director's perspective on the first full-length film
What motivates you to climb your hardest? Where do you find that last ounce of will-power to crank through a move that you have fallen off of a thousand times before? This is the heart of what Summer Sessions is all about. When I set out to make my first film, I wanted it to resonate with the tenacity and commitment of the boulderers in the southeast. I wanted to capture a sense of their spirit, a spirit that is not about grades and numbers but about passion, aesthetics and most of all, will-power. That's where the idea to make a southeastern bouldering flick during the summer came from. The hellish temps coupled with an average humidity right around 72% make for some of the worst conditions in the country. On top of that, during most of July and August you get a daily thunderstorm, keeping those crux holds nice and damp. The general consensus among climbers seemed to be that southeastern summers are best made for sport-climbing and road trips, but I knew better than that. I felt that nothing could communicate the blue-collar work ethic of southeastern bouldering more than seeing climbers thrash out problems at their limit all summer long.
Some of the strongest young climbers in the southeast throw down on this film, but share the spotlight with some of the newest boulder junkies out there. Rather than focus simply on difficult climbs, I hope to offer insight on the climbers themselves. What possesses someone to set up camp at HorsePens in August? Where do you find energy when it is 95 degrees outside? Sure, it would be nice to go to Fontainbleu in the fall, but the sponsor-paid-for road trips and exotic destinations sometimes seem a little unrealistic. I wanted Summer Sessions to be about bouldering for the sake of bouldering. No sponsorships, no free gear, no adoring fans, simply hundreds of problems. This film captures some of the most beautiful lines in the southeast at every grade, from v3-v11.
This summer, through the lens of my camera, I have seen how a group dynamic can motivate climbers to overcome seemingly impossible obstacles. It’s not just the pain associated with warm-weather sandstone that is so draining. The mental aspect of bouldering becomes much more imposing than in the wintertime. As the chalk and sweat cake the crux holds, the climber comes off the wall with more velocity and often at unpredictable angles. Top-outs become more intense with sweat-soaked and chalk-less hands. Spotting becomes more committing, as the climber can blow off at any time. I have heard bouldering discussed as an “individual sport.” The camaraderie and reliance on others that I have witnessed this summer reinforces my views that it is neither “individual” nor is it a “sport.” Bouldering is a passion, a lifestyle. Climbing is not something we do - it is who we are. There isn’t a thermometer in the world that can change us. Summer Sessions is the proof.
Featuring only homegrown music, the soundtrack rolls through everything from classic rock (Southern Mischief) to brit-pop (Warm in the Wake). Climbers include Jimmy Webb, Bradley Webber, Brandon Tavalin and many more.
At A Subtle Squeeze we hope that the next time the weather is crappy, you’ll throw in a copy of Summer Sessions and let us give you some energy. Who knows what you are capable of with a little motivation.