I wanted to give everyone a heads up about a cool event LT11 is hosting this Saturday, January 28th, at 7pm at the Prana Store in Boulder, Colorado.

We are showing two movies!  ”Park Life – Yosemite Bouldering” and never before seen video of Paul Robinson and Tiffany Hensley climbing in New England!  It should be a great night and we are donating 100% of the proceeds to The Access Fund!  We will have FREE beer from Avery Brewing and its only $3 bucks at the door to get in!  There will be a huge raffle with great items from a solid selection of generous companies including La Sportiva, Sterling Rope, Prana, The North Face, and The Spot Climbing Gym!  Come on down and support a good cause, drink some beer, and watch a movie with us!  Should be a great time and we look forward to seeing you there!

The past month has been a blur.  Traveling home for the holidays, to Hueco for some bouldering fun over new years, and now just getting back from the Winter outdoor Retailer Trade show, it has been nuts.

Our Vimeo account has been blowing up!!!!

I had not been to Hueco in 10 years and getting back to the desert and climbing on problems that had long ago destroyed me was a nice feeling.  I am beyond frustrated with the climbing rules and regulations in Hueco but it is a small price to pay for the highest density of hard rock climbing in the country.  I wanted to do a classics tour and did not have reservations for North Mountain so I just jumped on some tours and climbed on some great lines!  Highlights of the trip include Power of Landjager and Full Service, both climbs were on the lifetime tick list and are 5 star boulders!  New Years in Hueco is everything that you can expect from all the stories you have heard!  Its a great time and thanks so much to Adam and Melissa Strong for showing us around!

Check out the short video we put together of some of the fun we had down there.  BA on the Evangalion (V13) is so sick.  He spent 3 minutes on this boulder, broke holds, had to have someone run around and point out the top out holds, but he did it and watching it was terrifying! Psyched for this guy!

LT11 just got back from the Winter Trade Show in Salt Lake City and we worked out butts off for 4 days straight!  We schmoozed with just about everyone we could talk to and we are filling up our production calendar as we speak!  It’s exciting times over here at LT11 and we hope that the vibes are infectious!!!  More importantly than all that Trade Show nonsense is the changes happening over at the LT11 website.  You may have noticed some additions to the family over at LT11 so check it out!

Louder Than 11 is proud to welcome three new members to the crew.  Texas bouldering superstar Brian Antheunisse, sport climbing wizard Ben Spannuth, and the under gound powerhouse Melissa Strong are now part of the LT11 family!

Brian has been bouldering at an elite level for years and LT11 recently worked with him on “Straight Out of Africa“, displaying his climbing tear through the Rocklands.  Brian has an impressive ticklist and some say he is the ideal American man.. second only to the infamous Dave Wetmore.

Ben is a rising star in the sport climbing game has been on a year long tour across the world climbing some of the hardest rope climbs out there.  Ben has been working with LT11 here and there over the years and aside from being an all around great guy, he has become a great friend.  Looking forward to what Ben has to offer in 2012 and hopefully we dont loose him to Spain and his love for tufa sport climbing.

Melissa is an underground legend in the Rocky Mountain Nation Park and Hueco scene.  Maybe you have heard of her?  She crushes and is always out there working hard and getting it done and all for the love of rock climbing.  Another girl in the group and I’m sure Natasha Barnes is stoked!

We are super excited to have these talented people on board with the LT11 master plan and 2012 is going to be an amazing year.  Lots of rock climbing in the future and we look forward to working with the new guys as well as the old one in hopes of creating something awesome that will last.  Thanks for all your support and its our fans that keep us going.  ONWARD AND UPWARD!  MYFO

CLICK HERE FOR THE FREE DOWNLOAD!

Foreword:

Jon Krakauer wrote, “In any human endeavor, some fraction of it’s practitioners will be motivated to pursue that activity with such concentrated focus and unalloyed passion that it will consume them utterly. As a result of this infatuation, existence overflows with purpose. Through immoderation, he experiences something akin to rapture.”

Yosemite Valley has long been regarded as the holy land for climbers and boulderers throughout the world.  The origins of rock climbing lie in the 3000-foot granite walls lining the valley and the boulders that sit strewn about below these staggering monoliths.

In the late weeks of November, the Louder Than 11 crew gathered from all corners of the country to experience Yosemite Valley bouldering. As a group of passionate individuals, we enveloped ourselves in the landscape for two weeks, attacking boulders as if tomorrow would never come. On the surface, the very foundation of our identities is built on rock climbing—a sport that we believe is the greatest on the planet—but there is much more to this seemingly inherent addiction than meets the eye.

With Park Life, we strive to answer this age-old, omnipresent question: Why? By combining difficult climbing, captivating visuals, and engaging music under the all-encompassing umbrella of a professional production company, we hope to portray a unique lifestyle that has given us all a palpable sense of unwavering purpose. The long-lasting friendships, incessant failure and equally abundant success, reckless commitment and dedication driven to the point of complete and utter irresponsibility; it’s an eternal battle. We do it because we love it.  At LT11 our media is always free, whether you like it or not.

Quotes from the climbers and producers:

Natasha Barnes – http://natashabarnes.lt11.com/ (Athlete)

“Going to Yosemite with the rest of the LT11 crew was like a dream trip in my own backyard. I’ve never been on a trip with so many psyched individuals. The positive energy when we were together on this trip was unbelievable and something I will never forget.”

“LT11 is on the forefront of climbing entertainment. We love what we do and we want to share it with the rest of the world.”

“Showing my friends around my home area, which just so happens to be a world class climbing destination, was an unforgettable experience. I can’t think of a better place to bring the crew together than the birthplace of rock climbing.”

Max Zolotukhin – http://climbingczar.lt11.com/ (Athlete)

“Louder Than 11′s “Park Life: Bouldering in Yosemite” gives me exactly what has been lacking in 99% of climbing media: jaw-dropping climbing footage but with the poignancy of human emotion to back it up. I have seen plenty of mindless teenagers climb V15 in high definition; what I haven’t seen is working class weekend warriors lay bare their indefatigable infatuation with climbing as their raison d’etre while climbing five star classics of all grades in the place where it all began, Yosemite Valley. Park Life presents bouldering as the archetypal lifestyle sport, with dedicated athletes that want nothing more than to express themselves through their passion for climbing. Never has a FREE online climbing video made the common bouldering experience so palatable for the every-day enthusiast; LT11 has produced the quintessential piece of climbing media for 2012, with unequivocal substance to match its savvy cinematography. I APPROVE.”

Jon Glassberg – http://jonglassberg.lt11.com/ (Co Owner of LT11, Athlete, Director)

“We wanted to make this film to show climbers, and non climbers, what we do at Louder Than 11.  More than just a movie about bouldering in Yosemite Valley, this piece digs deep into what it means to the characters to be involved in rock climbing to their core.  As individuals and as a company, we are fully immersed in rock climbing as a way of life and a livelihood.  We hope that “Park Life” expresses out love for the sport and our endless pursuit for beautiful boulders, amazing life experiences, and long lasting friendships.”

Jordan Shipman – http://jordanshipman.lt11.com/ (Co-Owner of LT11, Special Effects, Motion, Director)

“Louder Than 11 is like a band. Its all about the ingredients each individual brings to the collaborative effort. I’m really excited about Park Life because it represents a true collaboration for the entire LT11 crew. The production quality we can achieve when we work together far exceeds what any one of us could do alone. I loved making this video. Shooting, climbing, editing and motion graphics–I love it.

Rich Crowder – http://www.richcrowder.com/ (Director of Photography)

“An all out visual assault on the Valley classics. A true documentary that wears its heart on its sleeve”

Movie Credits

A Louder Than 11 Production

Starring
Natasha Barnes
Rich Crowder
Sarah Fullerton
Jon Glassberg
Jordan Shipman
Ryan Silven
Ben Vernon
Anson Whitmer
Dave Wetmore
Max Zolotukhin

