Petzl Crew's blog

Organizing an electronic music party is not an easy thing here in Kentucky... Even though I had sent a full technical file with the list of necessary equipment, a few issues appeared when I decided to check all on Thursday evening. According to Morgan, getting your hands on a couple of Technic’s MK2 turntable is already a victory, as I come along Guillaume shows me what has been mistaken for a mixer: an effect machine! For you guy who know nothing about this kind of stuff, the mixer is the device that allows you to get the sound of the two record players together, mix it up and playing it out loud to the crowd. Without it you do nothin’... Here a call, there a call, watch my call... I still have no mixer in sight... Other issue, Said was not able to travel with his instruments, so we have to either borrow, rent or invent something.

On Friday we decide to go ourselves to Lexington to find all of that we need. We get directions, phone numbers and diverse beta and off we go. Thanks to Marietta and Martina’s sense of orientation we easily find the music store... with a great Mixer and diverses perc, drums and symbal for rent... Yessss. Aieee, everything gonna be alright until:
Do you guys have a Kentucky State Driving License ?
Wot man we have several passports from France, Sweden, Germany, Slovenia, UK but nothin like that!
Well then I can’t rent you that stuff.

C’mon I want to talk to the manager, No sir we ain’t rentin you nothin without a Kentucky State drivers licence... Gee feeling close to deep depression, I call back Morgan who luckily finds a buddy from Lexington to show up at the store with the magic pass... Thank you Patrick for showing up.

But we’re still missing a Didjeridoo for Said, so we find a hardware store, and make one out of toilet pipes! And there goes our happy bunch back to the Red, it seems that here in Kentucky it’s easier to buy a gun than to rent a mixer and a couple of drums...

Friday after the movies we do a little rehersal with Said, excellent, this guy rocks on percs... The turntables are a little sketchy, the stage wobbles a bit  but i guess I’ll have to live with that...

Southern Beats and Deep Fried Drum and Bass

Here we are Saturday night setting up our stage after a great Blue Grass Band (Big up for those guys that played super early and performed well), a bunch of gear raffles, more money for the rrgcc and the usual O’neil roast, followed by  Odub rappin the place with his daughter on stage, GOOOd Job guys. I allways feel that same knotted stomach as we dim the lights to start the show.....and fry the place with great performance with Said and Timmy on the drums, Guillaume on live visuals and several unexpected guests and stage Slammers.

Special Big Up for Morgan Burton and his crew for the stage, sound, lights and cool spirit. Matt and Amy Tackett of Red River Outdoors for accepting such a loud party on their field and all the congratulations to  Bentley Brackett and Morgain Sprague for their global organization of this Roc Trip at RoctoberFest 07...

Photos J. Evans

After several tries during two days, Mickael Fuselier made the first ascent of "Fifty words for pumped" in Red River Gorge, for the Petzl RocTrip.

TIP : Press two times on the "PLAY" button to launch the buffer. Then, wait until more than 50% of the movie is loaded. You can also click on the "ZOOM" button to watch fullscreen.

A video by Erwan Lelann.
Music by Captain Kverne.

Dani Andrada and Tony Lamiche worked hard yesterday to find a new beta that let them clip the fourth quickdraw in Fifty words for pumped.

Dany:

Despues de Mikey Fuselier encadena la via de RocTrip, yo investigo mucho tiempo porqe por el paso original el talon no va bien.

Y insisto en encontrar un metodo mejor para mi, y finalmente entre Tonio y yo lo encontramos y es possible hacerla, ya que finalmente todo el mundo intentara con ese metodo, aunke la diferencia es que por ese camino sera 8c, pero bonito...

Mickey Fuselier in the first crux during a try on thirsday - Photo Boris Stephan

While many of the athletes rested to get ready for Saturday’s flash rally at the Motherlode, Michael Fuselier took advantage of the short lines at Bob Marley to polish off the first of the men’s Ultimate Routes. Fifty Words for Pump, a route nearing a decade without an ascent, might have stumped many with its awkward and bouldery lower crux, but Fuselier skimmed through it and made a clean run for the anchors. Though he claims he put in many attempts, the two-day tick was a memorable one for the Red. Calling it 5.14c, this route gained the RRGCC $500 from Petzl to go towards the PMRP mortgage payment.

With a day of climbing wrapped up, and clinics participants filtering back, the crowds herded into the Red River Outdoors fields for the night’s party.  Sponsor tents overran the back half, while the main tent held the screen for night’s viewing of movies. With Timmy O’Niel running MC, and a brief introduction from Petzl American Marketing Director John Evans, and RRGCC Director of Corporate Funding Bentley Brackett, three movies played – Kinglines as the main attraction – while the crowds got psyched up.

What’s to come: the biggest day for the RocTrip/Roctoberfest, Saturday’s flash rally will begin at 10:30 at the Motherlode.  Who will be the ruler of the day? Can McColl repeat his proud Thanatopsis onsight? Will Michael pull out all the stops? Come see the action.

The Petzl RocTrip/Roctoberfest event has officially begun, and the athletes have already geared up for game-time.  With the big bucks still rolling in, and participants lining up in queue for this year's clinics – with instructors Lynn Hill, Katie Brown Cedar Wright, and more – the event is ready to kick off. Sean McColl's tipped off yesterday's highlights with a flash of the Motherlode crimpfest, Thanatopsis, (5.14d). It was hard all the way up, he says, I almost fell off the last move McColl also onsighted White Man's Shuffle, 5.13d.

