Reflecting the Rendezvous’ rising national profile (!) more of our sponsors are sending athletes to the event.These athletes will be on hand to give slide shows, teach clinics, and just hang out and schmooze with you all. We thank our awesome sponsors and we thank the athletes for coming and contributing their time and energy to make our event better.
Stay tuned for the announcement of which athletes will be coming from:
Lynn Hill--thanks to Patagonia
Chris Sharma--thanks to Evolv, Petzl, prAna, Sterling Rope, Sanuk
Daila Ojeda--Petzl, Evolv
Chris Lindner-- thanks Petzl, Evolv, Sanuk
Lisa Rands--thanks to Evolv, Petzl
Dean Lords--Mammut
Joe Kinder--Sterling Rope
Andrea Szekely--Petzl, Sterling Rope
Timmy O'Neill--Patagonia
Eric Horst--La Sportiva, Sterling
Mike Libecki--Mountain Hardwear
Matt Wilder--Mountain Hardwear
Whitney Boland--Petzl
Nick Duttle--Evolv, Petzl
Chuck Fryberger--Scarpa
Stephen Meinhold--Mountain Hardwear
Pat Goodman--Mountain Hardwear
Jessa Goebel--Mountain Hardwear
Jim Shimberg--Sterling Rope
LISA RANDS
We are happy to welcome back Lisa Rands to her second consecutive Rendezvous. We have
been reading about all her successes for years, marvelling at her brass
balls on the fabled English gritstone, her inspiring ascent of
Midnight Lightning and most recently her send of Sharma's v12
Mandala. She is the quintessential well-rounded climber. Thanks to
Petzl and Evolv for sending her to us!
Lisa Rands on Lightning 5.14a: Tim Kemple
Chris Lindner
CHRIS LINDNER
Chris came out last year for Rendezvous 6, stayed about a month and endeared himself to this community. Down to earth, fun, relaxed...and he worked his ass off to help make the Rendezvous happen. What else can we ask for? Thanks tp Petzl, he'll be back this year, spending another bit chunk of time here at the Gorge. Give his website. a look. That is where we gleaned this insight into his mission: "I think that the more people in the world that get out and rock climb while appreciating nature, the better the world will be". Amen. We knew we liked this fella.
Chris would like to thank his sponsors: Evolv, Petzl, Sanuk, MAXIM Ropes, Asana, and Smith. We would like to thank Petzl for footing the bill to bring Chris out.
BRITTANY GRIFFITH
This is Rendezvous #7 for Brittany Griffith. She has become such a major part of our team that we have decided to put her in charge next year. (Just kidding, Brittany, but we'd like to.) We've gotten to know her over the years, so we are now less impressed by her amazing array of accomplishments on the rock, in the mountains, on TV, online (check out her terrific blog), on a bike, than by her no bullshit attitude, down-to-earth sense of humor, energy, competence and sheer unadulterated talent for taking care of business.
Mainly, she is a blast to hang out with and doesn't have a poseur bone in her body. In short she is a terrific ambassador for our sport. No wonder American Alpine Club hired her to be their events coordinator. She is sure to fire that organization up. She is here representing Patagonia and the American Alpine Club. Thanks to them both for sending this vital cog in the Rendezvous machine.
Brittany Griffith
Matt Wilder on Viceroy, 14a
Matt Wilder
Matt Wilder lives in Boulder, CO
where he splits his time between climbing and working towards a PhD in
Computer Science. I his studies, he focuses on machine learning
algorithms and probabilistic models of cognition. Though he finds
plenty of challenges in this research, he finds himself drawn to
another set of challenges that come in the form of boulder problems and
routes. Recently he has contributed to the advancement of hard
traditional climbing with two 5.14 first ascents and many repeats of
cutting edge routes. His love for bouldering has also been a present
force throughout his 16 years of climbing. As author to the bouldering
guidebooks for Hueco Tanks and Yosemite Valley, Matt is well versed on
the history of bouldering in America and has accomplished numerous hard
repeats and first ascents with difficulty up to V14. He has climbed all
throughout the states and at many international locations. His passion
for the sport is always strong and he continually challenges himself to
get the maximal enjoyment out of each day of climbing
Lynn Hill We are happy to welcome Lynn to her first Rendezvous. Thanks to Patagonia for sending her. Here is Lynn talking about her background...
