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Category : News

Liquid Sky

The 80’s were a time of major change in climbing. The French were rewriting the rules of the sport and many of the old school American & British climbers were not enthused about it. There was a lot of debate about what was valid. Many were even questioning if sport climbing could help one improve.

In 1985 Frenchman Antoine Le Menestrel traveled to England and soloed their hardest route, Jerry Moffat’s “Revelations”. For those that were paying attention that may have been on the fence, this sealed the deal. Clearly Antoine, JB Tribout and all their cohorts who had been working out in “The Lab” were on to something. As John Bouchard used to say. “Keep up with the times or the times will leave you behind.”

This piece I wrote about the first ascent of Liquid Sky was published in Alpinist #28. It’s a glimpse into what was happening on Cathedral Ledge at that time.

Liquid_Sky_First_Ascent_Alpinist
Jim Surette on the FFA of Cerberus in 1985. Photo: Ed Webster.

Armageddon and Cerberus

Below is an excerpt from Greg Crouch's book, Goldline: Stories of Climbing Adventure and Tradition, that was published in 2001.

Jim Surette on the FFA of Cerberus in 1985. Photo: Ed Webster.
Goldline: Stories of Climbing Adventure and Tradition
Jim Surette on the FFA of Cerberus in 1985. Photo: Ed Webster.

A Journey To Save The Arctic

In April 2013 Jim joined an international team, as camera operator for Greenpeace, that ventured to the North Pole, where they declared it protected on behalf of all life on Earth. Backed by millions, they planted a flag for the future on the seabed and called for a sanctuary in the uninhabited area around the pole.

See more pictures and read about the trip in The Conway Daily Sun’s link below.

http://www.conwaydailysun.com/index.php/newsx/local-news/106785-arctic-042713

Red Bull Top Altitude: Valery Rozov Jumps From Shivling

This past May Jim traveled to India’s Garwhal region as part of an international film crew. The team was successful in documenting one of the highest base jumps ever done. After weeks battling bad weather, high altitude and dangerous climbing conditions, Valery Rozov made the first base jump ever from Mt. Shivling.

Shivling

Greenpeace: Messages to Fukushima

In February Jim traveled to Japan to shoot an international Greenpeace alpine team delivering messages of support and hope for the victims of the nuclear disaster at Fukushima Daiichi to the summit of Mt Fuji. Collected from thousands of people in Japan and all over the world, Greenpeace hopes that these messages will help unite the people of Japan in opposition to nuclear power, and encourage the Japanese authorities to listen to them. At the same time, another group of Greenpeace activists unfurl a banner at Lake Kawaguchiko, in the shadow of Mt Fuji. Climbing team was comprised of eleven alpinists from Canada, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Poland, Sweden, Switzerland and the USA.

Screen grab from the “Messages to Fukushima” video