I've moved!

It's been fun over here, but I've moved. I've started posting reports about my most recent trip to Patagonia. Check it out! cheynelempe.com

I'll be keeping this blog alive, but will not be posting anything new. Everything I have posted is very valuable to me, as it is pretty cool to see where I have been, what I have learned, and how I have changed. 

Polar Opposite

I'm leaving for my next trip to Patagonia with a calm mind, and rejuvenated spirit. After living in a tent for seven months, Jess and I moved to the big city of Denver. It's completely opposite of what had become 'normal' in my life, and it has been a healthy experience.  

I can count on one hand the number of times I have gone climbing since I moved back to Colorado, and I can honestly say that I am happy about that. I worked extremely hard to get better at climbing in Yosemite, and taking this break is exactly what needed to happen. I get burnt out, I lose psyche, and I really dislike climbing at certain times. I'm learning that these are natural emotions for me, and I now listen to these feelings because I can't necessarily control them. 

Climb if you want to, do something else if you don't. Go out every day and do what ignites creativity and makes you smile. Enjoy the photos:  

Grime

America

Thuggery

Wrong Way

Meow

Flows

Tofu

Jess checking out the new prints

That Smile

Brothers

CCC

Typical

Ice

Seven hours to go on a drive to a crazy place where my friend Bud Miller farms ice in Ouray Colorado. A quick trip to sharpen my ice tools and get the groove of climbing ice just incase I encounter an unfortunate situation down in Patagonia. Last year I was glad to have the little experience that I did for the single dangerous mixed pitch that Scott and I came across while climbing The North Pillar Sit Start on Fitz Roy. It felt great to get out of the city and return to the simple life of 'eat, sleep, climb'.

Box Canyon

I ran across Nathan Smith who works over at Liberty Mountain. He was the first person to start supporting me as a climber, and that has opened up many opportunities for me. I was psyched to lead my first pitch of ice of the season so he could shoot a few photos. 

Tangled Up In Blue

Nathan Smith

Edelweiss

Automatic

Carbon Fiber

Homemade Pizza

Whisky Slaps

Love

Inside the Lens

"It doesn't count unless you got it on camera..." I jokingly say this, but it can be true.

Did Honnold really send the triple linkup in Yosemite?
Well, yes he did.. I was there filming him up on El Cap as he floated by.

The following information is about how I attempt to document my experiences, and the gear that it takes to do it. Sometimes I get caught up in the equipment, and don't focus enough on the story that's happening around me. When Jonny Copp filmed the 'alpine rockumentary' SPLITTER, it wasn't in HD, it didn't have animated motion graphics, and wasn't made with the highest quality equipment. He captured what it was really like to go alpine climbing, and made you laugh as you watched it.

I'm going down to South America next week, and I am going to do my best to accurately tell my story through my camera lens.

The 'Alpine Camera' comparison

Last year I took the S95 down to Patagonia, and every other climbing trip over the past few years. The image quality is great for such a small camera (Canon has now upgraded to the S100 and S110).

This year, I ended up with the Sony NEX-5N off ebay for about $420. It's an interchangeable lens camera, and I put the small 18mm prime lens on it. From what I have found, no existing camera has a better image quality to size ratio. It looks about as good as a Canon Rebel T1i. I found a case at REI that fit it perfectly, and then added a leash so you can't drop it while climbing. 

It seems insane to me that people take up massive cameras on huge objectives such as The Meru Shark's Fin. Maybe I'm not strong and fast enough to bring my DSLR into the mountains, but I am very excited to bring along my new little Sony. 

I'll also be taking my bigger DSLR down to Argentina, and I'll use it while I'm traveling and probably up at basecamp in the mountains.

Climb Fast, Chill More

Check out a quick story about The Shortest Straw speed record on Liberty Mountain's blog, enjoy!

Bolt Replacement Flick

Here is a video that brewed up for the Yosemite Climbing Rangers about bolt replacement. One of their Climbing Steward Volunteers Roger Brown works for ASCA, and has replaced over 2,400 bolts! When you clip one of those phat new shiny hangers, this is what goes into replacing the 'time boms'.

Travel and Change

The 'No Way Down' blog is coming to an end. I'll be switching over to a new website in the next few weeks where I'll have a more organized way of displaying my images, films, and stories. Lately, my biggest problem has been a cluttered computer filled with too many photos and videos; because of that, I have felt overwhelmed and have neglected this blog. 

Get ready for Viva Patagonia Pt. 2, as I will be traveling down to Patagonia again this winter. I have not only gotten better at the fine craft of crack climbing and personal suffering, but have also updated my camera gear, and have been learning a ton about shooting video and snapping photos. I am unbelievably excited to say the least. 

This disheveled series of photos is void of stories that will be told when my new site develops. Enjoy! 

Events seen in photos:

The Shortest Straw speed record

Native Son

The Prow with my girlfriend Jess

Monkey gig on Free Rider

End of season in Valley, leaving

Monkey Business

I've been deep into projects on the side of El Cap, and behind the lens of my camera. I'm excited to share some of my recent experiences. Hold on tight while I finish the editing.

Here is a quick video of my friend Nate and I cutting an extremely loose block off the side of El Cap. Nate and I rapped All 3,000 feet of the captain to work a few of the crux pitches. One notoriously dangerous and difficult is 'the monster offwidth'. Right in the middle of the crack lies a gigantic block, hanging only by a few old slings. We worked together with another team who also rapped the route in order to make sure the base was clear, and we could safely let the block scream down 2,000 feet to the base.

September Photoblog Pt. 1