Last of the Great Unknown

[CarpeyBiggs]

A brief video from our 30 day trip on the Grand Canyon last month...


http://vimeo.com/22309330

The Grand Canyon is an immense place, almost unfathomable in scale, and one of the last places in the American West to be explored. John Wesley Powell called it the "Great Unknown," having no idea what rapids, falls, or canyons awaited him on his first descent of the river in 1869. In the decades since, the Canyon has been a playground for dozens of explorers. River runners, backpackers, routefinders, lithic hunters, and peakbaggers have all laid claim to the Canyon's iconic landmarks, often seeking out the prestigious "firsts." While many significant points of interest were being explored, there was one feature that was left almost entirely ignored: the Canyon's innumerable technical slots.

Deep within this vast wilderness are secret and intimate tributaries rarely visited by man, hiding some of the Canyon's most remarkable features. The barrier to entry is steep. To explore them, one must have a knowledge of backpacking, packrafting, rappeling, anchor building, and off-trail navigation. The Last of the Great Unknown is the story of these slots, the canyoneers who systematically explored their drainages, and the secrets hidden deep within their walls.

In February 2011, a group of 16 set out to run the Grand Canyon and descend as many slots as possible en route. The itinerary was ambitious. 280 miles of whitewater, 30 days and 22 slots. The tally included 7 fully loaded boats, 5 rookie boatmen, 1400 packed meals, a steady flow around 20k cfs, and an ungodly amount of 4 a.m. wakeup calls.

This video is a compilation of that trip, and a preview of what's to come...

[Scott Card]

Can't wait! :2thumbs:

[spinesnaper]

OMG. What an amazing trip. I hope you aimed big for sponsorship-that is lot of meals.

Ken:hail2thechief:

[Don]

Dude, I always love your videos. Cool music, great photography and great editing. Love it. :2thumbs:

[oldno7]

Outstanding

[fletcherpl]

10 years of adventure racing can't begin to compare to this. How do I enter into this wonderful world of adventure with people who really live the lifestyle?

[powderglut]

Now that's what I call a Grand Canyon Trip. Sweet!!!:hail2thechief:

[ststephen]

Can. Not. Wait. Looks to be just fantastic!

[accadacca]

Killa man! I figured you have been cooped up with a whole pile of awesome media to sift through. This is the definition of an epic trip. Lucky bastage! :hail2thechief:

[blueeyes]

Incredible!

[ibenick]

I've watched that like ten times now and I'm still just blown away.:slobber:

[trackrunner]

another great one. nice job dan! :2thumbs: and the others in the video rich, ram, dave, sonny, etc

[CarpeyBiggs]

OMG. What an amazing trip. I hope you aimed big for sponsorship-that is lot of meals.

Ken:hail2thechief:

ha. private trips don't allow any kind of "sponsorship." even if we could get it. thanks for the kind words though!

[CarpeyBiggs]

10 years of adventure racing can't begin to compare to this. How do I enter into this wonderful world of adventure with people who really live the lifestyle?

hahaha. the answer is easy. show up to freezefest. if people are nuts enough to show up for that, they meet the criteria...

[ExpUt]

Unreal :cool2:

[Win]

Spectacular, thanks, Dan.

Win

[agostinone]

Congratulations to you and your colleagues!

How long did it take you to plan and prep for the trip? What do you do for an encore to an adventure like that?

[spinesnaper]

ha. private trips don't allow any kind of "sponsorship." even if we could get it. thanks for the kind words though!

I guess we will know canyoneering has come of age when Tom opens a 15,000 sq ft Imlay Canyoneering Gear and Ratagucci flagship store in Beverly Hills between the North Face and Banana Republic. Don't worry Tom, I think you can get a sweet deal for about $12 per sq ft per month when you sign a 10 year lease. Then there should be plenty of dough for sponsorships.:haha:
Park rules, that a whole other kettle of fish. How long did it take to get your permit?

[Scott Card]

How long did it take you to plan and prep for the trip? What do you do for an encore to an adventure like that? BEHUNIN!!!!!! :lol8:

[CarpeyBiggs]

I guess we will know canyoneering has come of age when Tom opens a 15,000 sq ft Imlay Canyoneering Gear and Ratagucci flagship store in Beverly Hills between the North Face and Banana Republic. Don't worry Tom, I think you can get a sweet deal for about $12 per sq ft per month when you sign a 10 year lease. Then there should be plenty of dough for sponsorships.:haha:
Park rules, that a whole other kettle of fish. How long did it take to get your permit?

wait, it's not of age? i thought 1500 sq feet in mt carmel, sandwiched between the historical church and the barn marked it's arrival? certainly much more appealing than beverly hills...

permit was a private river trip. it was won in the annual allotment by rich rudow, who along with todd martin have done something like 120 unique slots down there. the river trip was conceived of as a "ultimate multi-sport canyoneering adventure..."

