Check out the OutsideOnline.com Article: Helping Injured Climbers Return to the Ice
“Fourteen years after barely surviving a mountaineering accident in Alaska, Paradox Sports founder and amputee Malcolm Daly is making it his mission to bring hurt climbers back to the tribe.”
Check out Chris Kassar’s latest article in Outside about the work and mission of Malcolm Daly and Paradox Sports! Read it here.
Mountainsmith Official 2013 Trekking Pole Sponsor for Paradox Sports
Industry News - For Immediate Release
Ingrid Niehaus, Mountainsmith (949) 499-2225
Golden, Colorado, Jan 14, 2013 -
Mountainsmith has committed to be the official 2013 trekking pole sponsor for Paradox Sports. Paradox Sports provides inspiration, opportunities and adaptive equipment to the disabled community, empowering their pursuit of a life of excellence through human-powered outdoor sports. The poles will specifically be used for the three Camp Paradox events that will take place this coming summer where families with one or more disabled members are encouraged to spend a weekend hiking, camping, playing and enjoying the great outdoors together. The partnership is a natural for both companies as they are neighbors in the foothills of Golden, Colorado each with a passion for the outdoors and all that it has to offer.
“Mountainsmith is pleased to announce our partnership with Paradox Sports as the official 2013 trekking pole sponsor,” commented Jay Getzel, sales and marketing manager for Mountainsmith. “We are inspired by the passion of their team and the athletes they support. We appreciate the intimate connection they have with the outdoors and the inspirational stories of overcoming adversity and challenges through recreation.”
“Mountainsmith and Paradox Sports are both born from the wilds and wonders of the Colorado Rocky Mountains,” added Tim O’Neill, executive director for Paradox Sports. “The Paradox Sports programming and mission align perfectly with Mountainsmith’s desire to bring people outside to both recreate and to become stewards of the wild places we love. We both foster a community that provides care for those in need built around opportunities to explore our place in the world.”
About Paradox Sports: Since 2007, Paradox Sports envisions a world where people of all backgrounds and abilities can pursue a life of excellence through human-powered outdoor sports, regardless of physical disability or limb-count. We see a future where everyone is able to pursue their dreams because they have the opportunities, support and the adaptive equipment necessary to do so. In our community-based world, we will inspire, advocate, mentor, assist and challenge each other to define life on our own terms.
About Mountainsmith: Forged in the Rockies, Mountainsmith’s commitment to innovation began in 1979 and continues to the present with a full line of active lifestyle products. The quality and comfort of all Mountainsmith products—technical backpacks, travel storage systems, luggage, camera bags, trekking poles, pet products as well as the lumbar pack icons—set the standard for the worldwide outdoor marketplace. Mountainsmith manufactures, markets, and distributes an expanding group of products designed to meet the demands of travel on and off the trail, through airports, and anywhere that carrying-comfort is essential. Mountainsmith products are sold worldwide.
Breaking the Chains of Gravity in Kentucky’s Red River Gorge
-Red River Trip Report [Rocktoberfest, October 5-7, 2012] by Craig Demartino
As I pushed my way up the steps and through the beauty of the forest, I kept getting glimpses of the cliff. The sun and leaves would play hide and seek until I burst out under the tall sweeping wave of limestone frozen above my head. I was in the Red!
If you have never been to the Red River Gorge in Kentucky, well then my friend, you have not seen a steep route. The routes here riot off the forest floor in sweeping arches of perfect rock, each move is not hard, but when you string together 100 foot section, the game is on.
What better place to teach adaptive climbing to wheelchair folks and amputees alike. We set up shop in the Torrent Falls area, and went about the business of leading and then teaching the different types of footwork and climbing feet amputees use to gain the higher ground. Pete Chasse, a crusher from Reno who lost his foot in a work accident, uses a foot crafted by himself, as does our friend Kate Sawford from Canada. Both were with us to climb and cheer each other on for the weekend. Ladonna Brock was a wheelchair athlete who had never been rock climbing before, and this didn’t diminish her drive to give it a go. After getting used to the rig, she ascended towards the roof of the cave we were in and gave hoots when she looked down at her wheelchair from ABOVE as she had never seen it. She shot photos and reveled in the views spread out in front of her. It was with a real child-like amazement that she just wanted to hang out up there for a bit and spin, taking it all in.
As we lowered Ladonna back to the chair, she looked at me and said, “I will train for next year and be back.” She couldn’t wait to experience the feeling again that all climbers crave, to break the chains of gravity, even if it’s for just a short bit. Because once you get it, you can’t wait for it to happen again.
Ladonna’s said, “The view from 25 feet up, looking down on my chair, is something I very rarely see.”
Paradox Sports and MyBrightMountain.com team up for 9-11 Veterans Climb up Grand Teton
Kansas City Fundraiser Fetches Over $2,100 for Paradox Sports
It all started with a chance encounter with Malcolm Daly on Pearl Street in Boulder, Colorado. Two high school students, Elizabeth and Rebecca Chambers, pitched a Paradox Sports fundraising idea to Malcolm, who was the Executive Director of Paradox Sports. A quick phone call to family friend/climbing artist, Jeremy Collins motivated him to provide artwork to support the venture and the project was off and running with big plans and zero funding. The lack of funding was overcome by a supportive local climbing community. Kat and Jon Whistance, owners of Ibex Climbing Gym in Blue Springs, Missouri (outside of Kansas City) were immediately excited about the idea. Kat and Jon suggested that the event be a nighttime, lights out climb. Thus was born “Shed Some Light.” The Whistances donated the use of their gym, and their exhausted but enthusiastic employees donated their time. For a suggested donation of $15 (many people gave substantially more), 60 or more people enjoyed five hours of pounding tunes, great food, wonderful raffle prizes, high energy climbing, one incredible community and solid support for a worthy cause. Over $2100 was raised for Paradox Sports.