I learned to climb with my older brother and my sister and her boyfriend in Southern California in 1975. I was 14 years old at the time and simply happy to tag along with them wherever they went climbing. Most weekends were spent in Joshua Tree or at Tahquitz and Suicide Rock, but occasionally we would go to a few local practice areas such as Big Rock at Stoney Point. My opportunities multiplied when I bought my first car and began traveling to new places on my own. I would sometimes venture out to more distant places like the Needles or MountWoodson, and during my last years of high school, I spent my summers climbing in Yosemite for as long as my limited savings would allow.In 1979, I teamed up with John Long and took off on an extended road trip to various destinations throughout the West. We loaded up my Volkswagen van and headed out. Starting in Yosemite, we then drove to Arizona, where we stopped to climb on the steep intimidating walls of GraniteMountain. From there, we went to several classic places in Colorado, including EldoradoCanyon, IndependencePass, and eventually ended up living in Telluride for several months, where we established a few significant first ascents of our own at the local area Ophir Wall.After our journeys in Colorado, we spent another nine months or so living in Las Vegas, Nevada, until the crushing heat of the summer drove us back to Southern California. In 1980, when we started climbing at Red Rocks, there was such an abundance of new routes, free ascents, and boulder problems, we had the opportunity of bagging a few of the most classic routes in the area. To read the rest of Lynn's bio...
Arno Ilgner creator of The Warrior's Way Mental Training for Climbers
will be back at the Rendezvous for the seventh year! If you've read his
book (or maybe you've been wanting to) and want to get advice directly
from the man himself, he'll be there for you. Arno will be holding
three clinics this year and is donating his The Warrior's Way audio and
paperback books for the event. See the clinics page for more info or to sign up for his program!
BRIAN WILLIAMS
Brian has been climbing for the past seven years,
mostly in his home-state of North Carolina. "I love all aspects of
climbing; the camaraderie, the scenery , the adventure. Climbing is a
great way to experience life and all it has to offer. I am always
excited about the next climb and the next chance to travel to new
climbing areas." Brian's most recent obsession lies in finding any
remaining first ascents and first-free ascents in his area. Stay
tuned.... We would like thank Mammut for sending Brian to the event.
Brian Williams
Peter Kamitses
Peter first began climbing in 1994 after graduating high school. He has since traveled globally, climbing in Australia, France, Italy, Switzerland, Argentina,
and many North American destinations. He appreciates all aspects of
climbing but applies himself mostly to high end free climbs. Over the
years Peter has repeated most of the hardest climbs in the Northeast as
well as doing first ascents of some of the finest hard trad climbs and
sport routes around.
In 2008 he had a banner year doing the first
ascent of the 'China Glide' 5.14d at Rumney, NH.
Peter also climbed 'Ill Fire' 5.14a, a runout mostly trad climb at Moss
Cliff in the Adirondacks, this route represents the hardest pitch of
climbing yet done in the whole Adirondack park. Also late in the season on a trip to the Red River Gorge in Kentucky, Peter made short work of three of the longest steepest routes in the country redpointing 'OmahaBeach' 5.14a and onsighting 'Pushin Up Daisies' 5.13c and 'B.O.H.I.C.A' 5.13b.Peter lives in Burlington, Vermont
with his wife Jovial and two sons Bodhi and Rowan where he finds work
as a route setter, climbing instructor and Guide through the PetraCliffsClimbingCenter.
