Lisa is currently gracing the Outdoor Research Women’s Apparel page. Check it out. This is photo was taken last year during a photo shoot prior to the Red Rocks Rendesvous event that we annually teach clinics at.
The photo was take by Bryan Smith at Red Rocks, just outside of Las Vegas, NV.
And here is the un-cropped version of the pic.
Please note: These images are the copyright/property of Bryan Smith (http://reelwaterproductions.com/)
I exit the grocery store with Ryan Johnson my climbing partner and host for this trip. We enter into the cold sunlight and look up to see spindrift avalanches cascading down over the ice climbs on Juneau mountain. Somewhere along the halfway point, gravity is met with a strong updraft and forms a standing wave of snow. It makes for an interesting site and I’m glad my next task is the liquor store and not one of those pitches of ice up there. Despite the good weather, I’m enjoying the chill day, although not the chill of the day. I’m suffering some from my attempt to keep up with the local beer drinkers yesterday and I feel cold and crappy.
Dawn follows my lead
Sometimes just getting the adventure going is an adventure in itself. Ryan’s float plane from the mining site he’s been working at, flew away before landing. This put me arriving in Juneau before him. As well, one of my bags didn’t arrive. Ryan’s parents picked me up from the airport so fortunately I wasn’t left high and dry. I even managed to sneak out for some ice climbing my first day and despite a case of the screaming barfies (a painful re-warming of the hands once they have gone numb to the cold), it was great to get out on some ice. I could smell the salt water and from the climbs we looked out over the channel of sea water than runs past Juneau. “Ha, I’m climbing on the beach after all” I thought to myself.
I thought this mockingly, as my wife Lisa was planning a trip to climb in the warm Mediterranean sun in Greece following my return from Alaska.We have been alternating trips this year as our son is in high school and we no longer have the flexibility to travel like we did home schooling. I couldn’t help but reconsider my own plans when she proposed that idea; Alaska, winter, ice… sounds cold and scary. What’s a matter with me anyway? Why seek such adventure and suffering?
Newspapers hang in the cafe
7:30 rolled by, then 8:00 PM. No word from Ryan. His parents were doing what all parents do, worrying some and trying to wonder what had happened to him. After a month working in the mines, maybe he just got a little to drunk at the airport?? 9:00pm rolled by and as I was getting comfortable in bed and settling into an episode of South Park on my Andriod phone, the phone rang. It was Ryan. His driver’s license had stuck to the face of his cell phone and he was unable to locate it when going through security at the airport. While desperately trying to produce it for the TSA officials in his frustration, a few f-bombs slipped out. Meanwhile an overzealous TSA official got offended and the resulting confrontation left Ryan handcuffed in an airport security room for 4 hours.
Only the begining, but a good start to a man-cart!
The next day we shopped and prepared for our departure. $300 of groceries, $75 of margarita fixings, and small mountains of gear are spread across the living room and kitchen. We’ve got a helicopter booked for the morning, the ice conditions are looking great, and a forecast of 5 days of good weather awaits us. We were off to some “secret stashes” of ice near the Taku river, south of Juneau. Promises of giant, never before climbed, continuously steep lines of ice await us. Tomorrow morning, it’s game time!
Jason Nelson of Visual Adventures has an adventure up his sleeve this winter. He will be traveling to Juneau to meet Ryan Johnson who lives in the area and has been scoping out the best climbs in the Juneau area that are yet unclimbed. The duo will be attempting some cutting edge ice climbing in the remote Alaskan wilds.
Plain and simple, our goal is to complete big difficult ice and mixed first ascents in the Juneau, Alaska area. We will establish routes alpine style while incorporating mad skills. Due to weather and conditions being potentially finicky in Southeast Alaska, we will take a multi-tiered approach, which will include both main objectives and back up plans.
Our objective is 1,000 ft. of vertical ice in a Squamish meets Stanley Headwall setting. The ice is big, continuous, steep, and unclimbed. Access to the location will be obtained via either a helicopter or a boat ride followed by skiing.
