Sender Films

Alex Honnold's free solo climbs of Yosemite's Triple Crown star in Honnold 3.0.

File under you know you're in Boulder when....Promoters of the Reel Rock Tour announced last night that tickets for the kickoff of their package tour of the year's best climbing films on Thursday at Chautauqua Auditorium have already sold out, and that there are only about 100 tickets left out of a total of 1,326 created when a second night of screenings was added on Friday. (get 'em while they're hot for $17 at Chautauqua.com).

See also:
- Was the IFSC World Cup Lead Climbing competition an Olympic sneak peek?
- Ski porn! Westword's guide to this season's biggest ski & snowboard video premieres
- Paul Ryan returns to Colorado as group questions whether he climbed nearly40 14ers

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Fred Beckey, author of more than a dozen mountaineering guides, has made more first ascents than any other North American climber -- and possibly more than any climber anywhere. And that's not just because he's been at it the longest, though the fact that he just turned 89 and is still bagging first ascents is going to make his records awfully tough to top. Tonight at 7:30 p.m., Beckey will be talking about his latest book, Fred Beckey's 100 Favorite North American Climbs, to Patagonia Boulder, 1425 Pearl Street, where he'll be introduced by Patagonia CEO Casey Sheahan.

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The 6th annual Reel Rock Film Tour kicks off on Thursday, September 15, at the Boulder Theater, featuring six of the year's most intense climbing documentaries.

This week, Boulder's Sender Films and Reel Rock event promoter Big Up Productions released the 2011 lineup and a trailer featuring each of the films; after the Boulder premiere, the tour will spend the rest of the year traveling around the world (last year's films were screened in over 200 cities).

Trailer and full film list after the jump...

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Photo courtesy Pat Ament

Climbing pioneer John Gill floats up 'the Scab' in the Needles of South Dakota.

Rock climbing legend Pat Ament began bouldering and free-climbing near Boulder in 1958 when he was a student and gymnast at the University of Colorado, and spent his formative years learning from the best of the best. His relationship with mentor John Gill helped shape his own career not only as a climber, but also as a writer and filmmaker: Ament's 1977 biography John Gill: Master of Rock (an updated edition was published in 1998) is one of the classics of climbing literature, and his 2009 film The Disciples of Gill helped demonstrate just how far his mentor's influence has spread throughout the sport, reaching many of today's top climbers. Both Gill and Ament will be signing autographs and talking about the past, present and future of the sport for the local premiere of Ament's new film, Gill Across Time. tonight at 8 p.m. at Neptune Mountaineering, 633 South Broadway in Boulder. We caught up with Ament by phone at his home in Fruita for a bit of "back in the day" banter and to learn more about the new film.

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If you skipped the action in Vail this weekend at the 10th annual Teva Mountain Games, never fear: Students from the Outside Adventure Film School camp held in conjunction with the games will be getting their footage featured online shortly (click here for an hour's worth of awesome from the 2010 Games). In the meantime, here are two sick and potentially sick-making videos from this weekend's festivities that put portable HD GoPro cameras to dizzying good use, documenting Mike Montgomery's winning run in the Mountain Bike Slopestyle competition and a look at Nick Troutman's Steep Creek Kayak Race run, as seen from the front of his boat:

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The 2011 Reel Rock Film Tour doesn't kick off in Boulder until September 15, but if you want to see your own exploits featured this year then now's your chance: Enter your two-minute clip by July 15 for a chance at $500 and some sponsor swag, paltry compared to the glory of sending your film on tour for all the world to see.

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Boulder-based adventure film company Sender Films just put out a new DVD compiling all six climbing films from the 5th annual Reel Rock Film Tour (DVD trailer after the jump): The Swiss Machine documents Ueli Steck's alpine speed record on The Eiger Nordwand; First Round, First Minute follows Chris Sharma up new 5.15 routes in Spain; The Hardest Moves pits Paul Robinson against Daniel Woods as they vie to smash the v16 bouldering grade; Down and Out, and Under rocks out with a motley crew of climbers putting up remote first ascents in Tasmania and Australia; The Hulk joins Lisa Rands and Peter Croft in the Sierras; and Fly or Die finds out what happens when Dean Potter climbs with a BASE jumping rig instead of a climbing harness.

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The Adventure Film Festival opens tonight at the Boulder Theater with two shorts and two feature-length films to kick off the four-day festival. Here's what's in store for adventurous film fans tonight:

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Shout it from the mountaintops: The Travel Channel announced this week that it has picked up First Ascent, a six-episode climbing and adventure travel series from Boulder-based filmmaker Peter Mortimer and his crew at Sender Films. First Ascent, co-produced by National Geographic International, has been winning big on the festival circuit; exposure on The Travel Channel will now bring the series to millions of homes around the world. Mortimer and writer Nick Rosen will be on Last Call With Carson Daly to promote the show tomorrow night, and The Travel Channel will begin airing the series on Thursday, November 4 at 7 p.m. (MST). Trailer and more info after the jump -- pack your parachute.

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Jeff Clark

The Diamond

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While the Front Range has a plethora of moderate rock climbs, including several classics, the options for those pursuing very difficult climbs are nearly as unlimited. In fact, several of Colorado's most famous climbs are exceptionally difficult. If you're wanting to push your limits, here are five routes that will get the adrenaline pumping and get you way up there.
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