Tag Archive
The Eastern Sierra Nevada is perhaps the most beautiful and inspiring mountain range in the whole world. The views from US-395 anywhere between Lone Pine and Mammoth Lakes are second to none. When deciding where to go...
The last time we were in Zion, we managed to avoid seeing anyone else for hours while navigating through Mystery canyon , even though it was the busiest day of the year. Although our initial plan of exploring slot...
Having arrived to the campsite at night, the rising sun brought our first sight of the magical landscape. A giant sandstone finger pointing to the heavens glowed red with first light, and we watched it shrink into the...
Our friends Julie and Marty traveled across the world to join us in Tonsai for a few days of magical Thai adventures. We ate, laughed, kayaked, caved, practiced yoga, and of course climbed! Tonsai beach is surrounded on...
Legend tells of a climber’s paradise hidden in the karst mountains of Laos. They say that any climber willing to endure a confusing and fairly uncomfortable bus ride from Vietnam will be rewarded with amazing limestone...
Stepping off of the bus in Cat Ba town, we were relieved to be taking a break from big cities, and beyond excited to rock climb! Cat Ba town is a bit awkward. The relatively new influx of tourists has ignited the...
After getting citied-out in Tokyo, we were eager to get into the mountains. The skies were grey on our train ride out of the city, but we were optimistic about adventures! Climbing and hiking in "the Yosemite of Japan"...
We found ourselves newly carless after selling our van in Chamonix. Without Bleu Lightning, our plan of driving and climbing our way back across France was no longer possible. Luckily this gave us the chance to visit our...
As we approached Chamonix, a mountain town at the base of Mont Blanc, my excitement was twinged with nerves. In a few kilometers we would exit the long tunnel through the mountains from Italy, and finally set foot in a...
Our day started before the sun lit the valley, and we excitedly finished off oatmeal and coffee before lacing up boots and beginning the walk to the Aiguille du Midi chairlift. Our goal was Rebuffat-Baquet (6a/5.10-), a...
Our drive into the Dolomites took us through picturesque mountain towns where "danke schoen" worked just as well as "gratzie" and restaurants served pizza and pasta alongside pretzels and schnitzel. The views opened up...
Tucked away in the Alps of north Tyrol, Muttekopfhütte felt like staying in a 5 star hotel for Mel and I. The views out the bedroom window were fantastic, there was a meal service, showers... and most importantly...
This long alpine route was at least as mentally demanding as it was physically demanding. In the mostly stable weather of August 1 st , 2018, Melanie and I set off from the Muttekopfhutte hut (1,934 m) at 6:15 AM. The...
We arrived to the island paradise of Kalymnos ready to spend 9 days climbing and enjoying island life. Little did we know, 9 days was not nearly enough time. As we came by ferry from Athens, Bleu Lightning got to come...
After landing in Sarajevo, we set off for Montenegro, retracing our path through the beautiful Bosnian countryside. (This time with a well-traveled English hitchhiker for company!) As we crossed into Montenegro, the...
After getting our fill at Paklenica, we continued our track south along the Adriatic. Along the way, we got spectacular lightning storms, more magical waterfalls, an ancient city, an impromptu rafting trip, and quality...
Our first climbing destination in Croatia was Paklenica National Park, which initially felt like climbing in a gym! We walked 5 minutes from the van, and were climbing a wall between the park restrooms and cafe. While...
On the recommendation of friends we met in Finale Ligure, we headed to Osp, Slovenia. Osp is a tiny village surrounded by an imposing limestone amphitheater, just across the border from Italy. We arrived at what appeared...
Our journey across Italy took only three days, but we squished in as much sightseeing and adventure as we could! Day One After a final climb in Finale Ligure, we hit the road along the coast, soaking in the views of...
Tucked away in the unassuming wooded valleys at the western edge of Liguria, this limestone paradise brings climbers from all over Europe. Like Calanques, this crag has thousands of routes, enough for a lifetime of...
Our first stop on the climbing road-trip adventure was Calanques National Park on the Mediterranean coast of France. We started off strong with a pleasant hike into a small calanque which had a crag right on the beach....
After a few final days in Buenos Aires, we said goodbye to Argentina and flew back to the States. April was a wonderful month full of reunions, and a great reminder that we have the best friends. Our first reunion was...
After a breathtaking flight from Bariloche, we reached the northern terminus of our Argentine adventure. After a quick resupply in Mendoza, we set off to meet our Workaway hosts in the Valley of Uco (El Valle del Uco)....
Frey was one of the first destinations we had decided on for our trip to Argentina. The mountain destination came highly recommended from a climbing friend, and is easily accessible from the town of Bariloche. After a 3...
We first heard about Piedra Parada from the Petzl Roctrip, but didn’t think we’d make it there on this adventure. After talking with a lot of Argentinian climbers and seeing their faces light up when they told us about...
We arrived in the evening to the hippie paradise of El Bolson. First impressions: there’s an artisan market with tons of handcrafted goods, slack lines are set up in the square with a high line across the little pond in...
Two days of near perfect weather welcomed us to the austral paradise of El Chaltén. As our bus pulled into the town and we saw Fitz Roy and its neighboring peaks dominating the horizon as the sun set, the energy of the...
We returned to the scene of the crime (aka proposal spot!! <3) this year with a group of 10 incredible friends! Our mission: to climb long sport routes on limestone cliffs and eat as many tacos as possible. Aside from...
About six months ago, our friend Ravi invited us to Red Rocks to do some rock climbing. He introduced us to the magical world of traditional climbing and we've been hooked ever since! This weekend we went with a SpaceX...
Nobody in their right mind climbs for 24 hours straight. When Melanie told me that she and her best friend Joanna were going to register for 24 Hours of Horseshoe Hell , I thought - have fun! But the more I thought about...
July 30th, 2017 From the moment I first saw a photo of the massive granite formation overlooking gorgeous glacial lakes, I have wanted to climb Temple Crag. Alan and I had already requested Monday off to take our...
At 10:30PM yesterday we left LA. We fell asleep under a blanket of stars in the Alabama hills and woke up with a view of Mt. Whitney. Our afternoon was hiking around some alpine lakes and climbing on the spectacular...
Mammoth is a pretty rad town - after a day of snowboarding, Alan joined me at the local crag for a few climbs. The approach was a casual three minute flip flop hike, and this was our beautiful view from the top of the...
