Apr 06
Our baby, Elise Marie Bourdon, was born on February 7th at 8:30 am! She weighed 7 pounds, five ounces and the birth went off without a hitch. I discovered that watching your child come into the world is a pretty intense experience and I’m glad I didn’t miss it. It’s been a hectic two months getting used to being parents. The first week was definitely the hardest as everybody was trying to establish a pattern (parents and baby). We seem to have settled into a system now and life is slowing returning to normal.

In amongst all the visits from relatives, we had some killer bouldering conditions. After a rainy winter, the end of the season turned sunny and dry - perfect sending conditions! We took advantage of the weather to prepare for a short trip to Smith Rock. It was nerve wracking leaving home with a 6 week old baby but we went for it and it paid off. We had a great time and met lots of friends we hadn’t seen in awhile. One of the highlights of the trip was climbing Astro Monkey with my good friend Jay on the last day of the trip in brilliant spring sunshine. Now we’re back in Squamish for the summer and are starting to plan our European fall trip to Osp and Arco. Any beta would be greatly appreciated…

Jan 06
I had two great fall trips this year: one to the Red River Gorge and one to Thailand. The trips were very different but equally enjoyable. The Red was amazing as always and we enjoyed climbing at some new areas (as well as the old standby’s). If any of you are down there, don’t miss the Muir Valley; they’ve done a great job on developing a bunch of excellent new cliffs with routes for most ability levels. As an added bonus, the parking seems very safe as it’s on private property with a watchful owner!

Thailand was hot and sticky with a fair amount of rain, but that didn’t stop us from having fun. The strange thing was that even though it rained quite hard, the rock would rarely seep. It seems as though the limestone is so porous that the water soaks right in. For this reason, we managed to climb right through a week or so of heavy rain. Maybe the monsoon season isn’t so bad after all because we got to climb on some great cliffs that would normally bake in the sun all day. The locals are in the process of replacing many of the bolts with titanium right now, so expect safer routes for future trips.

My wife and I are expecting a baby in early February so we’re bracing ourselves for some big changes! We hope to get down to Smith Rock for our first “family” climbing holiday in late March and then over to Europe in the fall. We’ve had a horribly wet stretch of weather this winter, but hope February clears and provides us with some great winter bouldering conditions. Feel free to contact us for a weather update at any time…

january 05
"I've had a busy fall this year with trips to the Red River Gorge to sport climb and Bishop to boulder. It seems like funky weather has plagued me wherever I go lately. September in Squamish was a washout, which is unusual as it's usually our best month of the year. We got the storm of the decade in Kentucky while we were there, soaking everything for a good week and making all of the caves bleed with condensation. Bishop was good, but cold, with overnight temperatures in the low teens and daytime highs barely above freezing. Through all of this I persevered and managed to do lots of climbing.

We just returned from Hawaii for the Christmas holidays where we visited relatives, enjoyed the beach and climbed (yes, climbed). For photos of the trip, check out: http://www.quickdrawpublications.com/
hawaiigallery.htm. On returning to Squamish, we landed right in the middle of a fantastic winter bouldering spell. It's been clear and cold, good for the boulderers, but bad for the skiers. Everyone's taking full advantage, as the weather can turn on a dime. When it does, I'll be playing squash and training in my garage until our March trip to Kalymnos in Greece!"

Date of Birth:
February 2nd, 1969

Home:
Squamish, B.C.

Years Climbing:
15

Favorite Climbing Area:
Red River Gorge, Kentucky

Favorite Route:
Lourdes - El Chorro, Spain

Favorite Bouldering Area:
Fontainbleau

Favorite Boulder Problem:
Saigon - Bishop, CA

Favorite Climbing Goals:
To continually push my own, personal limits, both physically and mentally, within the world of rock climbing. To use climbing to enhance my life by allowing me to visit exotic place, experience different cultures and meet unique people.

What do you do to train?
In the off-season, I train up to four days a week in my garage climbing gym. In the summer, all of my energy is focused on my outdoor climbing goals. I believe in the weakest link principle and try to incorporate this into both my indoor and outdoor climbing. I also incorporate some light weight training, running and hiking into my routine for overall fitness and muscle balance.

What do you do to relax:
I like to watch an extensive variety of movies at home with my wife. I also enjoy visiting in the evening with good friends.

Going out to dinner with friends - where and why?
We love ethnic food in most of its forms. Locally, Vancouver is the place to go and favorites are Japanese, Thai, Indian and Mediterranean.

You just won a million dollars, what do you do?
Pay off our home, upgrade our vehicles, donate to the SPCA and invest the rest in the hopes of spending the remainder of my time working as little as possible and pursing my life goals.

Current Car:
96 Dodge Caravan, 97 Toyota Tercel

Dream Car:
I'd need two: a nice truck/camper and a fun sports car.

Personal Hero/why?
Although there's nothing original about it, I'd have to say Chris Sharma. As a climber, I admire his physical ability, but as a person and role model I admire his outlook on life, humble nature and acceptance of others.

Favorite Films:
There are many films that I seem to be able to watch over and over. A short selection might include Blade Runner (directors cut), Thin Red Line, 2001-A Space Odyssey, Pi, and The Big Blue.

Favorite Books:
I enjoy non-fiction, especially stories of human adventure and the will to survive. Some favorites are Endurance, Touching the Void, Paddle to the Artic, and Adrift.

Favorite Music/Bands:
I like all forms of electronic music. If I had to choose one electronic band, it might be the Underworld.

Secret to your success:
I try to set realistic goals for myself and stay single-minded in my determination to achieve them. Although I'm still learning, I try to listen to my body and not push too far into the zone of pain and injury. Through the friends I climb with and the places I go, I try to create a climbing environment which is healthy and motivating for me as this helps foster my longevity in the sport and personal growth. I avoid a negatively competitive crag or boulder scene like the plague.