Events
Mike Libecki
Location: Round Table Pizza, 2065 Occidental Road, Santa Rosa
Time & Date: Tuesday, November 1st, 2011 @ 7:30 PM (Social hours and free beer for members at 6:30)
Directions: From Highway 101 at Santa Rosa go west on Highway 12 to Stony Point Road Exit. Go straight from the middle lane at the light onto Occidental Road. The Round Table Pizza is on the right just down the road.
Join the R.I.M. Club for a special presentation by accomplished solo big wall first ascentionist Mike Libecki. At our November meeting Mike will show a series of short films from his big wall expeditions to Greenland, Antarctica, China, Venezuela, Yemen and more. His sponsors (Black Diamond, Mountain Hardwear, MSR, Lowe Pro, and others) have donated a stack of killer gear for a raffle you shouldn’t miss!
Our social hour starts at 6:30 and the meeting starts at 7:30. Bring a friend!
Mike will be showing a series of short films from his big wall explorations, some solo, some with partners. Destinations may include Antarctica, Greenland, Yemen, China, Venezuela and more.
Mike was born near the heart of the Sierra Nevada Mountains in California where he grew up hunting, fishing, and camping with his family, as well as excelling in speed mathematics from grammar school through high school. His childhood life planted the seed for his obsession with an utterly adventurous lifestyle that has taken him to all of the continents several times. He is constantly making it very clear that: Death and/or old age is coming… we must live sweet. After all, it is not only life, but the quality of this life.
Now in his adult life, Mike spends most of his time as a father to his angel-daughter Lilliana, and traveling to the most remote, exotic and untouched locations on the planet to pursue his passion of big wall and alpine first ascents, traverses, and other offbeat adventures, many of them completely alone. Libecki has been on expeditions and established multiple first ascents in such areas as Africa, Baffin Island, Greenland, China, Madagascar, Kyrgysztan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Papua New Guinea, Russia, Venezuela, Yemen, and Antarctica. He made the first west-east traverse across the Taklamakan Desert in Western China, also known as the “Sea of Death” by the local people.
He’s spent months at a time Soloing first ascents in Greenland, Baffin Island, Antarctica, Africa, Papua New Guinea and China. He and a partner spent 8o days completing a major ski and big wall climbing expedition in Queen Maud Land, Antarctica. He is currently reconnoitering such virgin lands such as Franz Josef Land, Russia, restricted Africa, Afghanistan and remote islands in the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans , some other areas are top secret at the moment due to government regulations.
Ben Hatchett: Mountain Weather for High Altitude Gravity Enthusiasts
Location: Round Table Pizza, 2065 Occidental Road, Santa Rosa
Time & Date: Tuesday, October 4th, 2011 @ 7:30 PM (Social hours and free beer for members at 6:30)
Directions: From Highway 101 at Santa Rosa go west on Highway 12 to Stony Point Road Exit. Go straight from the middle lane at the light onto Occidental Road. The Round Table Pizza is on the right just down the road.
Ben Hatchett is a homegrown Californian who has been a disciple of the mountain lifestyle for 16 years. Ben relocated to Nevada to complete his Ph.D in atmospheric science from the University of Nevada, Reno. Ben’s goal in life is to never stop having fun, to experience the best of the Sierra alpine environs in all seasons and to travel to mountain ranges that test his limits.
Ben will be showing photos from a variety of his mountain activities, mostly in California, but also Europe and Alaska, and will share insight about forecasting techniques and mountain weather phenomena that can be readily used to enhance your own backcountry adventures. Check out his website at www.powdiction.com for sierra weather updates and skiing, snowboarding and climbing outings.
Alex Biale and Drew LaPlante
Location: Round Table Pizza, 2065 Occidental Road, Santa Rosa
Time & Date: Tuesday, September 6th, 2011 @ 7:30 PM (Social hours and free beer for members at 6:30)
Directions: From Highway 101 at Santa Rosa go west on Highway 12 to Stony Point Road Exit. Go straight from the middle lane at the light onto Occidental Road. The Round Table Pizza is on the right just down the road.
