It all started six months ago, post-pump at Fellini's Pizza with the usual climbing crew. We got to thinking about our old buddy Greg Kottkamp.
One of the most talented and understated rock climbers the South has seen, Greg was in medical school at the Medical College of Georgia, in Augusta. The closest climbable surface from there is one of the Atlanta gyms, 2.5 hours away. In the last few months Greg was making that insane day trip just to session with his friends for an evening study break, but now things had changed.
Word was that Greg's wife Katy, also a great climber, was doing her veterinary externship in Wisconsin, and Greg was dug in deep, diligently studying o-chem solo in his Augusta lair, with no time to flip through the latest Rock & Ice Magazine, much less get his climbing fix.
Now, Greg's a dedicated guy, and puts just as much focus on the books as on a sick redpoint, but everyone needs a break sometime. So after a couple Sweetwater 420s, we hatched a brilliant plan. Greg needed a climbing wall. A pimp wall, fit for a climber who can onsight 5.13 trad FAs off-the-couch, but also one that would integrate into his new lifestyle as a monkish med school gunner. And - the best part - it would be a total surprise.
Katy provided us with some pics of Greg's home office and the rough dimensions.
Greg's Lair in Augusta, pre-Pimped. photo by Katy Kottkamp
We knew we wouldn't have much time to install the wall once we got there, so we fabricated as much of the wall as possible, knowing we would have to be flexible with how it would attach to the structure of the room.
Chris Sierzant, owner of the Escalade Climbing Gym was our point man for the wall. Chris assembled the wood panels, which make up the climbing surface, pre-drilled and T-nutted to accept interchangable climbing holds. Kenneth McGinnis, an electrical contractor and veteran climber, also helped with the design, and would do the actual install, as well as any rewiring we would need since we would have to relocate some electrical outlets and lighting.
We chose climbing holds from Illinois-based So Ill. These guys make some of the best holds out there for training, and have some outrageous designs, including lots of anatomically-themed shapes that would be perfect for keeping Greg's mind on his studies, and body on the wall. Cooper Roberts of Big Up Productions donated some new films, and we would reconfigure the office complete with a Sony iPhone Deck to keep the psyche up. Josh Fowler was set to film the whole thing.
As the word got around, tons of people chipped in to help out. In the end, the biggest challenge was figuring out how to get Greg out of the house on a day when our crew could spend a day in Augusta for the install. Six months later, it all came together!
Below, The Crew: Clockwise from upper left: Danny Paulete, industrial sculptor and hardman, champion climber Kate McGinnis, her husband and longtime Southern strongman Kenneth, your's truly, climbing rep and idea machine Charlie Maddox, and her lesser half, Josh Fowler - a Nat Geo cameraman who can do pinchgrip pullups on a two-by-four.
We met early on a Sunday with a rental truck full of climbing goodness, with Greg safely out of town with the dogs. Greg and Katy were due back that evening, so we relied on Katy to stay in text-message contact with us during the install. Left to right: Josh, Charlie, Danny, Kenneth, Kate.
We got to Greg's house around noon, and got right to work. Moved all the furniture out and cleaned the space. Danny started crawling around in the ceiling looking for structural beams. The big question was, should we make it free-standing or could we attach it to the structure? Luckily, the room was perfect for the latter, and Kenneth and Danny were able to design an elegant, bombproof design with the panels Chris had prepped that would give us an 8' x 11' wall that overhung slightly more than 45 degrees - a perfect home training wall - and still leave space for the stereo and shelving on either side.
Early that afternoon it poured rain, so we had to continue construction inside. Meanwhile Charlie and Kate planned the post-wall layout of the new office, and we made a couple trips to the local hardware store, for a new fan, lights, a curtain to keep chalk dust contained, and other odds and ends.
Wall up, we were way ahead of schedule, with time to think about the details that would make life more bearable inside four walls (make that five now): pimp iphone deck, shelving behind the wall, new lighting, new outlets, new fan, efficient re-org...
We hit Waffle House while we waited for the increasingly shortened text messages from Katy: eta 2 hours... 1 hour... half hour... Would Greg confront Katy about all this secret texting and blow the suprise? Would the dogs come in before them and tear us apart? Would there be any beer left? Stay tuned for the video to see the conclusion to Pimp My Wall...
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Pimp My Wall!
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Just kicked off a fun new series of videos for the Triple Crown Bouldering Series website called "The Beta". Each month these short pieces will introduce you to a new athlete and a couple boulder problems that will be in the 3Crown competitions this fall - the largest outdoor bouldering competition in the world. Check it out - click on the expansion icon on the lower right to view this HD video full screen!
The Beta - Controller from Andrew Kornylak on Vimeo.
Alex Menendez:
Kick ass clip!! I really dig it. I am just now getting involved in the sport (climbing gym in Orlando) and keep coming back to your site and links for inspiration. Please keep updating. alex
(08.24.09 @ 09:02 PM)
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It wasn't easy.
I had a chance to try out an Olympus E-3 DSLR for a while last month. Among other things, the magnesium E-3 body and Olympus Zukio lenses are known for their ruggedness. The whole system is billed as "splashproof and dustproof". The 10MP camera has been out for awhile, but it has a ton of other attractive features: in-camera image stabilization, automatic sensor dust cleaning, a built-in flash, live view, and the speed and responsiveness you would expect from a modern DSLR.
It was perfect timing because I had some climbing shoots lined up at some new areas near Chattanooga, Tennessee, and the conditions were perfect for this camera: rain for a solid week.
