After we left Seattle, we headed down to Portland to visit good friends, and then ventured out to Bend, to Smith Rock, the birthplace of American sport climbing. The cliffs there host some of the most dramatic and inspiring lines on the planet, a number of which go up the famed Monkey Face (yep, it looks like the head of a monkey). After a few hours of laborious climbing (and dodging falling grapefruits lobbed by feral, hostile children at the cliff edge) we wound up inside the massive cave that makes up the monkey’s ear. Some shouts and screams were wafting toward us from the other side of the cliff, so we wandered over there and peered downward. Right below us was a dude sending super hard on an endless and impossibly thin crack. He was fiddling in some fiddly trad gear and… and… and then he was airborne. Snap snap snap went the shutter! Thanks to Ryan for letting me grab these images in the middle of an epic redpoint attempt. For anyone interested, it’s the North Face, and it’s 5.12b regardless of what the guidebook says.
Nathan,
I’m a friend of your dad’s on Whidbey Island. I know him from triathlon training and bike riding, but also admire his photography. I was telling a young photographer friend about your work. I gave her your website, but also wanted to direct her that series of photos of you falling off the rock face. I saw it seveal years ago and was amazed. Is that still on your site and how do I access it? I’ve told a lot of people about it. Thanks