Scarpa North America Blog

Tag Archives: Will Gadd

Will Gadd’s Favorite Ice Festivals: Modern Day Tribal Celebrations

Feb. 21st 2013
By SCARPA

I’ve been going to ice climbing festivals for going on 20 years, and I’ve started to notice some themes at these tribal celebrations. Each one is a gathering of the climbing community; I romanticize these gatherings as the modern-day equivalent of the great tribal Pow Wows of centuries past, where the First Nations elders would tell stories, the youngsters would show off their physical prowess through games of skill, and the guy who sold the beer would do very, very well. Today’s festival communal bonfire is the slide show, and the games of skill are represented in the competitions, formal and informal, that always take place.

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Retailer of the Month Shout Out: Down Wind Sports

Feb. 12th 2013
By SCARPA

You wouldn’t think the small town of Marquette, Michigan, which boasts a population of 19,000, would be home to a thriving outdoor store that got its start in the late 70s by selling pre-cut down sewing kits and Hobie Cat sailboats. But then again, why not? Down Wind Sports has become quite the institution, and [...]

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SCARPA’s packing up for the Bozeman Ice Climbing festival

Nov. 16th 2012
By SCARPA

Ice climbing season is upon us and the time to celebrate is December 5-9 at the Bozeman Ice Climbing Festival, where a crew from SCARPA will be headed in a couple weeks. In its 16th year (started in 1996), the Bozeman Ice Fest will take place in the famous ice and mixed climbing mecca Hyalite [...]

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The Bozeman Ice Festival: A recap by Gord McArthur

Dec. 15th 2011
By SCARPA

Gord McArthur, SCARPA athlete and ice climber extraordinaire, just returned from spending a week in Montana, climbing in Hyalite Canyon and teaching clinics at the Bozeman Ice Festival. AHe has an infectious love for ice climbing and a passion for teaching. McArthur recounts a few moments from the week and talks about why he’ll be going back for many years to come.

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15 Years and Counting – Annual Bozeman Ice Climbing Festival Coming into Shape

Oct. 25th 2011
By SCARPA

This coming December 7-11th, The Bozeman Ice Festival will be holding its 15th annual event in the beautiful Hyalite Canyon of Montana. Since 1996 climbers of all abilities have flocked to Hyalite to discuss technique, check out new gear, learn about the sport, and share in the camaraderie of ascending frozen water.

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Will Gadd first to paraglide across four western Canada mountain ranges

Aug. 22nd 2011
By SCARPA

Calling it “the trip I’m most happy in my life to have gotten done,” Will Gadd, climber, paraglider, and SCARPA athlete, flew almost entirely self-supported from Vernon, British Columbia, to Canmore, Alberta, a distance of well over 200 miles, earlier this month. What’s more impressive than the distance, though, is the number of firsts: Paragliding [...]

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Send it: Will Gadd on Helmcken Falls Ice Climbing

Mar. 8th 2011
By SCARPA

Perennial ice climbing junkie and SCARPA athlete Will Gadd is a busy man. This winter he spent weeks with partner Tim Emmett exploring his dream cave, Helmcken Falls, a unique cavernous, ice covered playground. Spray On is his current project, and the name fits. Drawing from the moisture from the nearby falls, the feature looks [...]

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Will Gadd: the souls of rock shoes

Sep. 27th 2010
By Will Gadd

I still vividly remember the day I bought my first pair of climbing shoes. The first thing that hit me was the leathery smell that wafted out as I opened the crisp box lid and saw the shoes packed carefully in white tissue paper like some sort of perfect Japanese melons.  The light disappeared into [...]

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