Category: colorado

Gear Review: Marmot Silverton Gore-Tex Pro Shell

I know, spring has sprung, but I’m just trying to get caught up on my blog posts. I have a ways to go.

I started ice climbing last year and fell in love with it. I didn’t get out nearly enough this year, but I got a few times in early in the season. I went to Vail with Kevin Kelly and Matt Lloyd last december and climbed East Vail Falls.

The Scotsman himself, Kevin Kelly hacking away, rocking my Marmot Silverton Goretex Pro Shell

I bought the Marmot Silverton Gore-Tex Pro Shell as my main ski and ice climbing jacket this year and it performed wonderfully. I gave up an insulated shell and layered up much more this season. On most in-bounds skiing days a base-layer, a puff, and the Silverton were more than enough to keep me warm. On the coldest of days I’d add another midlayer and be fine. I never felt too swampy in the jacket, the Gore-Tex letting the heat vapors pass through. The waterproof zippers can be hard to pull sometimes with gloves on, but overall not a big deal. The pockets are well placed and HUGE. The removable powder skirt was useful on the rare powder day in Colorado this year. 

There were many times that I was incredibly thankful I was wearing this jacket this season. One such example was in Hyalite Canyon, Montana on Slight of Hand (Near Emerald Lake). Even though it was well below freezing the waterfall on Slight of Hand was splashing all over the route. By the end of the route my glasses, beard, and most everything else were covered in icicles, but because the Gore-Tex Pro did it’s job my body was bone dry.
Getting into it on Sleight of Hand (WI4) in Hyalite Canyon, Montana. 
 I saw online when I ordered that the jacket fits tight and you should order a larger size than normal. I found the Medium baggier on me than I like and wished I’d gotten the small. But bigger does mean you can layer much more, which might come in handy this summer in Peru. Overall, I love the Silverton. It’s been a fantastic jacket, and I know it will be with me for seasons to come. 
And another gratuitous ice climbing photo of Matt Lloyd on East Vail Falls. 
Matt Lloyd soloing up the curtain.

Lighting a Cave & Problem Solving

A few weeks ago Jon Cardwell asked me to come out and shoot with him and Chelsea Rude for a project.

Chelsea Rude climbing Rubble (5.13b)
We went back to Sex Cave in Clear Creek Canyon to get some shots of them sport climbing. It was an ideal location because of the easy access from the road and the ability to shoot from the ground. I hadbroken my back a few weeks before and could not hang from a rope. 
With the help of my girlfriend I set up my lights how I wanted them and prepared to shoot, but I realized I was missing something. I had forgotten to pack the connector wires for the radio slaves. My studio strobes could not be fired remotely, well directly from the slaves. So I quickly figured out a solution. 
I would have just used my Canon Flashes, but they are not powerful enough to get the results I wanted. I connected my Pixel King radio slave to my flash and used the built in optical slave on my White-Lightning strobe to fire into an umbrella that broadly lit the underside of the cave. The spill light from the umbrella hit the optical sensor on my Yongnua YN-560 flash, firing it into the back of my other White-Lightning strobe, giving me the rim light I wanted. It was super complicated and tricky to enact, but the diagram below might help you visual types. 
The diagram is, of course, inexact, but it give you the idea. Using optical slaves to pop your lights remotely is a great, fast and easy approach to lighting. A lot of times in my studio I will just use a speedlite set to 1/128th power to pop all the lights in my set up. But in a less controlled environment using wireless slaves gives you much more control. 

Jon Cardwell on Rubble

After the climbing we used the great afternoon light over the Flatirons to shoot a few portraits using just one Speedlite in an umbrella and the sun as rim light. 

I don’t recommend leaving behind pieces of equipment you need. I definitely need to be better at double checking my gear. 
Till next time, 

Published in Origin. Magazine

I just picked up my copy of Origin. Magazine at Whole Foods (the only place it sells) that has photos I took of Jon Cardwell and Chelsea Rude a few weeks ago. 
It has two covers…

Jon Cardwell climbing Rubble in Clear Creek Canyon & portrait in front of the FlatIrons. 

Chelsea Rude climbing Stone Cold Modern in Clear Creek Canyon & portrait in front of the FlatIrons. 

Matilda Soderlünd Bouldering

A few months ago I got a call from Tiffany Hensley asking if I wanted to get out and shoot with Swedish climber Matilda Soderlünd. Who am I to say no to an invitation like that. We tried to go to Guanella Pass but we got rained out. On the way home we decided to stop in Clear Creek Canyon to at least get some climbing in.

Matilda is not as much of a boulderer as she is a sport climber, but she definitely can hold her own.

We found this friendly guy blocking our path out, but he allowed us to pass eventually.

I invited Matilda to come back to Clear Creek later and show me her sport climbing skills. And she is impressive.