldering.org/

High-res photography available upon request.

Contact:
Mark McKnight
423.643.1528
mark@rockcreek.com

About Rock/Creek:

Rock/Creek, member of the Grassroots Outdoor Alliance, is an independent specialty outdoor retailer with over two decades of experience in the Southeast. Along with its online shops, RockCreek.com and ClimbingGear.com, Rock/Creek provides quality outdoor clothing and gear for a host of activities including kayaking, rock climbing, camping, hiking, trail running, and adventure racing. Rock/Creek is committed to enacting positive change in the community and for our environment. For this reason, it uses outdoor retail as a platform to encourage outdoor recreation and environmental stewardship and to improve public access to the backcountry. Rock/Creek supports worthy nonprofits such as the Southeastern Climbers' Coalition and the Wilderness Trail Running Association.

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Posted by Mark McKnight at 12:40 PM | Comments (0)

November 6, 2008

Chris Sharma Photos and Slideshow Report

Chris Sharma made it to Rock/Creek last night for the final stop of his southeast slideshow tour. Beginning with his early ascent into climbing at the ripe age of 14, Chris talked about his life as a full time rock climber with incredible photos and videos of his proudest and most memorable achievements. The crowd was audibly amazed while watching Chris on some of the hardest boulder problems and sport routes which Chris climbed with amazing ease and grace.

With ascents like Mandala (v12) in the Buttermilks, or a young ascent of Necessary Evil (5.14a) where he easily stops mid send to take off his sweatshirt, Chris shows us that we are far from his caliber of climbing. Chris is nothing but humble and soft spoken about his achievements, a fact which made each climb he showed us more inspiring, and even tangible. The audience was in awe of the beautiful pictures taken by some of the best photographers in the world. The photography and video clips portrayed Chris in some exceptionally beautiful places- deep water soloing in Mallorca, Spain, hard sport climbing in Ceuse, France, and the first ascent of a new route at the amazing Clark Mountain, California.

The highlight of the slideshow was towards the end. Chris showed us his new route, Jumbo Love, located in Clark Mountain, CA. This new, super long, intimidating route in the Mohave Desert is now more than likely the hardest route in the world (5.15a) and after seeing the pics, believably so. Jumbo Love is a monster of a pitch, climbing 250 feet up a sweeping, blank wall of limestone with numerous hard cruxes along the way. Sharma explained that for a number of bolts, stopping to clip was too difficult, so he would skip them while routinely taking 60-100 foot falls.

Chris finished with shots of climbing in his new home in Spain and photos of his girlfriend Dila who climbs 5.14a consistently, and is a sweet and very strong woman climber. The slideshow was great, the photos were world class, and Chris did a great job taking us through his amazing life as a sponsored climber.

Chris recently signed on with Evolv to be a part of their shoe development and to create his own series of shoes, and just signed on with Sterling Rope as a new member of their team. Chris is an absolute climbing ambassador with his quiet demeanor, humble attitude and of course his incredible talent that inspired us all while we watched the show. Rock/Creek is proud to have had Chris here and we look forward to the next time he will be back in town.

See the photos from the Chris Sharma Slideshow >

Posted by Mark McKnight at 1:18 PM | Comments (0)

October 24, 2008

"Heart of Stone" a film about Climbing Access in the Southeast

Heart of Stone, a film about Climbing Access in the Southeast from Rock/Creek on Vimeo.

Check out the 'Heart of Stone' trailer....a production from Andrew Kornylak and Josh Fowler. See the full feature release at the Triple Crown finale at The Stone Fort/LRC. The focus of the film is Climbing Access in the Southeast. In addition to the release, attendees will have an opportunity to listen to discussions lead by top climber/activists Lisa Rands, Tommy Caldwell, Beth Rodden-Caldwell, Kevin Jorgeson, and other regional activists regarding the state of rock climbing access. Come join us for a full viewing of the film and candid discussions about the future of climbing access.

Posted by Mark McKnight at 3:06 PM | Comments (0)