Alex Biale and Drew LaPlante will present their 3 month rock climbing trip, spreading their love of climbing and love of life! Crossing through many popular areas, photos and stories of climbing and love and life through Tahoe, Smith Rock, Portland, Leavenworth, Seattle, Squamish, City of Rocks, Joe’s Valley, Rocky Mountain National Park, Boulder, Mt. Evans, and Malibu Creek will be shared. The journey of many miles was that of an unforgettable adventure of meeting new people, sharing in life-changing experiences, exploring the beauties of nature, cities, and the endless amount of climbing!
Steve Curtis: Highlights from the Elbsandstein, Germany; Climbing With Knots.
Location: Round Table Pizza, 2065 Occidental Road, Santa Rosa
Time & Date: Tuesday, August 2nd, 2011 @ 7:30 PM (Social hours and free beer for members at 6:30)
Directions: From Highway 101 at Santa Rosa go west on Highway 12 to Stony Point Road Exit. Go straight from the middle lane at the light onto Occidental Road. The Round Table Pizza is on the right just down the road.
Steve Curtis will present his recent 11 day trip to Elbstandstein, Germany. Elbstandstein hosts over 14,000 climbing routes on over 1,100 rock pinnacles and is where the Saxon rules for rock climbing, considered to be one of the origins of free climbing, were established at the beginning of the 20th century. Steve says “For me, the climbing was extremely rewarding. I did things in reverse, figuring that climbing above slings with knots was just soloing”. Join Steve as he shows amazing photos and tells great stories about this unforgettable climbing and cultural experience.
Steve Curtis was born and raised in Petaluma, California and after a long time abroad, including 6 years in Germany, he has returned to the area and has not let up on his life long passion for climbing. Curtis is a retired air force prosthodontist with 27 years of service, board certified in 1994 and elected to the American Board of Prosthodontists in 2007. Steve’s notable climbs include the Nose in 16 hours, the Half Dome Regular route in 7 hours, plus long hard speed rope solos in Europe.
Quaint Bouldering and Hidden Sport Crags of California
Location: Round Table Pizza, 2065 Occidental Road, Santa Rosa
Time & Date: Tuesday, July 5th, 2011 @ 7:30 PM (Social hours and free beer for members at 6:30)
Directions: From Highway 101 at Santa Rosa go west on Highway 12 to Stony Point Road Exit. Go straight from the middle lane at the light onto Occidental Road. The Round Table Pizza is on the right just down the road.
Anthony Lapomardo is originally from the Central Valley. In the winter of 2008, he picked up a camera and has been unable to put it down, even when it hinders his climbing. Anthony’s interest is in reviving old areas and shooting boulder lines/sport climbs that have not seen the light of day in a publication. Currently, he is a contributor to Dead Point Magazine (DPM) and his photos and videos can be seen within the pages and on the website. Anthony’s show in July will be a mixed media presentation with three short (10min) films and lots of photos from small crags highlighting the enormity of California’s climbing potential. Come out and enjoy images of quaint bouldering areas and hidden sport crags throughout California.
Amber Taxiera
Location: Round Table Pizza, 2065 Occidental Road, Santa Rosa
Time & Date: Tuesday, June 7th, 2011 @ 7:30 PM (Social hours and free beer for members at 6:30)
Directions: From Highway 101 at Santa Rosa go west on Highway 12 to Stony Point Road Exit. Go straight from the middle lane at the light onto Occidental Road. The Round Table Pizza is on the right just down the road.
Amber Taxiera is originally form Davis, CA, where she grew up climbing at the Rocknasium. She began climbing more seriously when she went to college at Sonoma State University and began working at the Vertex Climbing Center in Santa Rosa in 2006. In Decemeber 2009, Amber departed on a 17 month tour of Asia hitting 8 different countries and climbing as much as possible along the way. She placed in International Climbing competitions and worked for an international guiding company in Southern China. Amber has a degree in Environmental Studies and City Planning from SSU and has guided for people of all ages and abilities in wilderness rafting, climbing, and trekking. She hopes to inspire more people to climb and visit climbing destinations throughout Asia and beyond.
Charlie Barrett
Location: Round Table Pizza, 2065 Occidental Road, Santa Rosa
Time & Date: Tuesday, April 5th, 2011 @ 7:30 PM (Social hours and free beer for members at 6:30)
Directions: From Highway 101 at Santa Rosa go west on Highway 12 to Stony Point Road Exit. Go straight from the middle lane at the light onto Occidental Road. The Round Table Pizza is on the right just down the road.
