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It’s a rare privilege to venture into unexplored territory and touch rock that no one has ever climbed. It’s even more special to share this experience with great friends. This past fall, I had the opportunity to do just this with a trip into the Keketouhai Geologic Park in Northwestern China.
The idea for this trip came several years ago while on assignment for Nike in Yangshuo, China. A group of local climbers shared with me a few images of a place they called “China’s Yosemite”. The pictures showed a valley stacked with unclimbed granite domes. There was, however, one problem. No climbers had ever been granted permission to climb the walls. After several years of research, some tense political wrangling and the support of Patagonia, we were on our way.
I traveled to China with world-class climber, Tommy Caldwell, young up-and-comer Hayden Kennedy, writer Mark Jenkins and artist Jeremy Collins. We were also joined by Tommy’s wife, Becca and my lovely wife, Marina, who were on hand to shoot video b-roll, provide logistical support, stand in as lifestyle models, and above all, be a part of the adventure. My main objective for the one-week expedition was to shoot still photos for upcoming Patagonia advertising and marketing efforts. Secondarily, I was tasked with capturing a 5-minute video travel journal. Also worth noting is that we shot all the video and stills on a Nikon D3S & D300S, and all post-production was handled by Aurora Novus.
Additionally, Patagonia has posted a slideshow of my still images, narrated by Tommy Caldwell. Keep your eyes open in the coming months for even more still images from Keketouhai. This trip was a great reminder of just how much there is to see and do on this planet. Here’s to a life of exploration and adventure!
