21 Jan 2017Reflecting on the end of 2016...A year of change. I had set the intention of determining my next big life phase this year and so, for three months, I visited Canada to see if that was where my stars aligned. I didn't feel the fit. Called back to the Middle East by Red Bull to be Technical Director for the successful Civil Wall event reminded me why I am an expatriate. These opportunities are not
9 Dec 2016Almost three months in Canada. An entire summer. I had arrived with the intention to explore what returning to settle in Canada would be like. What was my next step after Oman? However, after a summer spent in Canada, the precious family-time, the warm and motivated climbing community and for me a very successful climbing sojourn topped off by The Path 5.14R I still felt that my time in Oman was not finished - I
15 Sep 2016This past summer I was in Calgary, Canada to visit family and of course climb in the impressive Bow Valley corridor. I am so grateful for the time I get to spend bonding with family and catching up with friends not often seen. Canada was packed. This is a segment that has been on my mind...The Path... At the end of June my friend and climbing legend Tim Emmett called me up from his temporary
24 May 2016A new route on Wadi Darbat waterfall in the very south of Oman, of Arabia. 1,010km from my home in Muscat. A meeting request in Salalah led to one of my favourite road trips ever. Climbing project meets a fiendish desire to surf and scout new and untapped climbing opportunities. A recipe for success. Breathe. Relax. Breathe...I am half way up a 120m tall dried-up waterfall and in the midst of a powerful self realisation.
25 Feb 2016I am very excited to present my film Valley of Giants publicly for the first time since its release in November 2015 to select film and climbing festivals across the world. Since then it has been screened in eight countries on three continents in what I can only describe as a serendipitous accident, having been contacted by some festivals before editing was even finished! No pressure, gulp. This is my first attempt at producing,
2 Feb 2016In January I invited Arnaud Petit and Alex Ruscior to come visit me in Oman with the main objective to establish some new routes, big and small. We each met separately on the Petzl Roctrip in 2014 and caught up in Ceuse last summer where we solidified plans for something, anything in the future. Voulez vous grimper en Oman, mes amis? Read on... Our first stop was Umq Bir, the magnificent
12 Jul 2015This year has been racing along. In January Philippe Ribière, Dan Bates, Miguel Willis and I spent weeks in a remote wadi canyon high in the eastern Hajar mountains of Oman developing some world class boulders. It was a tremendous experience to embed ourselves in such a wild landscape. To have Dan and Phil, two guys who have travelled far and wide climbing, consider the canyon a world treasure is testament to the place.
28 Apr 2015People often ask me for gear recommendations and what gear I use regularly when I go out climbing. Here, I have put together a packing list of what I carry in my crag pack. What's in the bag? 1. Petzl Meteor helmet Most of the climbing I am doing is brand new, being developing by me and my friends in Oman. Wether on a ground up trad climbing mission or just a day out cragging, I always have
25 Jan 2015So long, 2014! After climbing out of the dark literally and mentally last year, it was nice to feel traction coming out of a tough year. Last year it was committing to really lean into what inspires and feeds my spirit - travel, climbing, life coaching, sharing - and at the same time step free of the crutches of safety, the easy route. Reflecting back on the year I feel rewarded and encouraged to have experienced
25 Sep 2014I'm on the road in Eastern Europe with the Petzl Roctrip climbing from Romania to Turkey! Follow my latest updates and the full story here: www.thethingaboutlife.com, a place where Tara and I are collaborating to share adventure, the people and the stories that inspire us. It's a work in progress so keep checking back regularly! Allez!