So last week we featured a 3 year old crushing it on the boulders of Tennessee, and this week I would like to go to the other end of the spectrum. Francisco "Novato" Marin is 58 years old and climbed a 5.14a in Rodellar, Spain. I would love to climb 5.14a at 58, heck I would love to be able to climb 5.14a now and I'm 22! Thankfully I have time to get there, and Francisco as an example to prove it is possible.
Novato en Botanics - Rodellar 2010 from Christian Checa on Vimeo.
While no where near the "older" category at 41, Hirayama Yuji is already talking about his "second life," after climbing. Well, in his first life he won the World Cup twice, in 1998 and in 2000, both in Slovenia. I found this video to not necessarily be "stoke inducing," but it is certainly touching to hear Yuji talk about climbing, his family, the places it has taken him, and what others think of him. Next time I go out and climb it will be less about how hard I can crush, and more about how humble I can be.
Hirayama Yuji (平山ユージ) - On The Road To Slovenia from Rožle Bregar - kloc on Vimeo.
--Andrew Yasso, Program Coordinator