[CarpeyBiggs]

C How long did it take you to plan and prep for the trip? What do you do for an encore to an adventure like that?

feel fortunate to have enjoyed it once, and feel fortunate to never be doing it again... :haha:

prep and planning was largely done by rich and rick (canyoneer and lead boatmen). they worked for about a year on schedules, boat shuttles, canyon destinations, campsites, meals, overnight backpacks, and general timing. the logistics were insane.

[ratagonia]

wait, it's not of age? i thought 1500 sq feet in mt carmel, sandwiched between the historical church and the barn marked it's arrival? certainly much more appealing than beverly hills...

permit was a private river trip. it was won in the annual allotment by rich rudow, who along with todd martin have done something like 120 unique slots down there. the river trip was conceived of as a "ultimate multi-sport canyoneering adventure..."

Launches in February are not all that hard to get, but you have to put in for the lottery to be open to you.

Tom

[Brian in SLC]

Holy frickin' wow....!

Great footage/mix/etc.

Fair amount of talent there...Is there an hour version of this? Crazy good.

[mrbrejcha]

This is a cool video too, Dan.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=53hiHAkK6KA

[Sombeech]

So what'd you shoot with, other than the GoPro on some of the clips. And what were you editing with?

Nice work on the fast panning clips. I assume you did the panning in the software and didn't have a mechanical panning device, where I'm guessing it was about an hour of film compressed to @ 10 seconds?

[CarpeyBiggs]

it was all shot on a panasonic GH2, GoPro, or SD600. gitzo sticks, leveling head, indislider for motion shots, and edited with after effects and premiere. time lapse are all shot in stills, varying length and duration.

[Sombeech]

Cool. Another question, the closing title said Fall 2011, I assume that means you're going back to the GC at that time, rather than finishing the "official" video by that time? :mrgreen:

[CarpeyBiggs]

full video will be premiere this fall, not sure what venue... we still have plenty of shooting to do.

[spinesnaper]

wait, it's not of age? i thought 1500 sq feet in mt carmel, sandwiched between the historical church and the barn marked it's arrival? certainly much more appealing than beverly hills...

permit was a private river trip. it was won in the annual allotment by rich rudow, who along with todd martin have done something like 120 unique slots down there. the river trip was conceived of as a "ultimate multi-sport canyoneering adventure..."

I am talking about selling canyoneering gear to people who really have no damn use for it just because its cool. So no your store is far too practical.

The sport is just never going to get anywhere good if we keep having movies of canyoneers cutting their arms off. That of course all I hear about when I mention that I canyoneer. "Uhh well any good canyoneer always travels with their bone saw because you just never know when you are going to need a snack.":ahhh:

Of course the real conversation is more like:"No honey, that is really the only time something like that has ever happened before." and of course what you are really thinking: "No honey, don't worry about that, I am really much more likely to die falling to death because I didn't check my partner's anchor, rappelling off the end of my rope, become hypothermic because I should have listened and worn the 7mm wet suit, or even falling off the edge of the Grand Canyon while taking a photo on the way home--so don't worry about me loosing an arm."

I especially liked the little pack boat working its way through the rapids in the video.

[wes242]

That video is awesome!

[Moose Droppings]

speechless! :slobber:

...a strong contender for the 2011 Banff Mountain Film Fest (or any other outdoor film fest). could possibly recoup your expenditures if you decide to explore that avenue, err slot.

[rodthomas]

One word.... INSANE ! !!

Loved it mate, congrats to everyone involved with this
Rod

[Dr. Nebz]

That is an incredible video! Now that is an adventure! :2thumbs:

[denaliguide]

i am so jealous. :2thumbs::2thumbs:

[waterluver]

Beautifully done video, talent all around.

[tylerhirshfeld]

AWESOME AWESOME AWESOME VIDEO!!!:hail2thechief:

[CarpeyBiggs]

couple of photos from the latest adventure...

72157626553108926

[Iceaxe]

Those at the Arhart Christmas party last night were treated to anther of Dan's video clips from the Grand Canyon. I believe this was the same video that was shown in St. George earlier this week at the Grand Canyoneering event.

Anyhoo... the footage in the video clip is outstanding and fun to watch. The scenery is incredible. :2thumbs:

Nice job. :nod: