The North Face

Rock Climber | Cedar Wright

Cedar "Ceedy" Wright learned climbing at the age of 21 on Northern California’s majestic sea cliffs. While he worked toward his B.A. in English from Humboldt State, he quickly progressed as a climber and was soon establishing numerous first-ascent free climbs throughout the area. After earning his degree he started wintering in Joshua Tree and spending the rest of the year in Yosemite, where he became an accomplished free soloist, speed climber, aid climber and free climber.

Learn more about Cedar Wright.

Feb 14 | "The Game" Daniel Woods Climbs World's Hardest Boulder Problem?!?!

By Cedar Wright

Watch Daniel Woods working what very well may be the hardest boulder problem in the country if not the world! If Daniel's estimation is correct, this is the first V16 in the country and arguably the universe!!!  I shot and edited this piece in collaboration with Big Up Productions and Sender Films  The Full Send will be featured in this years Reel Rock Tour   ...The back story....I first met Daniel Woods about 5 years ago while in Rocklands Africa. Daniel already had a reputation as a steel fingered bouldering phenomena, and watching him crush in the boulders was about as close as I've come to witnessing the defiance of gravity. When Daniel mentioned on a facebook post that he had a new super project up in Bolder Canyon, and felt he might be close to "the hardest moves I've ever tried", I figured it might be a cool moment to film and so I rang him up! For the last two weeks I have been braving the 30 degree temps and shooting Daniel's process and progress. Recently, in spite of a broken hold and a nasty fall, Daniel sucked it up, figured out new beta and SENT!!! "This is definitely harder than Terremer, and Jade, and I think warrants the grade of V16" he said. If Daniel's estimation is right, this puts "The Game" as a competitor for hardest boulder in the world!!! Daniel had this to say, "I called this problem The Game, because for me the climb was a game I had to play, I had to click into game mode, and really train myself for these moves. I had to grow mentally strong and also physically strong to be able to put it together. I call it the game, because I played the game and I ended up winning the game so game over." A little inside information... one of Daniel's favorite rappers is also named "The Game!"

Dec 20 | BAck To The Roots: Indian Creek 5.13a F.A. of M.D.M.C.P. 09

By Cedar Wright

Man was it great to get back down to Indian Creek over Thanks Giving!! Indian Creek has always been one of my favorite climbing areas, and it felt like coming home as I rolled Beef Basin with my good friend Nick Martino. Over the years I've been lucky to put up some classic First Ascents in the Creek that buck the trend of the straight in splitter and offer up more complex esoteric climbing. My most recent foray into the unknown continued with this trend. Nick and I were lucky to establish our new route over a few days and headed back to Boulder psyched on our little dose of adventure. We both lead the crux pitch, and I managed to onsight the wild twenty five foot roof on the third pitch by the skin of my teeth. We named the route the "Micah Dash Memorial Choss Pile" in honor of our good friend Micah Dash who was lost in the mountains of China this year. I think he would have appreciated the tongue-in-cheek name, which as it turns out is not a choss pile at all!! Micah loved the creek and was always good for a laugh and a quality shit talking session around the fire. Well...Enjoy everyone. Happy Holidays!! Cedar Wright.

Dec 16 | Vertical Carnival The Album

By Cedar Wright

If you have been following the Vertical Carnival blog for long, you probably realize that I make most of the music for the short films that Renan and I bring you every week.  On my rest days from Climbing, I produce the music on my computer fusing together live and electronic instruments, along with my funky vocal stylings.  After years of creating this music mostly for short videos, I've compiled 20 songs into Vertical Carnival The Album, which is available HERE!!!  

Nov 18 | Mallorca Psicoblog 9 "Corazon de Mallorca"

By Cedar Wright

If you are lucky enough to experience the extreme pleasure of a deep water soloing sojourn to Mallorca, there is a good chance you will meet deep water solo pioneer, Miquel Riera, a veritable living legend. Miquel is one of the coolest guys you could ever hope to meet, with an undying psyche for climbing, women, and partying. I followed Miquel around one day for a trip off the beaten path. This was perhaps the most intimidating day of the trip with rough waters and virgin rock!!! Enjoy the latest Psicoblog. Cheers. Cedar

Oct 27 | THE ADVENTURE FILM FESTIVAL BOULDER

By Cedar Wright

WOOHOOOO Renan and I have both had our original films selected for the Adventure Film Festival in Boulder Colorado!!! We are honored to have made the cut with over 300 films screened! This will the world premiere for my short film "Pra Caramba" that features the best footage you never saw from Brazil!!! Renan's award winning film about suffering in the center of the universe is called SAMSARA. If you have the time we'd really appreciate you coming out for the festival. GET TICKETS AND FIND OUT MORE HERE!!!

Oct 19 | MALLORCA PSICOBLOG 8 "FIRE OR WATER"

By Cedar Wright

With a few days left in the trip, James Pearson and Alex Honnold climb the hardest route yet, a wild roof encounter over 50 feet above the water.  After some exciting plunges into the water, they finally pulled it off!  Super proud!  Stay tuned for two more "Psicoblogs."  Cheers.  Cedar!!!

Oct 03 | Psicoblog 7 "Smackdown"

By Cedar Wright

So we went to check out this wild cave called "Cala Llombards" and gave it a go.  The seas were the roughest we had seen on the trip and it was really unnerving to be climbing out a huge roof with our backs to the booming, swirling, exploding sea! It was even more unnerving when James snapped a hold and fell twenty five feet onto his back, drawing blood, and barely swimming out!!! Yikes!! Check it out!!!! 

Sep 26 | MALLORCA PSICOBLOG 6 "DEEP BLUE"

By Cedar Wright

Hey Guys. This is Alex writing a little intro for Cedar’s newest masterpiece. He’s slaved hard the entire night to bring you this newest dispatch, which focuses on Matt Segal sending everything. The rest of us are basically on vacation while Matt crushes and Cedar shoots. The weather has improved and everything is going great here. Only a few more days left, so I guess we’re going to motivate and try to finish a couple more routes . Hope everything is going well for everyone!

Sep 21 | The Weather Man

By Cedar Wright

Inspite of inclement weather and unerving sea swells, we have continued to push our limits on Mallorca's wild Limestone Sea Cliffs!  In the last week, we have venture away from some of the more popular cliffs and onto some of the more obscure and terrifying climbs of Mallorca.  There have been some huge whippers from as high as sixty feet, and some proud sends by the whole team.  This is truely a climbers paradise, but at the right moment, high above the sea and barely able to hold on...it can be a truely horrifying paradise!!!  This dispatch features Matt, Alex and James crushing a proud route called the Weather Man with the most difficult moves over fifty feet off of the ground...errr water!  Hope you enjoy!!!

Sep 16 | Psicoblog 4 "Super Soaker"

By Cedar Wright

Good morning one and all. James Pearson here, reporting from not so sunny Mallorca. The rain has arrived hard and done its best to dampen our hopes but through a combination of planning, luck and pure pig-headedness we are still managing to climb.

Cedar is "manning up" on both the climbing and video front. He now has the record for the biggest whip on the trip, and is also working really hard on final cut - usually until 5 or 6am every morning! Here is the 4th psicoblog and Im sure you will agree that his hard work is paying off.

Routes in the film include Los-kot and Two Smoking Barrels, and Snatch and are two of the most fun routes I have climbed anywhere. Klem has a real eye for a line and there are a few more of his routes I am psyched on - stay tuned for more...