Directed by
Rich Crowder
Jon Glassberg
Jordan Shipman

Video by
Rich Crowder
Jon Glassberg
Jordan Shipman

Additional Camera Support by
Ben Vernon

Director of Photography
Rich Crowder

Edited by
Jon Glassberg
Jordan Shipman

Motion Graphics by
Jordan Shipman

Visual Effects by
Jordan Shipman

Music Supervision by
Jon Glassberg

Music
Django Django “Default”
The Japanese Pop Stars “Take Forever”
Metronomy “Everything Goes My Way”
Gramatik “Dungeon Sound”
Umek, Baltek “Out of Play”
Mr. Sche & L. Ceasar “Hustle Maniac”
Flowers and Sea Creatures “Secrets we Stole from the Dance Floor”
Kemek “Certain Frequencies”
The Japanese Pop Stars “Shells of Silver White Sea”
Flowers and Sea Creatures “A.M.”
T&K “Summer Night”

Best Boy Grip
Ben Vernon

Special Thanks to
Urban Climber
Revolution Climbing
Buck Hoover
Ethan Pringle
Chad Wolak
Doug Hartman

Free. Whether you like it or not.
© 2012 Louder Than 11

Louder Than 11 is proud to present “Park Life – Yosemite Bouldering” coming to the internet, for free, on Monday, January 16 at 9AM Mountain Standard time.

Over at LT11 we are beside ourselves with excited anticipation.  We gathered up our crew of nine LT11 family members and headed to Yosemite in November of 2011.  We set out to climb from dawn to dusk on some of the finest boulders in the country and for 10 days we did nothing but live the “Park Life”.  We got back from the trip in early December and it has been a non-stop effort to roll this video out on the 16th.  Monumental does not even scratch the surface of how important this video is to us as a company and as dedicated artists pursuing what we love.  Rock climbing.

Mark your calendars, grab a snack and sit back for 27 action packed minutes from Yosemite Valley, January 16th.

Starring
Natasha Barnes
Rich Crowder
Sarah Fullerton
Jon Glassberg
Jordan Shipman
Ryan Silven
Ben Vernon
Anson Whitmer
Dave Wetmore
Max Zolotukhin

Directed by
Rich Crowder
Jon Glassberg
Jordan Shipman

Video by
Rich Crowder
Jon Glassberg
Jordan Shipman

Additional Camera Support by
Ben Vernon

Director of Photography
Rich Crowder

Edited by
Jon Glassberg
Jordan Shipman

Motion Graphics by
Jordan Shipman

Visual Effects by
Jordan Shipman

Music Supervision by
Jon Glassberg

Best Boy Grip
Ben Vernon

Special Thanks to
Urban Climber
Revolution Climbing
Ethan Pringle
Chad wolak
Doug Hartman

Free. Whether you like it or not.
© 2012 Louder Than 11

Everyone is making their top ten lists this time of year and we wanted to get in on the fun. Here are Louder Than 11′s top ten videos from 2011:

#10
2011 SCS National Championships – Men

#9
Threat Level Colombia

#8
Straight out of Africa

#7
Endo Valley Bouldering

#6
Paul Robinson On Vacation

#5
Alpine Bouldering Summer

#4
2011 IFSC Lead Wold Cup – Boulder, CO

#3
Bouldering world Cup Vail – Mens Finals

#2
Bouldering World Cup Vail – Womens Finals

#1
The Swiss Account

We tallied this top 10 based off of numbers on each video individually and not based on series numbers. If we were going off of series statistics (numbers added up from the entire series release), Lincoln Lake Giants, Dark Horse, and Heart of Steel would have made the top 5. What LT11 videos were your favorites?

Brian Antheunisse, Scott Cory, Rob D’Anastasio and Dave Wetmore travel to Rocklands, South Africa on a bouldering safari. Follow the crew as they climb over 20 boulders from 7B to 8B, narrowly avoid being eaten by lions and all to a 1980′s soundtrack! I have been working on this video a lot ove the past month and it has been a great experience making memories with these talented climbers.  Brian, Scott, and Dave sent me footage on their hard drives and Jordan and I went to work to try and create a movie that captured the spirit of the trip.  1980′s music, excited up beat rock climbing and the personalities of dedicated rock climbers all show as the team crushes through some of the Rocklands hardest boulder problems.