Jason Nelson – With 16 yrs. of climbing experience across the globe, Jason is no stranger to the world of climbing. He has established new routes up to 5.13 and M12. Jason has placed in the top 10 each year he has completed in the Ouray Ice Festival. In 2009 Jason and Blake Herrington pioneered 3 new big climbs on the Mendenhall Towers above Juneau. This success inspired Jason to return. Jason is sponsored by Sterling Rope, Asolo/Lowe Alpine, Trango, Larabar, and Outdoor Research. In addition, he also has a degree in photography from the Colorado Institute of Art.
Ryan Johnson was born and raised stomping through devil’s club and working his way through the crevassed glaciers of SE Alaska. From the South Face of Denali to the unrelentingly steep walls of el cap, Ryan can be found with a smile on his face. His climbing has brought him to various areas throughout Alaska, Nepal, Canada and the Lower 48.
Check out Visual Adventures artwork to help the Rios Libres project.
Local Flagstaff photographer James ‘Q’ Martin gives a personal, behind the scenes presentation of the Rios Libres Project and the making of the movie “Power in the Pristine.” Using multi-media, Q will illustrate the Chilean landscape’s beauty and the detrimental magnitude of the proposed dams towards this uninhabited, divine land.
The movie, “Power to the Prisine”–24 minutes features Patagonia, one of the last untouched places on the planet is under attack. Big business seeks to choke two of the region’s most pristine rivers with mega-dams and plan to decimate unique forest ecosystems to build the longest power line in the world. Follow Team Rios Libres led by professional athlete, Timmy O’Neill and luminary writer, Craig Childs on their journey from the source of the Baker River to the sea
Born in the desert, raised in Alaska, Q has a powerful relationship with the outdoor world and a talent for capturing brilliant images. His alluring photos have graced the covers of outdoor magazines, such as Alpinist. Leading companies such as Mountain Hardwear and Patagonia have entrusted him to travel the world in search of the perfect image. In Chile, he ventured out to capture and produce media that would inform the world of threatening degradation towards the Earth’s last remaining wild places. Following Chile’s largest river from source to sea, ice cap to fjord, with stunning imagery and will share this story with Flagstaff Friday night.
This presentation will show many never before scenes of Timmy ONeill interacting with nature in the funniest of scenarios, and offering insight as to what it takes to co-produce an epic trip and become a first time moviemaker. Learn why we must act now to Keep Patagonia Wild. www.rioslibres.com
James Canyon is located 10 miles south of Flagstaff, AZ and feeds into Oak Creek Canyon. The canyon is beautifully forested with some desert like slot sections and about half a dozen swims through cold pools of water. The canyon floors lush deciduous fauna is quite different than the open pine forest that surrounds it and with the change of the season it’s a perfect time to see the foliage.
There are two rappels in the canyon. One about 12 ft. into a pool of water. The second is a dry 40 ft. rappel from a tree. Plan on swimming up to 150 ft. on numerous occasions in very cold water. This canyon is best done in hot weather. This is a good first technical canyon due to the fact that you can escape the canyon in many places.
100 ft of rope (a Canyon Tech rope would be ideal, but we just cut an old 60 meter Velocity in half), harness, belay device, a sturdy pair of shoes, a drybag, a little snack, and a wetsuit recommended.
5 hrs. if you exit out of the bottom of the canyon and locate the forest road between James and Kelly Canyons. Returning via Kelly Canyon would be more scenic, but a longer day.
Exit Kelly Canyon Road on I-17 about 9 miles south of Flagstaff. Park on the west side of the highway and walk south along the dirt road until it fades and drops into a canyon.
The Canyoneering Arizona book has additional information on this canyon and others.
*Note: links on this page are to companies that have given us support on these and various other adventures.
Pine Creek Canyon of Zion is a great slot canyon for someone just learning about canyoneering. It’s fairly short and non technical, has minimal swimming and good anchors. Zion Adventure Company set us up with wet suits for a minimal cost. I wouldn’t say that a wet suit is required, but it will definitely make the whole experience more enjoyable. You do, however, need ropes and basic rope experience.
This is the first rappel into the canyon. Right now my wife is thinking “If I have to swim through stagnant, dead animal invested water, he’s never going to hear the end of it.
Let the cussing begin. There’s no turning back now.
A narrow sliver of sunlight warms up the moment. 
Hope you’re not afraid of the dark, and what might be in that dark water. 