The thing about climbing in the south is that much of the walls are steep enough to allow climbing in even a downpour. If you are willing to hike out in the conditions, chances are you can climb dry rock once you get there. Still, tromping around and rigging ropes in the rain is usually hard enough on cameras to call off a day - or week - of climbing photography.
I was hoping the E-3 would live up to its reputation, and I could salvage an otherwise unproductive week of shooting.
The Zukio lenses are all fantastic. The build and optical quality is at least as good if not better than any DSLR system out there. I tested out four pro-quality lenses: The 8mm f/3.5 fisheye, 35-100mm f/2.0, 50mm f/2.0, and 300mm f/2.8.
Olympus has committed to the Four-Thirds sensor on all its DSLRs. This is a smaller sensor than the "cropped" APS sensor of Nikon and Canon, and has an aspect ratio that is closer to square than rectangular. The Olympus sensor and processor has a reputation for great color and image quality, and it's definitely not hype. I shot some portraits and kids in the neighborhood before heading up to Chattanooga, and the color and skin tones were remarkable, right out of the box, on auto white balance. I was looking forward to seeing what I could do to this camera in harsher conditions.
The climbing areas we explored over the next few days - which shall remain nameless - were deep, and rugged, and beautiful. In classic southern style, access involved 4WD roads, river crossings and long hikes in the rain. In these conditions I would normally keep my camera in a housing, or just leave it in the bag, but with the E-3, I could shoot and even change lenses with impunity. I spent a good part of one afternoon 80 feet in the air on a rope, under a small waterfall and light rain. Nothing seemed to give the camera pause. Not only that, but yielded great shots the whole time.
By the end of our trip I was getting ... reckless. We explored a river under one cliff
and the fun began.
Splash
Splash
Dunk
Uh, Oh!
That last shot was probably the camera's last shot, ever*. The E-3 is obviously not an underwater camera, and it's not meant to withstand immersion, but before it died I DID get a good number of "underwater" shots. Not many cameras would have inspired me to go for a shot like that... I think gear that can encourage you to take your craft one step further - thats money!
Olympus just released a new mini four-thirds camera, the E-P1, and its gotten a lot of attention, but with the excellent Zukio lens lineup, and the features the E-3 already has, I'm excited to see what Olympus has on deck for its next flagship DSLR.
I'd love to break it in!
* Note: I've learned that the camera actually survived and is happily taking pictures somewhere in Aruba. Guess it really isn't that easy.
James Davidson:
So that's the half & half shot you were telling me about. That's awesome, almost as awesome as being allowed to destroy a camera! :)
(08.13.09 @ 10:49 AM)
michael:
That's amazing! I honestly never expected such great results from an Olympus (I generally avoid products from companies other than nikon and canon because of a few previous experiences). I'm curious to learn what your rig is when you are photographing on a rope - something that has given me headaches (and leg pains) time after time. thanks
(08.14.09 @ 01:47 PM)
akornylak:
Thanks Michael - My rig is usually pretty simple - on a single statc line, a Petzl GriGri and Ascender are the basic components, along with a good beefy wall or rescue harness (Petzl makes some great ones) and a Black Diamond 5-step etrier. Rig the ascender (which is leashed to you) above you, attach the etriers to the ascender, GriGri at your harness, pull in on the GriGri while you step up in the etriers, repeat. I like this setyup because it uses minimal gear and you can lower quickly. It's not the most efficient setup - you can increase the efficiency with a pulley at the Ascender - but with practice (and fitness) you can go pretty quick on this.
Maybe a video demonstration is in order - stay tuned.
(08.14.09 @ 03:10 PM)
Anonymous:
I actually own an E-3 recently took to Morocco, I agree is rugged but I actually felt that at 54C or 138F the autofocus was a little slower..
(09.01.09 @ 12:25 PM)
bousozoku:
They're Zuiko lenses, not zukio and the E-P1 is part of micro Four-Thirds, not mini unless of course, you just meant small. ;-)
No, you're not supposed to put the equipment underwater, but after shooting outside in 3 hurricanes, I can attest to the weatherproofing.
(09.04.09 @ 02:08 PM)
Greg Funnell:
Just discovered your blog - great reading. That last shot of the dog is fantastic - almost worth trashing the camera for!
(09.12.09 @ 09:10 AM)
Bruno Axhausen:
Fantastic shots! Very courageous to use your camera like that, but I'd say the images are worth it! What about the lens?!
Cheers
Bruno
akornylak:
bousozoku: Thanks for the spellcheck.
I'd love to see your photos from shooting during a hurricane!
(09.14.09 @ 03:03 PM)
akornylak:
Thanks Bruno - The lens was fine, no fogging or anything afterwards. They are all weather sealed to a high degree.
(09.14.09 @ 03:08 PM)
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That's bad ass. I'm sure Greg will appreciate the stress relief.
(09.02.09 @ 04:46 PM)very impressive - both vision and stills
(10.12.09 @ 02:04 AM)just bought a D300s and playing / we do mainly Transportation / Aviation/ Ships / Big trucks/ Trains
You should have a very ready market with a MAJOR library
worth exploring - miles of rubbish being supplied very few winners
I do have a long and good relationship with Corbis for what it is worth !!!
Thanks Steve - I've had a long and great relationship with Aurora Photos, which also distributes through Corbis and Getty worldwide.
(10.12.09 @ 02:18 AM)Good job guys! Are you expensive? I have friends who may hire you :-)
(02.18.10 @ 07:46 AM)Constantin- Thanks - probably not the most cost-effective thing to hire us to build a woody. But if you wanted to hire us to do another episode (episode 1 coming soon on video) let us know!
(02.19.10 @ 10:05 AM)