With over a decade of experience, Peter is a master course setter,
having set routes for both bouldering and lead climbing competitions;
effectivley entertaining and stumping some of the best climbers in the
country. “Climbing
holds metaphors for so many things in our world. The way that it offers
such vivid and uniquely rich experiences that are so honest and real
makes climbing of the utmost value in my life.” We would like to thank Mammut for sending Pete down to the New.
Pete Kamitses
Janet Bergman
Janet Bergman--Coming to the Rendezvous courtesy of Mountain Hardwear
Janet
Bergman, an Ohio native, moved to New Hampshire in 1998 and was
immediately hooked on the solitude of wilderness travel and the
dynamic, gymnastic movement of rock climbing. The logical integration
of those two activities was rock climbing in the mountains, so after a
crash course in ‘trad’ climbing, she and Sarah Garlick departed for the
high rock face of La Esphinge in Peru’s Cordillera Blanca, where they
brought a bouldering pad instead of crampons and ice axes for
acclimatization. Her climbing adventures have since taken her to
Argentina, China, Cuba, India, Nepal, South Africa and throughout North
America. Fueled by the desire to climb alpine rock walls, Janet focuses
on bouldering and sport climbing while maintaining all-around
competence through big wall and ice climbing. She also enjoys sharing
climbing and exploration with others through professional guiding and
volunteerism. Janet and her boyfriend Freddie Wilkinson live in a cabin
they built in Madison, New Hampshire, where she works as a consultant
to nonprofit organizations.
Highlights: Indian Beauty Queen
(V+ 5.10 A1), first known ascent of Peak 5394, Manikaran Spires, India,
with Freddie Wilkinson, Pat Goodman and Ben Ditto, 2008 Red Pillar (V 5.11 A1) on Mermoz, Argentine Patagonia with Zack Schlosar, 2008 The Nose (VI 5.9 A1) on El Capitan, Yosemite, in ~15 hours with Freddie Wilkinson, 2008 Comasana-Fonrouge route with rock ridge ‘sit start’ (V+, 5.10, A1) on Guillamet, Argentine Patagonia with Kirsten Kremer, 2008 1985 Route (V 5.11) on La Esphinge, Cordillera Blanca, Peru, with Sarah Garlick, 2004 Anglo-American Route, Innominata (V, 5.10+ A1) Patagonia, Argentina, with Sarah Garlick and Kirsten Kremer, 2006 Various bouldering/one pitch ascents, including first ascents, up to V7/5.12+
Thanks Mountain Hardwear!!
Freddie Wilkinson Thanks to Mountain Hardwear for sending Freddie back for his second Rendezvous
Freddie Wilkinson believes that a climbing adventure is only as good as the stories you bring home.Wilkinson
grew up in the flatlands of suburban Connecticut and climbed his first
mountain –New Hampshire’s Mount Washington – at age thirteen.By age 20, Wilkinson had climbed Denali via the Cassin Ridge andNepal’s Cholatse via the West Rib.Since then, he has spent three to four months of every on expeditions around the globe.In
between traveling, Wilkinson earned a degree in history from Dartmouth
College and worked as a climbing guide in New England and Alaska.
In
2007, Wilkinson established new routes on three different mountains on
three different continents: Patagonia’s Cerro Poincinot, The Fin in
Alaska, and Mount Mahindra in the Indian Himalaya.In
2008 Freddie twice summited Fitzroy, as well as Mount Hunter in Alaska
via the Moonflower Buttress, and Kangtega in Nepal. That’s pretty good
– but Wilkinson still considers himself to be better at telling stories
than he is a climbing mountains... so you musn’t believe everything he
says.He would like to thank Mountain Hardwear,
Sterling Rope, La Sportiva, Julbo, the Mugs Stump Award and the
American Alpine Club for their support of his alpine addiction.He lives in Madison New Hampshire with his girlfriend Janet Bergman in a 12 x 12 cabin with a view of the White Mountains.
