The North Face

Jan 31 | TNF Athletes Take Gold & Silver at Winter X Games

By The North Face

The North Face athletes were out in full force during this weekend’s X Games in Aspen, CO.

With the eyes of the world watching, The North Face athlete Tom Wallisch put his mark on the map last weekend, setting an X Games record for the highest score in men's ski slopestyle, and earning himself a gold medal in one of the X Games most memorable runs.

Under the lights for the first time, men’s skiing slopestyle consisted of a course about 1,600-feet long with six features and a vertical drop of 280 feet. Wallisch took that terrain and used it to earn a record score of 96.00 with a run that included a stunning a switch leftside double cork 1080 Japan off the final hit.

“Everyone was doing perfect runs it was just a matter of trying to stand out some how,” Wallisch said.

There’s no doubt Wallisch stood out and was able to not only pull in a gold medal, but what was his first X Games podium appearance.

On the women’s front, Devin Logan nabbed her first X Games medal, taking silver in women’s skiing slopestyle.

Logan put down a run that included a cork 720 and a couple of 540s for her second-place finish. And, according to her, the competition was all about pushing and being pushed by fellow competitors, including gold medalist Kaya Turski

"I was cheering on Kaya today,” Logan said.  “We all want to push the sport every contest. I wanted her to put pressure on me to elevate the level of my riding, same with Anna (Segal).  I saw her run and I knew I could do it. We all root for each other while pushing each other at the sometime."

Devin also finished fifth in women’s ski halfpipe.

Adding to the list of The North Face athletes who put it down in Aspen were Mike Riddle, who finished seventh in men’s ski halfpipe, and Kaitlyn Farrington, who was fifth in women’s snowboard halfpipe.

Jan 31 | The North Face Endurance Challenge Series Registration Opens Today

By The North Face

Ready. Set. Go. Registration for the sixth annual The North Face Endurance Challenge series, presented by Gore-Tex series opens today at 12:00pm EST today for the 2012.

The North Face Endurance Challenge series, hosted by internationally recognized ultrarunner Dean Karnazes, offers a variety of distances from 5k to 50 miles and a unique running experience, welcoming people to push and exceed their personal limits on the trail and road. For the past several years, The North Face Endurance Challenge has sold out in almost all cities, with waiting lists for each distance.

From May through December 2012, six endurance events will be held across the country. The first of the year kicks off in Bear Mountain, NY, then to Washington, DC, Madison, WI, Atlanta, GA and a road event in Kansas City, MO.  The Endurance Challenge will culminate at the championship in San Francisco, CA where men’s and women’s top 50-mile finishers will each be awarded $10,000.

Bear Mountain, NY - May 5-6  (Trail)

Washington, DC - June 2-3  (Trail)

Madison, WI September 15-16  (Trail)

Atlanta, GA October 13-14  (Trail)

Kansas City – November 17  (Road)

San Francisco, CA - December 1-2  (Trail)

Trail events will be held over two days, with the Gore-Tex 50 Mile, 50K, Marathon, Marathon Relay and kid’s races held on Saturday, and the Half Marathon, 10K and 5K races on Sunday. The Kansas City road event will be a one-day event, with the 50K, Marathon, Marathon Relay, Half Marathon, 10K, 5K and Kid’s Race all running on Saturday

In addition to The North Face Endurance Challenge, The North Face global endurance events include The North Face Ultra-Trail du Mont Blanc (Europe), The North Face Ultra-Trail Mt. Fuji (Japan) and The North Face Lavaredo Ultra Trail (Italy). For more information about The North Face global endurance events check out www.thenorthface.com/endurancechallenge

 

Jan 30 | Lizzy Hawker Named Athlete of the Year

By The North Face

 

The International Association of Ultrarunners named Lizzy Hawker the 2011 Athlete of the Year. Among her other accomplishments throughout the year, Lizzy established a World´s Best Performance in the Commonwealth Championships, Llandudno with a distance of 247.06km, and raced to her fourth first place finish at The North Face Ultra-Trail du Mont Blanc in August.

Congratulations Lizzy on an incredible year and a well-deserved honor.

Jan 30 | TNF Sustainability ambassador james balog on the continued success of feature film chasing ice

By The North Face

Whew! The wild ride continues. “Chasing Ice” continues to show to sellout crowds and standing ovations. The insight into climate change provided by the film has been inspiring and uplifting for the audience—and for those of us in the field and creative teams, seeing our handiwork on the big screen is FANTASTIC!

As of today, the film has shown seven times, with one more screening tomorrow. New friends, passionate about the cause and the art, grow out of every presentation. At one special screening for 350 high students, a poll showed that essentially ALL of them left the auditorium with a profound understanding of how real climate change is.

Hollywood Reporter gave us a terrific, thoughtful, well-written  review: http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/review/chasing-ice-sundance-film-review-284913.

 

Team members left to right: Adam LeWinter, Dr. Tad Pfeffer, James Balog (with one of our time-lapse camera boxes), film director Jeff Orlowski, Svavar Jonatonsson.

To learn more about The North Face's sustainability efforts and ambassador James Balog please visit http://expeditionsustainability.com/

Jan 29 | Excellent Super-light Shell - The Alpine Project Jacket

By The North Face

Product review written by customer, Zolen of Birmingham, AL
January 29, 2012

I work at an outdoor sports retailer, so I get to try out lots of stuff.  Well, last week we got in some new TNF items. The two pieces that really excited me were the Alpine Project Jacket and the Leonidas Jacket (quite possibly the most perfect and revolutionary non-Gore shell ever made; and I don't say revolutionary lightly, I DARE you to touch one and not buy it). This Alpine Project Jacket uses the new Gore-Tex Active Shell. I have read about Gore's new Active Shell fabric, but had not yet gotten my hands on it. I can say that this stuff is awesome! As far as Gore-Tex goes, I've always felt like I couldn't find the right type. The Pro Shell feels too stiff (as did the Performance Shell to a lesser extent), the Paclite always felt sticky and clammy, and the Soft Shell feels great (though slightly prickly against bare skin), yet it adds unwanted bulk and weight while its light insulating properties reduce the jacket's potential usage range. I can now say that Gore did an AWESOME job nailing the Active Shell. This stuff feels supple, light and smooth against your skin, while not feeling sticky or clammy. The inner, "third layer" is actually a fine mesh (almost like no-see-um mesh) that's bonded to the membrane. It makes the jacket as light and flexible as Paclite, while being more supple, and feeling much better against the skin.

To credit TNF, the jacket's design is great. Fit is great (size L for my 6'2"/200lb frame), the jacket looks great, and it will soon be my new hard shell (ordered one, on the way).  This should prove to be the ideal everyday/backpacking/climbing shell. Good job, TNF and Gore, on making Gore-Tex TRULY comfortable. Without having tested the actual waterproof performance, and just going on my trust of Gore-Tex, I would venture to say that this is the best Gore-Tex material/jacket to date.

Shop the Alpine Project Collection
Men's Alpine Project Jacket  
Women's Alpine Project Jacket

Jan 27 | PRO SNOWSPORT ATHLETES VISIT SCHOOLS TO DISCUSS EFFECTS OF CLIMATE CHANGE

By The North Face

Nick Martini

Winter is finally kicking into gear but the effects of a shortened season have already taken a toll on snow-based economies across the country. The widespread lack of snow wreaked havoc on mountain town businesses and ski resorts that generate an estimated 50 percent of annual revenue during the Christmas, New Year’s and MLK holidays.

This week,  while Aspen hosts Winter X Games 16, Olympic and X Game medalists are speaking out on climate change and sharing their unique perspective on the economic, social and intangible values of winter with students at Colorado high schools as part of nonprofit Protect Our Winters’ Hot Planet/Cool Athletes program, in partnership with The North Face.

Hot Planet/Cool Athletes is a partnership between Protect Our Winters (POW), the environmental center point of the winter sports community, and Alliance for Climate Education (ACE), the national leader in high school climate education.  The program pairs famous pro snow sport athletes with ACE educators to deliver an award-winning multimedia assembly on climate science and real-world solutions. The assembly features athlete’s personal stories about climate change, specific local consequences related to lower snow levels and inspires students to take action against climate change.

Hot Planet/Cool Athletes is part of a host of special events happening in Colorado’s Roaring Fork Valley high schools leading up to Winter X 16 in Aspen. During the four-days, Hot Planet/Cool Athletes is slated to reach 1600+ students. 