Santa Rosa Hardcore Boulderer. This show is going to be gritty and awe inspiring. Join us for a killer show by our own Charlie Barrett.
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Steve Bartlet, Desert Towers
Location: Round Table Pizza, 2065 Occidental Road, Santa Rosa
Time & Date: Tuesday, March 1st, 2011 @ 7:30 PM (Social hours and free beer for members at 6:30)
Directions: From Highway 101 at Santa Rosa go west on Highway 12 to Stony Point Road Exit. Go straight from the middle lane at the light onto Occidental Road. The Round Table Pizza is on the right just down the road.
Join Steve “Crusher” Bartlett on a tour of the spectacular, colorful climbs of the Colorado Plateau. The only thing better than succeeding on a great climb is to discover that said climb finishes atop a tiny summit, far in the sky. The desert of southern Utah and the Four Corners area holds hundreds of such wild summits, none easy to attain, many climbable only by difficult, seldom-ascended routes. Steve Bartlett has enjoyed 25 years of climbing these towers and has stood on top of over thirty previously unclimbed formations. For this show he presents highlights from these climbs.
Ever since 1982, when he quit his job in rainy, gray Britain, bought a one-way ticket in London and stepped out into the bright sun of California, Bartlett has been enjoying exploring and climbing all over the West. He has lived and worked in Boulder, Colorado, for the last 27 years.
The Colorado Plateau became his favorite place to explore and climb. The canyons and pinnacles are the most colorful and spectacular in the world–we in the western U.S. are privileged to have such beauty so close. The towers and pinnacles have drawn rock climbers for 50 years, and these climbers, Layton Kor, Harvey Carter, Bill Forrest, Chuck Pratt, Fred Beckey, Stevie Haston, Rob Pizem and many more, have left us a legacy of spectacular, difficult climbs.
Steve Bartlett’s contribution to this legacy is to have climbed over thirty previously unclimbed towers–none easy, some unrepeated after a decade or more–and to have recently written a book that tries to capture something of the flavor of the art of desert-tower climbing. Whatever the future holds for the desert, the history is now preserved in one coffee-table book.
Owens River Gorge
We are heading to the Owens River Gorge for some sport climbing. We might also jump over to the Buttermilks for some bouldering. I will be heading over to Bishop Thursday night, and heading home Sunday. We can camp at the PV Pit for 2$ a night/car. Please send me an e-mail if you are interested! [email protected] What: Sport Climbing, Bouldering Where: Owens River Gorge/Bishop When: 3/17/11 (evening) -3/20-11 (leave morning)
Chris McNamara: Multi-media presentation and ASCA fundraiser
Location: Round Table Pizza, 2065 Occidental Road, Santa Rosa
Time & Date: Tuesday, Feb 1st, 2011 @ 7:30 PM (Social hours and free beer for members at 6:30)
Directions: From Highway 101 at Santa Rosa go west on Highway 12 to Stony Point Road Exit. Go straight from the middle lane at the light onto Occidental Road. The Round Table Pizza is on the right just down the road.
Chris McNamara is arguably one of the most influential Northern California climbers today. His big wall climbing career began as a young teenager and he quickly amassed an incredible resume of hard and fast ascents in Yosemite and Zion. From those experiences he launched the very successful SuperTopo brand which publishes popular climbing guide books and has one of the most viewed rock climbing websites on the internet. After having clipped hundreds of bad bolts he founded the American Safe Climbing Association whose goal is to return classic climbing routes to their original danger level by replacing deteriorating old fixed anchors, usually bolts, with modern camouflaged gear. The ASCA has replaced over 6000 bolts in popular climbing areas across the West.
Recently Chris got into BASE jumping from the world’s tallest cliffs with a wing suit and an HD helmet cam. On February 1st will be sharing footage of both the heart stopping jumps and his climbing exploits with the Rock Ice Mountain Club. All proceeds from our raffle this month will go directly to the ASCA to help with bolt replacement at our local North Bay crags. Chris will have copies of his recent SuperTopo titles as well as the Book of BASE (Matt Gerdes with sections by Chris McNamara, Steph Davis, and Dean Potter) which details the technical and ethical evolution of the sport of BASE jumping. READ MORE