Now how often do you get to see and rappel through a double arch posed in the middle of a slot canyon? Take a photo now!
Hey Lisa, did you see that move “The Descent”? The one with the creepy people eating monsters that live underground?
Gasp for breath now, that water is cooooollllllddddd.
“Step into the light Carol Anne..” oh wait, wrong movie reference.
Don’t look down now, but…
Only some boulder hoping left. Almost there!
The Virgin River begins just below Brian Head, UT and then carves a dramatic canyon through the western portion of the Colorado Plateau. This is the highlight feature of Zion National Park. The Virgin’s upper canyon is referred to as the Narrows. Hiking the Narrows top down is a popular attraction for those seeking adventure. Zion’s Narrows are commonly done in two days, but that requires a sometimes challenging to get bivi permit. It also means you’ll be carrying bivi gear which you might fall in the river with. The day trip (16 miles) takes most parties between 9 and 11.5 hours. We were able to do in just under nine hours our first try. It was a long day hiking down the river in a beautiful canyon. I’m not sure where else you’d get a similar experience. The hardest thing for us was the endless hours of walking on slippery rocks in the river. This slipping around pulverized our feet and worked the stability muscles in our legs. The last couple miles were painful. Aside from the length, and these mentioned issues, the narrows is not a very strenuous day. The descent is very gentle so the only thing taking your breath away may be the current or the scenery.
There you have it. Go experience Zion. It’s a beautiful place.
DryComp Ridge Sack – This was the perfect bag for this adventure. It was lightweight, the perfect size, and kept my goodies dry in the deeper sections. I didn’t have to hold my pack over my head like my fellow hikers had to. One thing to remember with this pack is that it doesn’t have any sort of frame, so you need to pack it tight (not necessarily full) in order for it to sit nicely on your back.
Asolo Modular - We didn’t feel the river was cold enough to warrant renting the canyoneering shoes. These sneakers worked great for moving quickly along the road and trails. They also did a great job of emptying the water as I walked and held up well to all of the abuse. I was also pleased that they didn’t allow too much sand or rocks inside. They were a little soft for the miles of walking on slippery river stones. My feet were a bit pulverized by the end of the day. This of course was not what these shoes were designed for, so this doesn’t come as a big surprise.
Coconut Cream Pie Larabars – I would suggest bringing a variety of food and plenty of it. The Larabars pack a healthy punch and the Coconut Cream Pie is my favorite flavor. It’s got a lighter flavor than many of the others and I like that about it.
Transit Sun Hat – This hat was designed for hot desert temps. It does a great job of keep the sun off your face and the sticks and bugs out of your hair as you duck and weave through the trail sections of the narrows.
Pirahna Knife- I like this little guy. There’s no excuse not to take it on any adventure. It’s sharp, and doesn’t take up any extra room.
Accessory Cord – tie your goodies down so they don’t float away down the river on you.These are some shots I got while out on a photoshoot for Outdoor Research at Red Rocks, NV, outside of Las Vegas. Lisa and I were both modeling for the shoot, but I decided to bring my camera along. We had a group of five, plus photographer Bryan Smith, so there was some opportunity for me to get some shots. It was two long days of shooting followed by two long days of teaching clinics. Just thinking of all that makes me feel tired and want to order a latte while I type this up. The best part of it all was spending time with a great group of people. The team Outdoor Research has put together is a great one, and I really enjoy the time spent with the crew. I look forward to seeing the shots Bryan got of us.
With bleeding cuticles, Christian Folk (from Outdoor Research) is pictured here in the crux of the 5.10 start to Ragged Edges at Red Rocks, Nevada. The Red Rocks Rendezvous climbing festival begins this week and climbers are flocking to Vegas from all around.
The Visual Adventures contingent will be represented by Jason and Lisa, on behalf of Outdoor Research. Lisa Nelson will be teaching a backcountry cooking course, and Jason Nelson will be teaching a multi-pitch efficiency clinic. Jason and Lisa will also be talent for some photo shoots prior to the event with photographer Bryan Smith.
The weather is getting warmer, and it’s promising to be a great event. We hope to see you there!
On our way from Bishop to Las Vegas we checked out Death Valley. We arrived at the sand dunes around sunset. We had a great time playing in the sand and Jason was able to get some beautiful pictures.
