Gadd s Still Got It: The Mustang P-51 (M14-)

After a seventeen year hiatus, Will Gadd returned to The Fang Amphitheater in East Vail, Colorado, home of the seminal Jeff Lowe masterpiece, “Octopussy” (M8), as well as Will’s own groundbreaking routes “Amphibian” (M9) and “Reptile” (M10), and made the third ascent of my route “The Mustang P-51” (M14-) on his second attempt, besting our friend, the Korean powerhouse Kwon Young-Hye, who made the second ascent last December in a mere three tries. As with Kwon, Will finished the climb reaching the no-hands ledge with a single bolt anchor atop “The Flying Fortress” (M13), down-climbed a bit, and then jumped off . . . just for fun. Please pardon the length and the roughness of the edit; I wanted to get a long version up fast so Jeff could enjoy an unabridged reminiscence immediately.

Spice Girl. First Female E9

Hazel Findlay became the first woman to climb a British E9 (hard and scary!) with her ascent of Once Upon A Time In The Southwest, near Devon, UK. This is an excerpt from the REEL ROCK 8 Film SPICE GIRL, presented by Sterling Rope. Buy RR8 on DVD or HD Dowload here: http://bit.ly/1xyfpZ3. Featuring music by The Gaucho + The Gremlin, SACW, and Abel Okugawa.

Dave MacLeod - Fight The Feeling (8c+/9a)

From bold trad to sketchy rime to hard sport, Black Diamond athlete Dave MacLeod has something of an obsession with first ascents in his native Scotland—a land not known for its ideal climbing weather. A little sleet and rain, however, has done little to dampen Dave's passion for scouring the island for new climbs. His latest FA, Fight The Feeling, is an interesting tale of an FA legacy being carried on from one generation of climbers to the next. This video is part of our Climbing 2013 digital catalog. Through photos, videos and narrated slideshows, the Climbing 2013 digital catalog highlights first ascents and first free ascents from recent years, as well as the crucial pieces of Black Diamond gear that helped make them a reality. In addition, the digital catalog showcases historical images from past first ascents—chosen by our athletes—that have fueled their own personal FA pursuits.