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News & notes from the outdoor industry
SuperTopo Forum is Pulling the Plug
The online climbers’ community known as the SuperTopo Forum is pulling the plug. For climbers, it’s the end of an era.
“It is with a sad heart that I announce that normal operation of the SuperTopo Climbers’ Forum will cease June 1. The Forum has been an amazing digital campfire, with more than two million posts over the last 18 years. It has reconnected many climbers with old friends and helped many climbers make new friends. And, there have been many amazing and compelling posts on the site, especially those on climbing-related topics that have been enjoyed by millions of people,” wrote SuperTopo cofounder Chris McNamara in his final post to the site.
“For climbers, the SuperTopo Forum has been the virtual Camp 4. Located in the heart of Yosemite Valley, Camp 4 was the birthplace of Yosemite climbing as we know it today, bringing climbers together to share stories, plan routes, and build community. Though Camp 4 has changed over the years, the SuperTopo Forum has preserved the spirit of climbing that once existed in Yosemite. It will be missed,” said ASJ climbing editor and Yosemite regular Chris Van Leuven.
The site will remain as a searchable database but no new posts will be accepted after June 1. Read the whole story here.
Brad Gobright Free Climbs the Muir Route
Brad Gobright has just free climbed the Muir route on El Capitan. Topping out after dark on May 8th, Gobright and his belay partner Maison Deschamps completed the mega route in 17.5 hours. The crux pitch he free climbed on top rope, to avoid leading the final 30 feet with dangerous fixed gear in the dark.
The Muir takes a direct line up the vast, center face of El Capitan. It has been free climbed only a handful of times, most notably by Alex Honnold in 2014 as training for his infamous ropeless climb of the nearby El Cap route Freerider, later depicted in the movie Free Solo.
“It’s an incredible climb I’ve dreamed about doing for some time. I trained for it all winter and I think I can say it’s the hardest climb I’ve done. It’s a good step up in difficulty from El Cap free routes like the Salathe Wall and El Corazon,” Gobright told ASJ the next day.
Read the whole story at adventuresportsjournal.com/the-free-muir.
Mt. Shasta Ski Park Partners with A Singletrack Mind, Race Cascadia and California Enduro Series
2019 promises to be a big year for mountain biking at Mt. Shasta Ski Park. In addition to extensive improvements to their trail system, and the launch of their brand new summer activities website, the park is stepping things up with exciting new partnerships sure to appeal to mountain bike enthusiasts everywhere.
Most notably, the park has aligned with A Singletrack Mind to offer an all-mountain gravity skills clinic June 22-23 to help local riders and visitors alike to prep for the upcoming race season. The clinic isn’t just for race prep either; it’s an opportunity for riders of all levels to refine their downhill mountain biking skills.
On the race schedule, Mt. Shasta Ski Park is hosting two major events this season: Race Cascadia kicks off its brand new Full Tilt Race & Repeat Gravity Stage Racing series at the park on June 29, while the California Enduro Series introduces this fresh new zone to its lineup on July 13.
Learn more at adventuresportsjournal.com/singletrack-mind-shasta.
Jay Race 2019 Update
For 18 years paddlers from all over the world have come to honor one of big wave surfing’s favorite sons – the late Jay Moriarity. As of press time, this year’s event is yet to be confirmed. One thing for certain is it will not be taking place in Capitola. People are working very hard to see this event through, however the production of this year’s event is not guaranteed. Anyone planning to use this as a qualifying event is encouraged to come up with a Plan B.
The Jay Moriarity Memorial Race will update their Facebook page as soon as they have come up with a decision. Look there and check our website for updates.
Learn more at adventuresportsjournal.com/jay-race-2019-update.
120,000 Salmon Released into the Monterey Bay
Monterey Bay Salmon and Trout Project released 120,000 juvenile chinook salmon into the Monterey Bay on May 21st in support of local sport and commercial fisheries. Many of these fish will spend two years at sea, and be caught by local ocean salmon fishermen. This work is supported by funding through the Commercial Salmon Stamp Fund and the California Department of Fish & Wildlife.
Learn more at adventuresportsjournal.com/salmon-release.
GU Energy Labs Raises over $15,000 to Support NICA
GU Energy Labs recently donated $15,000 to the National Interscholastic Cycling Association (NICA) through its GU Gives program. The donation resulted from sales of GU Energy Lab’s French Toast Energy Gel, a flavor developed in a partnership with NICA Student-Athletes. NICA students visited GU’s Berkeley, California headquarters to learn about flavor science, nutrition and brainstorm flavor ideas. The French Toast flavor was created through this exercise, and students also toured GU’s production facility to see their dream flavor become a reality. Through the GU Gives program, GU Energy Labs committed to contributing 10% of all sales from French Toast to NICA to help its youth cycling programs across the country.
NICA’s President, Austin McInerny, stated “bringing NICA student-athletes into GU’s product development has not only directly benefited our ability to expand our reach across America, but has, more importantly, provided student-athletes a unique opportunity to get ‘behind the scenes’ to learn about nutrition, food science, sports marketing and product branding.”
Learn more at adventuresportsjournal.com/gu-energy-labs-raises-15000-support-nica.
New Date for Bidwell Bump
The renowned Chico Bidwell Bump cross-country mountain bike race has been pushed to summer due to excessive snow melt.
Now set for July 20, its original date of April 20 was postponed after a creek at its venue became too dangerous to navigate. Organizers kept watch as Big Chico Creek at Chico’s Bidwell Park rose higher and colder as the snowpack in nearby mountains melted. Finally they were forced to reschedule.
This isn’t the first time Bump officials have had to reschedule the popular event that has been taking place in Chico’s Bidwell Park since August 1976. The past few years have been tough due to wildfires, and last year the event was outright canceled because of the devastating Camp Fire. A group of diehard enthusiasts have run an underground Bump to keep it alive, but organizers, racers and fans alike are looking forward to an official event this year.
Learn more at adventuresportsjournal.com/bidwell-bump.
adidas Outdoor Partners with 1Climb to Get Kids Climbing
Living up to the company belief that sport has the power to change lives, adidas Outdoor is proud to announce a new partnership with 1Climb, a non-profit organization co-founded by world-renowned climber Kevin Jorgeson.
Bringing the outdoors into the city, this partnership empowers young peoples’ lives through the sport of climbing. Ultimately this will enable 1Climb to install ten new permanent climbing walls in Boys and Girls Clubs across the US.
For Jorgeson, there has been no greater gift in his own life than being introduced to rock climbing, “Climbing has enabled the life of my dreams and it all started with that one visit to a gym when I was 9.”
Read more about it at adventuresportsjournal.com/adidas-outdoor-1climb.