Two days later, it was asked, “when do we start planning for next year?”
Check out a cool video from the evening HERE.
Amazing Weekend at Paradox Ice in North Conway, NH
http://www.conwaydailysun.com/featured/story/paradox021512
Paradox Sports’ Operation Amped Wins Surfer Mag’s “Agent of Change” Award.
SURFER Magazine is pleased to announce Operation Amped as the recipient of the 2011 SURFER Poll “Agent of Change” award and beneficiary of VIP table sales at this year’s SURFER Poll Awards. The award will be presented on Dec. 6 at the 41st annual event honoring the top 10 male and top five female surfers as voted on by fans, as well as the best of surfing cinematography, video performances, and more. Fans can watch the show in its entirety via a live webcast, right here at Surferpoll.com, which will air live during the Vans Triple Crown of Surfing on Oahu.
Photo by Peter Kragh courtesy of Operation Amped
The Agent of Change award recognizes an individual or organization making a difference for the betterment of the surfing community. Operation Amped will join the ranks of Dave Rastovich who received the first-ever award in 2008 for his work with Surfers for Cetaceans, Dr. Dave Jenkins in 2009 for his work with SurfAid International, and the Mauli Ola Foundation in 2010.
Operation Amped, part of Paradox Sports a nonprofit 501(c)(3), is a volunteer-run organization founded by a group of surfers in 2006 as a way to give back to those wounded while serving our country. Their mission is to share a love of the ocean with those who’ve sacrificed so much. Disabled servicemen and their families are freed of the constraints of illness and injury at Operation Amped events, and though many have never set foot in the ocean, let alone on a surfboard, with the support of the organization, everyone has fun. From Cornwall, England, to Corpus Christi, Texas, to Camp Pendleton, California, they operate their events on shoestring budgets and a lot of stoke.
Paradox Sports in the Daily Camera
Boulder’s Paradox Sports helps physically disabled excel.
Paradox Sports RockX Shelf Road
For the second time this year Paradox Sports descended on Shelf Road, defied gravity, and ROCKED Shelf Road. I would like to start with a big thank you to everyone who showed up and made this a successful event.
The emails and phone calls flying around on Wednesday as a winter storm rolled into the front range were fast and furious. The forecast was for 8 inches of snow in the Denver/Boulder area with a little less in Shelf Road. True to the forecast we got about 8 inches here and the million dollar question was whether we should go or not. After a few phone calls we learned that Cañon Cañon City got about 3 inches and the forecast was for the mid 60’s during the following days.
Shelf Road gets a lot of traffic during the colder months due to the fact that there is a lot of south facing rock allowing climbers to climb in the sun for the majority of the day. The camping is first come first serve so Malcolm Daly and I fired to Shelf Road on Thursday to secure a group site large enough to accommodate our group. WOW it was cold! When the sun when down I crawled in my sleeping bag and tried to stay warm. I really think it was less than 10 degrees that night.
On Friday the Paradox tribe started to trickle in in the early afternoon. We were able to get a couple of pitches in late in the afternoon. The range of experience was from first time climbers to very experienced. The snow was really beginning to melt and it was warming up however after the sun went down there was a pretty close huddle around the fire. Despite the fact that this would turn out to be the largest of the Paradox RockX Shelf Road events I am not sure if there were more dogs or people at the event. Samson was holding court throughout the weekend keeping the young whippersnappers in line. He literally took a stick from a couple of dogs who were fighting over it and ended the argument. It was a funny moment.
Saturday and Sunday were the crux of the event. Before I start talking about the climbing I have to say thank you to the BLM for their work with us to allow special access to the climbing. They were very generous. I would also like to say thank you to a Paradox Sports corporate sponsor, Osprey. Grace Gamble came to Shelf Road and did a great job representing this wonderful company and we can not thank them enough for their generosity. If you are in the market for a backpack take a look at an Osprey pack.
The Shelf Road area offers great climbing, mountain biking, and fishing. On Saturday most of the tribe chose to climb. We took over the Green Pillar area of Cactus cliff which offered great climbing with a fun base area to “hang.” I was truly inspired throughout the day to see athletes of all disabilities grind it out on rock. There is something about watching a person with no legs or a severe spinal injury grind it out on the rock. Sitting back and observing the masses walk past our climbing area was the real treat. Jaws were dropping as people walked by. I really believe that this is fulfillment of one aspect of the Paradox Sports mission… INSPIRATION! The day ended with a filling meal of gumbo and stir fry.
The tribe split up a bit on Sunday. Several people left early to fulfill work obligations, others climbed, and some took advantage of the great mountain biking in the Shelf Road area. We climbed in the Piggy Bank area which again provided a significant number of moderate to 5.11 climbs. As the afternoon rolled around we began to trickle out of the area. It was truly a euphoric feeling for me that this tribe had come together once again and had another amazing weekend.
I came home happy and inspired. The human spirit is amazing and I am so happy to be a part of a group of people who look at their “disadvantages” and say this will not stop me! I will defy gravity and live a life that is full and robust. I personally can not wait for the next opportunity to hang with this tribe. Speaking of that keep your eyes and ears open for our upcoming ice climbing events in North Conway, NH and Ouray, CO. More details soon!
If you would like to support Paradox Sports become a Paradox Sports Ambassador today.
Chad
Originally posted on www.chadbutrick.com
Paradox Sports Athlete Craig DeMartino in The Season
The Season Episode 2.11 is out and features Paradox Sports athlete Craig DeMartino talking about making tough choices. Let’s see…. should I stay crippled or should I become an amputee?
Thanks to Fitz Cahall for a tough but sensitive portrait of Craig.
