Newsflash James Pearson makes rare repeat of highball 8A+
James Pearson has made a rare repeat of the highball 8A+ boulder 29 Dots in Valle dell'Orco, Italy.
Our Friday Night Video this week is a trip to Japan to climb the country's highest waterfall: Shomyo Falls in Toyama. Sawanobori is the Japanese art of climbing a mountain river to its source, involving scrambling up gullies, ravines and waterfalls. As a sport, sawanobori has been practised for over 100 years, but rivers have long played a crucial role in Japan's mountainous jungle regions as the paths of least resistance for transit. Waterfalls are also sacred places in Japan, believed to be the dwellings of gods. James Pearson, Caroline Ciavaldini, Matty Hong, Yuji Hirayama and Toru Nakajima take on the challenge.
Traditionally, climbers wore woven straw sandals (waraji) and robes, but today, participants are fortunate to benefit from modern equipment: waterproof shells, 'ninja boots' (as James calls them) with felt soles and hoof-like toes, and rubber kitchen gloves (better than the expensive purpose-built sawanobori gloves, Toru reportedly advised James). Despite all this gear, the likelihood remains that you'll get a more than a bit wet...
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Return to Latest NewsJames Pearson has made a rare repeat of the highball 8A+ boulder 29 Dots in Valle dell'Orco, Italy.
Toru Nakajima has made the first ascent of a new boulder, 'Regret', in Ena, Japan.
James Pearson has made a repeat of Franco Cookson's E11 route Immortal, at Maiden's Bluff, North Yorkshire.
At the beginning of the year, James Pearson made the first ascent of his long-standing trad project, Bon...
Caro Ciavaldini has made the second female ascent of Le Voyage, E10 7a, in Annot, France.
When James Pearson climbed Prisoners of the Sun earlier in the year, he was the third person to do...
James Pearson has made the fifth ascent of the 'post-break' Parthian Shot, E10 6c, at Burbage South Edge in the Peak...
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An essential part of every climber's kit, these pants were designed for longs days in the harness and crafted with lightweight, stretch-woven Cordura™ fabric for unparalleled durability and range of motion.
An essential part of every climber's kit, these pants were designed for longs days in the harness...
Our lightest, most packable shell yet is designed to keep you dry through mountainside squalls without adding...
Our lightest, most packable shell yet is designed to keep you dry through mountainside...
On Wednesday 20th March, UKC hosted The North Face Speaker Series 'Sawanobori' film launch,...
Comments
I am totally lost for words. Stunned. Sea-level traversing turned 90 degrees, with a bit of Scottish winter on a hot day.
And remember, in addition to all those little biting things, Japan has those giant hornets...