Film-maker and adventurer, Simon Blair, shares some thoughts behind his film showcasing the action and the communities in the Blue Mountains, Bluetopia. We started dreaming Bluetopia a couple of years ago. Its almost imperceptible gestation entailed several months of emailing back and forth between me and my main film partner, Pete Wyllie. We were busy with other things. At times it was slow, with ideas exchanged like Atari ping pong and at times it was fast like Ninja stars flying back…
Adam Demmert looks at some weighty science in the name of understanding how to maximise the conditions for hard sending. You may have seen in the popular digital press that the heavens are on your side today, the gods of Rome are uniting and using their omnipotence to liberate you from Earthly concerns, namely gravity. Reports indicate that the celestial bodies Jupiter and Pluto will align today – the 4th of January – to enable you to feel weightless for…
This is an odd post in the stream of postings that comprise the VL website. In a way it is a thank you. Vertical Life is a singularity that consumers a huge amount of resources and – this is the kicker – not only our own. We say it a lot, but still we cannot say it enough – that without the support of the reading audience and the writing and image-making contributors this beast would grind to a horrible and bloody…
Everyone loves a good rack so obviously we were inundated with entries for our #CLIMBNOWWORKLATER DMM comp. But it wasn’t just the big-ol’ prize of a DMM trad rack including a set of DMM’s Dragons cams from size 0 to 6, a set of Wallnuts from size 1–11, ten Phantom 18cm quickdraws, two Boa screwgate karabiners, and a chalk bag that together are worth more than $1500 and would struggle to fit into the Fat Man’s sack. It was the spirit of…
‘Climb Now, Work Later’ goes the classic DMM catchphrase. Climb Now. It’s an imperative. An order. And what could make it easier to climb now? A brand-spanking, shiny new trad rack, something to parade around Mt Piddington and turn your buddies green with envy. And guess what? In conjunction with those munificent Welsh gear-wizards, DMM, we’re giving one away. That’s right, one lucky VL reader is going to get an early Xmas present. ‘What will I get?’ we hear you breathlessly ask. A set of DMM’s…
