Interview

BASE Jumping, Interview, Podcast, Skiing / 12.12.2010

After a long career as a professional skier and BASE jumper Karina Hollekim was living her dream. In 2006 at the paragliding world cup in Switzerland she and a group of friends were invited to do an exhibition jump. It was just going to be a routine flight in wing suits sailing away from an airplane to entertain a crowd of thousands below. Flying high overhead Karina couldn’t have been more happy. "I was there with friends I was having fun and everything was just perfect," she said. Karina made the jump from a small plane and carved  turns through the sky in her wing suit. As she flew  she filmed the others with a camera mounted on her helmet. "I could see the smile on the face of my friend and everything was great. I was suppose to open the parachute and land on the grassy field in front of the spectators. I could hear the clapping and roaring from the thousands of spectators underneath," she said. "And then a split second later I realized that something had gone wrong. And 15 seconds later my life was changed forever."
Banff, Film Festival, Interview, Mountain Film / 19.11.2010

An interview with the author Greg Mortenson

It’s been on the New York Times bestseller list for 197 weeks. The book Three Cups of Tea by Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin continues to engage and inspire millions of people around world. This story of one man’s journey to build schools for children in the most remote regions Pakistan and Afghanistan has helped to forge a better understanding of how to encourage peace and cooperation where there has been only war and armed conflict for decades. But when I met with Mortenson at the MountainFilm Festival in Telluride Colorado he shared with me his latest project. “The second book I wrote, Stones Into Schools, is more about Afghanistan," he said in an interview. "It’s also about the lessons I learned in Three Cups of Tea about empowering the people, listening to the elders, about really letting the people themselves do the work. So I tried in the to really show that people themselves can be empowered.” Stones Into Schools isn’t just a sequel to a popular piece of non-fiction. It’s a testament to the impact one person can make in the lives of others. By providing the people of Afghanistan with the tools they need to help themselves, Mortenson is doing more than building schools. He’s paving a long road toward a world that lives in peace.
Banff, Climbing, Film Festival, Film Review, Interview, Mountain Film, Podcast / 12.11.2010

An interview with Sender Films producers Nick Rosen and Peter Mortimer I just got back from the Banff Mountain Film Festival. Held every year in November at the Banff Center in Alberta, Canada this celebration of alpine culture marks the end of one adventure season and the beginning of the next. After putting in time at the MountainFilm Festival Telluride and few other events throughout the year I’ve had the chance to see a lot of movies about athletes and explorers pushing the boundaries of the human experience. But one film in particular hits really close home. Called Point of No Return this movie for television produced by Sender Films depicts of lives of guys I once knew who died tragically in the pursuit of a dream.
Assignment Earth, Environmental Journalism, Environmental Protection, Interview / 27.07.2010

Field producers for Assignment Earth arguably have the coolest job in the world. Reporter Rebecca Huntington blends exploring wild places, her favorite pastime, with storytelling to educate the general public on events and issues at the forefront of environmental conservation. Born in Billings Montana, Rebecca, 38, now lives in Jackson, Wyoming. With a degree in Spanish and Journalism from the University of Montana and as a Ted Scripps fellow of the Center for Environmental Journalism at the University of Colorado Boulder she, brings a wealth of knowledge and training to her production work. Reporting for Assignment Earth since 2007 Rebecca connects with researchers and activists to offer viewers an on-the-ground perspective of efforts to protect and preserve the natural world. What follows is a Q&A interview conducted for Assignment Earth
Climbing, Interview, Podcast, Special Events / 16.06.2010

Once you reach a certain point in your career it’s great to be able to sit back and reflect upon what you’ve accomplished. It’s gratifying to see in hindsight how far you’ve come and this vantage point you can also look forward to what you have yet to achieve in the future. At the age of 29 professional climber Chris Sharma is in a good position to see the route his life has taken so far and start making plans to a forge a new line, a course of travel into the years that lie ahead. Known as one of the strongest sport climbers in world today, Chris Sharma continues to set the curve for aspiring and professional rock monkeys alike. Appearing in several feature films he first came to my attention back in 2007 during a pre-release screening of the movie King Lines. In this production from Sender Films Sharma introduced audiences to the emerging discipline of deep water soloing where climbers scale incredibly hard routes on rock faces high above ocean pools. In King Lines he works a particularly difficult problem whose crux is a 7-foot dyno to be stuck or risk a 60-foot fall to sea below. Combining athleticism and a profound appreciation for the natural world Chris Sharma is a climber of both strength and grace that defines the lifestyle and passion of a man comfortable in the profession he loves.
Climbing, Interview, Outdoor Recreation, Podcast, Special Events / 12.05.2010

I just got a  new set of tires from my Volkswagen Jetta. Got an oil change and I’m packing my gear for the next Joy Trip. I’ll be heading east for the first time to report from The New River Rendezvous in Fayetteville, West Virginia. The three-day event is another one of those terrific gatherings of our tribe, we who find adventure in play at climbing, mountain biking, kayaking, trail running. Maybe one day I’ll try BASE Jumping. In the heart of the New River Gorge there’ll be parties, clinics, a climbing comp, slide shows there’s even going to be a contest to see who can wear the most obnoxious, sexy or outrageous lycra tights. Should be a great time. But you know the thing I love most about a trip like this is having the opportunity connect with old friends, folks I haven’t seen a while. Festivals like the New River Rendezvous bring together some amazing people, climbers mainly, men and women who’ve traveled all over the world and do daring things most of us only dream about. Someone who I look forward to seeing over the weekend is Lynn Hill. In a career that spans more than 30 years, her contributions to the sport of climbing have been both groundbreaking and inspirational. One of the first female climbers to reach a position of prominence Lynn made a name for herself in 1979. She was the first woman to establish a 5.13 route called Ophir Broke in Ophir, Colorado. She’s perhaps best known for being the first person, man or woman, to free climb the Nose route on El Capitan in 1993 with legendary climber John Long. In 1994 she did it again with her partner Brooke Sandahl. Then she was the first to make the climb in a 24-hour period. I had the opportunity speak with Lynn back in Bend, Oregon during the annual meeting of the American Alpine Club. This interview was originally recorded and produced in 2007 for the outdoor industry online trade magazine specialty news also know as SNEWS. In anticipation of the New River Rendezvous we’re bringing you this Joy Trip Flashback, a conversation with climber Lynn Hill. [audio mp3="http://joytrip2019.mhwebstaging.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/LynnHill.mp3"][/audio]