Outdoor Retailer Show: Odub and Free Gifts

Sunday at the Outdoor Retailer Show in Salt Lake City seemed a bit quieter than yesterday and Friday. The Salt Palace still buzzed with activity though. Between some editorial meetings I had time to roam in the far distant exhibit halls where the new exhibitors are sequestered. Unlike other years, I didn’t find many new climbing-specific products. What I did find were two interesting new products.

Joshua Tree Climbing Salve is a natural ointment composed of eight different herbs, including comfrey, echinacea, and lavender, that was developed at Joshua Tree by herbalist Jenny Q for the usual wear and tear—cuts, abrasions, scrapes, and gobies—that climbers develop on the rock. Last year David Lawrence, a Michigan climber, bought the secret recipe from Jenny Q and started Joshua Tree Products. You can try the salve out by buying it from their website. I have a starter container to try out. I’ll let you know how it heals my hands.

Down the aisle I stopped at the Bocus booth and sampled the Mom Nature hand sanitizer, which, like the climbing salve, is made from organic non-toxic materials. I don’t know about you, but every time I go climbing my hands get filthy from rope handling. Ropes collect aluminum oxide and dust and it blackens your hands. This is a high-strength sanitizer that kills germs and cleans your hands. It comes in a handy aerosol bottle to squirt on your hands at the end of your climbing day. Order it from Bocus at (888) 612-6287 or their website.

Over at the climbing wall this afternoon, Eric Hörst and I listened to a cool climbing rapper from Ohio named Odub. The name comes from his favorite type of climbing—off-width cracks. His favorite area is, of course, Vedauwoo in Wyoming where the off-width is king. The song we wanted to hear was Float, a tribute to the late great climber Todd Skinner who died in a Yosemite rappelling accident, that Odub sang with folk singer Misty Murphy. Murphy, like Odub, is a climber and musician who lives in St. George, Utah. The song, combining the two very different styles of folk and rap, works at a visceral level. Eric, who was a long-time friend of Todd, was moved by their musical tribute. You can listen to and download the song at Misty Murphy’s website and at Odub’s site. Odub also has a couple hilarious songs about Dean Potter’s controversial ascent of Delicate Arch and a subsequent cease-and-desist order from Potter’s lawyer regarding the first song.

I give my prize to most original swag gifts from exhibitors to Petzl and Lonely Planet, who both offered original but very different free products. On their booth’s front counter, Petzl was giving away packs of climber trading cards—the Rock Legends Pro-Series 2008—of the teamPetzl sponsored climbers. Cards include Daniel Woods, Ethan Pringle, Lynn Hill, Dave Graham, and Alex Huber. The backs of the cards have vital stats, highlights, and notable ascents. A stick of chewing gum was included with the cards. Cool. At the opposite end of the spectrum, was Lonely Planet’s giveaway. Shaped like a large match-book, the outside cover asks: “Ready for your next encounter?” and “Travel Responsibly.” You pop the book open and inside is a sealed blue condom along with instructions for use from the National STD Hotline. Very clever…and funny.

Lastly, Chris Alstrin with Higher Ground Productions premiered a trailer for his upcoming film Luxury Liner: The First Ascent of Supercrack, which will be released next spring. You'll be hearing a lot more about this wonderful film over the next months since it is based on a non-fiction story I wrote about the 1976 first ascent based on my discovery of the crack in 1971 and my involvement with the first ascent, which I filmed and photographed as well as tape recorded. Black Diamond Equipment and Patagonia are the two main sponsors of the film.

Photo above: The Petzl booth at the OR show.
Photograph © Stewart M. Green