Boulders included:
Amphitheatre (8A+)
Au Bour d’Leau (8A)
Black Mango Chutney (7C+)
Black Shadow (8A+)
Black Velvet (8A)
Cedar Spine (7C)
Gliding Through Waves Like Dolphins (8A)
Golden Virginia (8A)
Green Mamba (8A)
Hole in One (7C+)
Last Day In Paradise (7C+)
Mooiste Meise (8B)
Nutsa (8A)
Oral Office (8A+)
Paula Abdul (7C+)
Pinotage (7C+)
Power of One (8B)
Roadcrew Arete (7B)
Royksopp (8A)
Shosholoza (8A+)
Solar Power (7C+/8A)
The Vice (8B)
Witness the Sickness (8A)

LIONS!!!!!

© Louder Than 11
lt11.com

Melt Your Face Off

Winter in Boulder can be grim.  Lots of snow that wont melt and old projects that just don’t get you psyched anymore can really bring your motivation to all time lows.  I am always on the hunt for new boulders and often jump on any leads at the off chance of finding something amazing.  I met up with South Platte legend Jason Haas and went to check out an area called Thunder Ridge a few weeks ago and not only did we find great boulders on some of the best granite around but the majority of the climbs had already been established!

Rob D’Anastasio on a warmup (All photos Rich Crowder)

Apparently this area is the best kept secret of the South Platte and people have been bouldering there for quite some time, we just stumbled upon it and got lucky I guess.  After a day of hiking and searching around, we found a few worthy projects and vowed to make a return trip.

The Project!!

Sunday we headed back to clean up and try a project to the left of an established line called Log Jammin.  The line climbs out a massive 45 degree overhang on perfect 1″ edges to a 20ft topout over a perfectly flat landing.  Dream boulder right?  Well it is, but its at least v14.  I worked on the problem for a few hours with Rob D’Anastasio and we were able to put together 2 of the 8 or so moves.  The first move is the crux and revolves around a giant move to a good incut followed by a few setup moves and a huge deadpoint/dyno to a jug slot.  I think this is a 5 star line and DEFINITELY needs to see a send sometime…  too bad it’s a 3 hour trek from boulder.

We climbed on a few other boulders in the area and overall it was a great day.  Climbing here in the winter is doable and is a good option for getting out of town and checking out some new stuff.  We saw anywhere from 40 – 75 boulder problems, mostly moderates, with potential for many more and on some of the best stone i have seen anywhere, a mix between Bishop and Rocktown!  Go have a look for yourself!!!

Another classic in the area called “Cheat Death” (V9)

Note: Access here is sensitive so please follow the rules

1. Always park in the parking lot, under no circumstances should you ever drive up the road, even to drop people or gear off.
2. If the parking lot is full, there are several pullouts further back on the road.
3. Do not cut across driveways or yards, the trail barely skirts the final property and can be hard to find with snow on the ground.
4. A pack in and pack out policy goes without saying.

I recently got back from a 10 day trip to Yosemite.  I have been to the Valley a couple times over the past 10 years to climb on gear and to do a bit of bouldering so this trip was important to me.  It felt kind of like a pilgrimage of sorts, traveling back to the olden days of bouldering v7, being scared of trad climbing, and slack lining in Camp 4 with friends to kill time.  All of my previous trips were great fun but I was never in the Valley during the right time of year or with conditions that were good enough to climb hard boulders.  If you have never been to Yosemite to boulder, climbing Cocaine Corner, a classic v4 arete in Camp 4, feels like v10 in the sun and heat but in the winter it can feel like v2.  That is the nature of Yosemite granite.  Conditions are everything when it comes to sending at your limit and technique is rewarded.

We were very lucky on our trip and only had one day of light snow and one day of heat (60 degrees), the rest of the time it was perfect, 35 degrees and sunny.  The trip for Jordan and I was also very important because it brought together our whole LT11 family.  Dave Wetmore, Max Zolotukhin, Natasha Barnes, Rich Crowder, Ryan Silven, Jordan Shipman and I make up LT11 and we have never been able to get the whole team together for one big party and some rock climbing.  Yosemite was the obvious choice and Natasha and Max live in San Franscisco so it was the obvious choice.  Our good friends Sarah Fullerton and Ben Vernon were along for the ride as well and we all packed ourselves into a very small tent cabin in Curry Village and went to work.