Doyle pulled off a last-minute Bounty Route addition – Doglegs (5.12a) – a reachy, short-man's nightmare. A bounty was placed on the route for the first athlete – Doyle's height (5'5") or shorter – to send the route. After an afternoon's worth of tries and some serious motivation, Doyle pulled it off for another $500 Petzl donation to the RRGCC.

The women's Ultimate Route, No Redemption (5.13b), saw two more accents today.  French phenom Liv Sansov, and Mariette Uhden from Germany polished off the route. Also noteworthy, Gabor Szekely sent Milf Money, the slab (5.13b), that has now sent six accents. The men are scrambling to find Fifty Words For Pump, but so far no one has dialed in the V11 crux near the bottom of the route.

With the event schedule to kick-off today, and the crowds rolling into Miguel's parking lot in droves, the 2007 RocTrip/Rocktoberfest has no limits. With the help of the community, the PMRP mortgage payment of $30,000 could be met by the end of the weekend. Come out, meet the Petzl athletes, and join the fun for the weekend.

The video of Steve McClure, working on the Left bounty route ("Project") on the Chocolate Factory. Petzl Roctrip Redriver Gorge, USA.

"This route will go, but man, it is way hard. A line of tiny, sloping and sharp crimps up the forty five degree overhanging wall with no rest for thirty metres. A beautiful route, too hard for me in two days! I am switching projects.....

Fifty words for pump, Bob Marley project. This route is a definate possibility. Crimpy boulder problem followed by sloping expedition up the massive overhang. I have it wired after an hour, Now I just have to wait my turn in the queue for a redpoint..."

Steve McClure

Everyone is keyed up for the Petzl RocTrip 2007, The Red River Gorge. With the exception of a few still trickling in, the athletes have made their way out to the crags to check out what the Red is all about. After taking a viewing tour of the list of Ultimate Routes on Tuesday, the athletes decided on the routes of the event and Petzl has agreed to donated $500 to the RRGCC for each Ultimate Route sent.

For the men, Fifty Words for Pump, the long-unsent project at Bob Marley Crag is the ultimate gem, and the they worked it enmass with no clean sends. Steve McClure, England’s hardman, avoided the crowds at the Chocolate Factory, a crag recently discovered by Kenny Barker and Mike Doyle. While Steve thinks the route will go, he says it’s very hard and needs a lot of cleaning, The women, however, ruled the day after both Ultimate Routes located at Bob Marley crag saw an accent. Martina Cufar walked the technical No Redemption, 5.13b, second go, and Emily Harrington, sent Ultraperm 5.13d on her third try, tenth route of the day.

Sean McColl started the domino effect for the mixed route, an unsend “slab” route also at Bob Marley. Named Milf Money and rated a rough13b, this route saw four more accents: Daniel Woods, Sonnie Trotter, Chris Linder, and Dave Graham. Other noteworthy sends: both Michael Fuselier and Daniel Woods onsighted Ultraperm, 5.13d. With Petzl’s contribution, pre-registration and other donations John Evans, Petzl American’s marketing director, thinks it’s possible for the community to raise the annual $30,000 payment by the end of the event.

As a side note, while on route, filmmaker Rob Frost, was bit by a snake coiled on a ledge. After following both Cedar Wright and Katie Brown on the route, he thinks it was the hiker effect. The first wakes it up, the second pisses it off, and the third gets bit.

Morgain Sprage, from the Red River Gorge Climbers Coalition, announced tonight to the team that they had already raised $20 000 for the site preservation !

Especially, Kathy Brown gave a presentation in Louisville on tuesday night, and donated the benefit ($5 000) to the Coalition.

$30 000 are expected at the end of the RocTrip... which has not even officially begun yet ! (Red River Gorge RocTrip, from October 12th to 14th)

Really sounds like we're gonna make it.

We've come here to help the RRGCC raise money for their annual Mortgage payement in order to secure climbing in the Perdergrass-Muray Preserve (more info on Petzl.com). The area is under the menace of closure due to oil drilling, no kiding the forest is full of Oil rigs pumping it up.

Basically everyone has arrived for the Trip, The Euro gang got in early and the North American crew is almost complete. Today Dani Andrada (ESP), Said Belhaj (SUE), Tony Lamiche, (FRA), Gèrome Pouvreau (FRA), Liv Sansoz (FRA), Steve McClure (GB), Martina Cufar (SLO), Marietta Uhden (GER), Daniel Dulac (FRA), Mickael Fuselier (FRA), Gerhard Horhager (AUS), teamed up with Dave Graham, Joe Kinder, Chris Lindner, Sonnie Trotter (CAN), Whitney Boland and Lev Pinter (CAN) toured the Motherlode, Chocolate Factory and Bob Marley areas looking up at the Bounty Routes for the weekend.

Gonna make it ?

First impressions of the rock here: incredible is a weak word to describe the quality, also incredible was a snake attempting one of the Bounty Routes, what about a 3 foot black snake slithering around the 4rth bolt. Sick. Finally we managed to sneak a couple of routes in at Bob Marley, our man of the day Erwan Le Lann team manager even permitted himself to roast Steve McClure, on Dog Leg 12a, the huge body span of Erwan fit perfectly , as a handicap he climbed the route in hiking shoes !

Late arrivals came with Sean McColl, Emily Harrington, Daniel Wood and Lynn Hill. Chris Sharma is due to arrive on Thursday and our good ol'friend Timmy O'Neil should wander in on Friday.

Almost last but not the least, while we were waiting for the late Americans, Katie Brown and Cedar Wright, these two actually held an RRGCC benefit slide show and book signing at Rock Sport climbing gym in Louisville. Rob Butsch, owner raised $5000 in the evening for RRGCC.

Sounds like we're gonna make it. See ya'll around this week.