To help students create meaningful actions after each assembly, Bob Marley’s 1Love.org and POW will be providing starter grants to the Aspen-area students who submit results-based, sustainability ideas to POW.  Together, they’ll be awarding $250 per school to individuals and/or groups of students who submit their best ideas to POW by March 1st, 2012.

 “Part of POW’s mission is to make sure that the next generation is better equipped to address climate change. As athletes, we now have a relevant platform to reach young students and create a movement of passionate youth leaders,” said Jeremy Jones, POW’s Founder and professional snowboarder.

Since its launch last year at Winter X Games 15, Hot Planet/Cool Athletes assemblies have reached 10,000+ students at high schools in Colorado, Utah, California, Vermont, Massachusetts and Nevada.  With help from influential snow sport athletes, 

and partners such as The North Face, Clif Bard, Backcountry Magazine, The Quiksilver Foundation and 1Love.org, the assemblies have inspired students to lead environmental action teams that implement impactful climate-related projects in their schools and communities.

 

Jan 27 | Climbing and Filmmaking, a Life of Passion.

By Cedar Wright

When I went on a climbing trip to Brazil in 2009, with Renan Ozturk, I had just bought a video camera and loaded Final Cut Pro onto my rickety laptop.  A month later, I was loving Brazil so much, I ended up staying an extra two months, and shot and climbed the entire time.  When I came home I had SO much footage, and decided I should try to put together a short film to enter into film festivals.  This was the beginning of what has become a career within a career.  I've been lucky to shoot short films in Australia, Malaysia, all around the western united states since then!  Here is Pra Caramba!

 

Now three years later, I am still passionate about climbing and filmmaking.  I sometimes struggle with finding the balance between these two passions but in the end they are complimentary, and whether I am hanging off the side of a cliff filming or climbing, I feel like I'm living my own personal version of the DREAM!!!  Here is my most recent work, that features fellow TNF athlete Sam Elias defying gravity.

 

Jan 25 | James Balog :: "it looks like the world is hungry for a clear and compelling story about climate change"

By The North Face

 

It looks like the world is hungry for a clear and compelling story about climate change. 

 

"Chasing Ice," a 75-minute documentary about the Extreme Ice Survey, had its world premiere Monday night here at the Sundance Film Festival. The film reveals the immortal beauty of icy landscapes in Greenland, Alaska and Iceland at the same time it shows how fast they're being altered by climate change. 

 

27-year-old, first-time feature director Jeff Orlowski created the film. He is one incredibly tenacious, persevering guy--a truly extraordinary individual.

 

It was overwhelming...awe-inspiring...exhilarating...humbling to see and hear the passion in the audience's reaction. We had two standing ovations (Sundance regulars tell me that one standing ovation is rare and two are unprecedented). What a wild night! 

 

To give you a sense of the response, here are the very first press blurbs: 

 

"Chasing Ice is amazing. Definite Oscar contender for docs." Mina Hochberg / Outside Magazine & AM New York

 

“Beautiful and terrifying." Jad Yuan/New York magazine

 

“Amazing.  Wow. I'm so glad I came to this screening so I could hear the q and a.  It is very well done and powerful.” Jesse Hawthorne / San Francisco Bay Guardian

 

“It was really good. The debate about climate change is over.” Greg Reitman / The Environmentalist

 

“The doc really worked for me. It looks terrific and there's a solid character story as well.” Dan Feinberg / Hit Fix

 

“It is incredible.  It is such an important film.  I'm going to tell everyone about it.” Gilda Brasch/IDA

 

“An amazing film.” Kim Voynar/ Movie City News

 

One of Sundance's lead festival programmers told me "This is the climate change film we've all been waiting for."

 

Need I say more??!! 

 

More to follow in another day, as certain VERY interesting details unfold...

 

 

Nature photographer James Balog, left, and director Jeff Orlowski, from the documentary "Chasing Ice," pose for a portrait during the 2012 Sundance Film Festival on Sunday, Jan. 22, 2012, in Park City, Utah. (AP Photo/Victoria Will) 

 

Jan 24 | Mirror Reality: Rocky Mountain Boulder Send by Daniel Woods

By The North Face

On behalf of Daniel Woods

I first got word from Dave Graham in May of 2011 of a potential new project in Rocky Mountain National Park. The climb is located a few hundred feet past the moraine park turnoff, on the right hand side of the road. An obvious landmark to look for is the raging river filled with house sized boulders, running underneath the road bridge. You park in a pull out just past the bridge on the right and run a few hundred feet up the hillside into the woods.