The rock in Yosemite is unfathomably pristine and well featured.  I am used to climbing granite features, not incuts and pockets on steep walls and the Valley is full of this type of quality stone!  IT’S INCREDIBLE.  Nearly every problem we climbed on would be considered a five star line.  Tall, committing boulders with flat landings and only 5 minutes from the car!  Truly a dream bouldering destination.  Our main goal of the trip was to make movies about our experiences as a team climbing together and having fun.  The trip lived up to our expectations and we had a blast.  I did not set my expectations to high after hearing how hard the grades are and how difficult the adjustment can be to granite climbing but it seemed to work out just right.  Highlights for me included a 10 year anniversary send of King Cobra and an ascent of Shadow Warrior after waging war with Dave on it for an entire day.

Here is my 10 day spray/tick list:

Dogwood (V12)
Shadow Warrior (V12)
Yabo Roof (V12)
Yabo Face (V11)
Across The Tracks (V10)
Good Vibrations (V10)
Cilley (V10)
Heart of Darkness (V9)
Pride (V9)
Conan (V9) Flash
King Cobra (V8)
The Diamond (V8)
Atlantis (V5)
Blue Suede Shoes (V5)
Cocaine Corner (V4)

Filming in the Valley is a treat.  You CANNOT take bad video or shoot a bad photo there.  We came home with 3/4 of a terabyte of good stuff and a feature length video will be out in January, paired with a feature article in Urban Climber!  There is far to much to share as a blog so stay tuned for the video and article and if you get a chance, make the trip to Yosemite.  It’s the BEST.

A taste f what is to come…  VIDEOS!!

The second installment of the Dark Horse promotional series is finally here!  The next competition is right around the corner, December 3rd, and then the season ends with the championship on February 4th, 2012.  If you need to get caught up on the series so far, check out chapter 1 and prepare yourself for the final edition coming your way in January.  It’s gonna be a great one.

Special thanks to the one and only Carlo Traversi for playing the roll of the apparitional guild leader in this episode.  NAILED IT!

More to come from New England’s premier bouldering competition hosted by Metro Rock!

Today marks a monumental event in the growth of Louder Than 11.  11/11/11 is not only a cool date because it has a bunch of ones in it, this day marks an official growth period for Louder Than 11 as a whole.  We are really starting to see significant growth in the company that Jordan and I started years back.  We measure growth in fans, friends, and followers and we love all the support we are getting from everyone.  THANK YOU!

We have been working on a fun project to kick off the 11/11/11 celebration just right.  We put together 13 minutes of action packed summer alpine bouldering in Colorado.  We really wanted to sum up the experience of living in Colorado and the love of climbing in the alpine with good friends.  You will see guest appearances from Sean McColl, Herm Feissner, Danny Ciavarro, Ryan Silven, Kevin Jorgeson, and Connor Griffith all climbing on some of the best climbs in colorado, old and new.

Grab some snacks, pull this one up on the big screen tv and enjoy what we have all come to love about summer bouldering in Colorado.

Starring
In Order of Appearance:

Connor Griffith
Tim Keenan
Kevin Jorgeson
Jon Glassberg
Sarah Fullerton
Ryan Silven
Danny Ciavarro
Rich Crowder
Sean McColl
Herm Feissner

Featured Climbs:
Equitas (V7) – Mt. Evans – Area D
Golden Ice (V6) – RMNP – Hallet Boulder
Hernia (V12) – RMNP (FA)
Reternia (V11) – RMNP
Deep Dark (V6) – RMNP (FA)
Rhythm of the Saints (V11) – Aircraft Carrier – Second Ascent
Sloping Matters (V8) – Guanella Pass
Hydro Twist (V9) – RMNP
Potato Chip (V6) – RMNP
Pterodactyl (V12) – RMNP
Stinkbug Variation (V9) – RMNP
Stinkbug (V10) – RMNP
Power of Ten (V12) – RMNP
Leviathan Style (V12) – RMNP

Video
Jon Glassberg
Jordan SHipman

Edit
Jon Glassberg

Motion Graphics
Jordan Shipman

Music
Little Dragon – “Ritual Union”
Porter Robinson – “Less Go”
M83 – “Midnight City”
Wumpscut – “is It You”
Grimes – “Rasik”
Holy Ghost – “Some Children”
Ou Est Le Swimming Pool – “Dance the way I Feel”

Produced by Louder Than 11
2011 All rights reserved

Free Whether you like it or not