City of Rocks Marmot Photo-shoot

Rock climbing on warm granite in the summer is always fun. Hanging and climbing with one of your oldest friends is even better. And getting to climb, work, and play with some of climbing’s biggest names while testing and “modeling” next year’s clothing and equipment line from Marmot… well, it made for a pretty special week. 

Marmot took me out of my alpine world this week to go climb and hang with a great cast of characters: Ian Boyer (ropegun, guide, and close friend), Beth Rodden (climber extraordinaire), Ace Kvale (legendary outdoor photographer), Sinuhe Xavier (LA filmmaker and former pro skier), Kami Hardcastle (Salt Lake native and stellar climber), and Genghis (mascot and the most chill crag dog I’ve met). 

We climbed a lot, laughed a lot, and cooked up nightly feasts next to raging campfires (lit by Sinuhe’s blowtorch… only a guy living in LA would bring a blowtorch to light a campfire. I was supremely jealous and will never road trip without one again)! And the pros took a whole lot of stills and video. Stay tuned for links to their work over the upcoming months. 

Luckily, Ian Boyer is also a budding amateur photographer and took some images far superior to my point and shoot abilities. Here are a few favorites. Thanks to Ian for generously allowing these up on the Alpenglow site! And thanks to the whole crew for a great week in the City. Ian and I are planning on putting together an Alpenglow trip to the City next summer. Start your planning now and get in touch with us! The trip will be for a small group of climbers looking to enjoy some of the best 1-3 pitch trad and sport routes available anywhere in the world, combined with stellar camping amongst the formations. 

-Adrian Ballinger