Eager for new boulders, I decided to take a solo mission and check it out. The nature of the rock is glassy with large chunks of crystal seamed together, creating just enough friction to hold on. The beginning is steep (45 degree angle), but as soon as you reach the lip, the angle changes to a bulged out slab. You begin with a 4 move 8A+ which crux revolves around a low percentage first move. The theme of the problem begins (most of the time concludes) at the half way point of the boulder. Here you take a flat full pad edge with your right hand and a flat half pad edge with your left, place your right toe on a needle tip piece of crystal, and jump blindly over the bulge to a glassy sloper with your left hand. This one move in itself is around 8A and is tough to stick from this point, let alone from the beginning. The exit is a 4 move 7C/+ with a hard right foot rock over to the finishing edge. At this point you are relieved and can walk off to the right.

Photo by Cameron Maier, www.BearCamMedia.com.

I tried this project on and off for a couple of weeks in May into June, but the conditions became too warm to succeed. At this point I was disappointed knowing that I was not able to return back until next spring of 2012. My plan was to travel to Europe and boulder for the fall/winter season. The whole time I was in Europe, I thought about this project and if anyone was going to go try it. I heard that a couple of climbers in Boulder were working it on and off, but there was still no success. My departure time in Europe arrived and I flew back to CO in Jan. of 2012. I had speculation if the project would be doable in winter because of snow levels. With a low snow season, the park was in the prime and I repaid the “Bridge Project” another visit.

Photo by Cameron Maier, www.BearCamMedia.com.

It took a few days to remember the moves, but on my 5^th day I executed each move perfectly and grunted my way to the top. Dave Graham and Cameron Maire were there to support me and it felt nice to have friends to share this experience with. There are still more projects to be climbed. I am impressed with how much rock the park has to offer. It seems that gems keep popping up each year, get cleaned, and then become a reality.  

Jan 19 | Hilaree O'Neill :: Road Tripping Installation #11

By Athlete Parents

We drove the 400 mile stretch of Highway 50, also known as the Loneliest Highway, in one day. 

http://ponyexpressnevada.com/pony-express-loneliest-road.html

It was tough to do not so much because of the distance, but because of all the amazing things we saw and all the potentially cool places to stop. The amazing thing about this road trip is that it’s brought me to some really cool parts of the country. Even though I haven’t exactly had a lot of extra time to really explore the places I’m passing through, I know I want to come back. As a skier, it would be an amazing trip to come back to some of the mountain passes along Highway 50 and try for some winter ski traverses.  It looked like there would be some good adventurous rock climbing in the spring or fall and also just remote places to camp and explore and let the kids run wild.

Not only was the drive well beyond my expectations, pulling into the Great Basin National Park ended up being one of my favorite stops on this 4500 mile road trip. 

http://www.nps.gov/grba/index.htm 

Partly because there were no crowds and the camping was incredibly relaxed, partly because it was such an unexpected surprise but mostly because of the cave tours and how excited Quinn was about spending an hour climbing through massive cavern after massive cavern in the Lehman Caves.

"The finest workers in stone are not copper or steel tools, but the gentle touches of air and water working at their leisure with a liberal allowance of time."

-Henry David Thoreau

We spent two nights in the park and most of that time was at the main center where the Ranger station, restaurant and Lehman Caves are located. The kids obviously loved the caves, even though I was really nervous to take them on a guided, structured tour. Quinn only strayed from the group a few times and neither of them tore down any stalagmites or anything so, all in all, it went pretty well.

When I make a trip back to this area, I would really like to climb 13,065 ft Wheeler Peak and explore the limestone arches and cliffs that lie within the park. Truly, though, this was one of the best surprises of the trip and an amazing National Park.

Packing up the camper and the kids this time, I realized we only had one more stop before heading home. From the Great basin we were driving due east across southern Utah to a friend’s place in Boulder, Utah. Again, this was a slice of the country I had never seen before but had heard lots about. There is a high concentration of National Parks in this part of the country- Bryce Canyon, Capital Reef, Zion. I was excited about the drive though this wild and scenic area. Also, my very good friend, Kasha Rigby, was at the end of the drive and I always love any chance I get to see her.