This fall in France has been some of the best jumping of the season- that is- when we actually get to jump! Fall is great because the air is more stable, meaning you get to jump and fly all day. But sometimes when the air doesn't heat up, we end up getting stuck at the top of the cliff, looking down at all of the clouds. This is part of the sport few people get to see. Yes- the jumping and flying down is AMAZING, but the majority of the time is spent checking weather, scouting, hiking, and...

There are endless skills available at any track if you know the right way to ride it. BMX bikes are ideal, but as mountain bikers these days we use single speed hardtails (33-16 gearing) with fast rolling tires. Just about any bike will do, even beaters, no excuse. Suspension bikes work as well, you just gotta add more air pressure to your shocks and tires. Jumping drills are probably a little better than manualling, etc. cornering drills are good too.

While I write this, thousands of files are being transferred in a rush as late payments skim the loan deadline; the dollars transferred determining admittance into my local community college. And, while I write this, new projects and searching for climbing fills my mind, pushing structured education out of thought. I am finding within my mixed lifestyle the best way to balance school and climbing is total devotion to each in its respect, denying any mixing between the two passions, the rigor and repetition of junior college courses being absolutely anathema to climbing’s electricity. ...

Maybe it’s something in New Zealand’s water. First there’s Mayan Gobat-Smith, who’s arguably the best female trad climber on the planet. Now, in the category of ridiculously strong young men, fellow-countryman, Wiz Fineron, is making a big splash by repeating some of the hardest routes in the Southern Hemisphere—including the iconic Punks in the Gym and, most recently, claimed one of Australia’s s most sought-after historic projects, Somalia. In between training and studying for his final exams, I caught up with Wiz to find out more about his recent climbs and background.

This past Monday we attended the event organized Five Ten climbing gyms throughout the peninsula, to try the latest from Five Ten and exchange experiences with the team that is otherwise difficult we agree.For there were the Five Ten Team, Toni Bonet, Pablo Aguado, Xavi Ruiz, Gerard Rull, Pau Jover and I went by people interested in the climbing shoes and had the opportunity to try them all afternoon from 18:00 to 21 : 00, so seeking advice on feet and other, comparisons, etc., a good way to present this fantastic footwear and be able to prove in a...

After weeks on the road calling parking lots home and sleeping in a space the size of a double-wide coffin I’ve returned to civilized society. For the first time in 6 years I made it home in time to join my family for Thanksgiving. In between the alternating rounds of voracious food annihilation and family banter I took some time to reflect on where the last few months of 2012 have taken me.