Athletes
Yuji Hirayama
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The North Face® /Black Diamond Athlete: |
Yuji began climbing when he was 15 years old, and he soon became one of the best climbers in Japan. When he was 17, Yuji moved to California＊s Yosemite National Park to brush up on his crack climbing, and then to France, where he climbed some of the hardest free-climbing routes in the world and excelled in competition. Still a regular visitor to Yosemite, his accomplishments there include a rapid, two-day free ascent of the Nose route on El Capitan.
2008:
- The Nose, Yosemite; Set a speed climbing record: 2:37:05
2004:
- White Zombie, Spain (8c); On-site
2003:
- El Nino, Yosemite; Attempted on-sight. Free climbed all pitches.
2000:
- World Cup Series Champion
1998:
- World Cup Series Champion
1997:
- Salathe, Yosemite; Attempted on-sight. Free climbed all pitches in two days.
Click here to read a Q & A with Yuji
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The North Face® /Black Diamond Athlete: |
Sam was born on August 25, 1982 in southeastern Michigan, where his family still resides. Sam currently live in the state of Colorado. Climbing is a driving passion for his life. Sam has been fortunate to feel an innate connection to its practice from the beginning, and he has structured his life so that he can be dedicated to it.
Before climbing, his life was consumed with alpine skiing and ski racing. Sam has skied for nearly 26 years now, since he was 2 and half years old. He began racing at the age of 12, and when he was 16 he moved from Michigan to Salt Lake City, UT to attend a ski racing academy. After that, Sam was recruited to ski race for a small liberal arts college in Idaho. He still skis frequently, both on and off piste. It is such a pleasure to be outside and in the mountains, and Sam experience a great sense of freedom and peace there.
Sam was introduced to climbing through sport climbing, and it is his main pursuit. However, he enjoys many styles; traditional climbing, bouldering, deep water soloing, and most recently ice and winter mixed (M) climbing/dry tooling. The quest to understand himself through climbing has deeply enriched his life, and for this Sam is eternally grateful. As a result, he feels a responsibility to continue to explore within the pursuit for as long as he is motivated and capable.
In addition to practicing as an athlete, Sam has had many fortunate employment positions within the climbing and greater outdoor industry. He has worked as an instructor and manager for a climbing gym, a retail sales floor employee, a ski shop manager, an inventory buyer for a specialty outdoors store, and now as a tech rep for Black Diamond. Sam has found that these opportunities bring a balance to his climbing life. They have allowed him a way to contribute back to the sport and the industry. Sam is a very strong advocate for not only climbing, but the outdoor industry as a whole. Sam believes firmly in the necessity of its function, and he is very proud to be a part of it.
Click here to read a Q & A with Sam
Liu Yongbang
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The North Face® /Black Diamond Athlete: |
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Abond is originally from Hunan Province and now lives in Yangshuo. Though he has only been climbing for 5 years, he is one of the few Chinese climbers to redpoint 5.14. Most of his climbing has been in Yangshuo, but he has also visited Tonsai, Thailand for sport climbing and deep water soloing.
This is how Aond described his first climbing experience:"I was introduced to climbing by my cousin 'Tommy', and later on I got to climb with Neil Gresham, who I learnt a lot from. When I started climbing I would walk by the local bouldering wall, and would see this guy climbing (Rocky). He was very strong and I asked him if I could climb with him. He told me I wasn't strong enough to climb with him. So I went away and trained and climbed as much as I could. I would complete all the circuits at the China Climb wall, and climb as much I could outside. Rocky saw I got much stronger, then one day he came to my climbing wall and asked to climb with me. Since then we have been very good friends. He inspired me to climb and push myself, and I've kept pushing myself to improve and climb harder."
When Abond is not climbing he loves to search for new lines and crags to develop as there is so much potential in Yangshuo. There is also much more potential in other areas of China. He established China's first 5.14b求China Climb, and has many second ascents. His most memorable are Lightning 5.14a, and Thunder 5.14a. At the moment he is training to climb harder and finish his new projects in Yangshuo. He is hoping to eventually climb 'Angry Monkey 5.14d', 'Spicy Noodle 5.14c' , and 'Unnecessary Dumpling 5.15a'.
Abond attended last year＊s American Alpine Club's 2nd Annual International Climbers Meet in October, where he exchanged climbing experience and skills with top rock climbers from all over the worlds.
In June 2010, Abond was invited to climb at the opening ceremony of Marina Bay Sand Hotel/Casino with world-class climbers from more than a dozen of countries. Marina Bay Sand is the largest casino in Asia consists of three skyscrapers with more than 50 floors respectively and linked by a hanging garden＃
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In August 2010, Abond accomplished a 5.14c route at The White Mountain, Yangshuo, becomes the first Chinese conquered a hard route at this grade.
Click here to read a Q & A with Abond
Emily Harrington
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The North Face Athlete: |
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Born and raised in Boulder, Colorado, Emily Harrington, 21, has been climbing for 10 years and has an impressive list of achievements to show for it. She started as a member of the USA Junior Climbing Team in 1998 and has been a member of the USA Climbing Adult Team (difficulty) since 2004. In 2007, Emily became the 2nd female American to climb 5.14b and she finished 2nd in the Sport Climbing World Championships in 2005. In 2006, she was named Female Climber of the Year at the Teva Mountain Games as well as the Outdoor Idol Winner. She is currently the only American, male or female, consistently placing in the top five on the World Cup circuit. While busy accumulating these athletic achievements, Emily also managed to graduate Magna Cum Laude from the University of Colorado with a Bachelor＊s Degree in International Affairs in 2007.
Emily＊s other achievements include serving as a USA Athlete Representative at the 2006 Winter Olympic Games in Torino, Italy, and representing Access Funds as Youth Ambassador from 2003 to 2006. She currently serves as an Athlete Representative on the USA Climbing Board and is a Lead Delegate in the International Federation for Sport Climbing (IFSC). It is clear that Emily does not do anything halfway, whether it is school, donating her time, or climbing, and she clearly has a passion for every endeavor she undertakes 每 a passion well beyond her years.
Career Highlight
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2nd American Female (13th in world) to climb 5.14b (Burning Down the House, Sonora, CA) 每 2007
- FSerre Chevalier Masters Champion - 2006
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Outdoor Idol Award 每 2006
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North American Difficulty Champion 每 2004 & 2006
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National Difficulty Champion 每 2004-2006
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2006 Everest Award Winner; Female Climber of the Year
- Climbing for Life guest speaker 每 2005
- Associate Producer of ※The Australia Project§ film - 2004
Click here to read a Q & A with Emily
