Patagonia Flips on Potter's Arch Climb

[Cornholio]

From Patagonia:

Since May 7th, we at Patagonia have had much discussion and debate about where the company stands on Dean's controversial climb. Historically, we have always stood by our Ambassadors and their actions. Our Ambassadors are a part of Patagonia's close-knit family, and we trust them to act in ways that they deem responsible. However, over the past few weeks, our internal conversations have enlightened us to the reality of this unfortunate situation. We strongly believe that Dean's actions warrant a public apology.

Here at Patagonia, we also want to extend an apology to you. We apologize for not responding more quickly and decisively. We make no excuses, but in explanation - Patagonia is always extremely hesitant to publicly denounce a long-standing friend and Ambassador. Before we responded to our customers and the media, we needed to hear his side of the story. We needed details.
We needed to speak at length with Dean, in person.

At the end of the day, we do feel Dean's climb of Delicate Arch was inappropriate. Patagonia had no prior knowledge of his climb, nor did we "sponsor" his activities. Sadly, his actions compromised access to wild places and generated an inordinate amount of negativity in the climbing community and beyond. We asked Dean to write a letter about his solo and the ensuing maelstrom. His sentiments below best describe where he has landed on the issue. It's his, and our, final word.

From Dean Potter:

When I climbed Delicate Arch I certainly didn't foresee the controversy that has ensued. I didn't think the climb would do anything but inspire people to get out of their cars and experience the wild with all of their senses. I was wrong. I am sincerely unhappy about climbers' loss of freedom caused by my ascent. More, I am deeply hurt over the split this has
put in our climbing community. I want to explain my actions, bring the
facts to light, and hope that all of us can come to see the good in one another.

First, I admit it...I am a climber. I feel compelled to climb most everything I see, and that included Delicate Arch. To me, all rocks are sacred. When I climbed to the top of the Delicate Arch it was my highest priority to do no harm to the rock or its surroundings. I climbed the Arch in the highest and purest way I could, and I left it the same way I found it.

But I failed to foresee how Delicate Arch, for so many, is also an untouchable symbol of our delicate relationship to nature. It is also a symbol for me, but where I saw it as a chance to commune with the arch through expressing my own art of climbing, others saw it as a violation of what they also feel is sacred. Again, I had no intention of doing something that would invoke such feelings, and for those who do feel that way, I apologize because that certainly was not my intention.

Others have accused me of climbing the arch as a publicity stunt.
As a professional athlete, recognition of what I do is part of the job.
Most disturbing of all are those accusing me of responsibility for the rope
scars that have been documented conclusively on the top of the arch. I can
certainly understand why someone would conclude they were caused by my ascent, but I believe the true answer lies in the details of my ascent, and the possibility that there were other ascents previous to mine. I have recently seen the close-up photos of the grooves at the top of the Arch and can state with certainty that my actions did not cause them. But I was very careful to place my rope in a natural groove in the rock. Since my climb I have learned from first-hand witnesses that in the past at least two other parties have lobbed ropes over the Arch and jumared up. Perhaps those parties left the grooves. I know that I didn't.

None of my sponsors, including Patagonia, has ever influenced me to climb anything. Again, I am sorry that the climb has negatively affected so many people in our community of climbers, and I certainly am not ignoring
the views expressed in the Internet chat rooms and in the press. Peoples'
opinions are important to me and I value others' views, and I have been troubled at the negativity this has stirred up. I saw the climb as communing with nature, somehow, others have seen it as exploiting nature.
The National Park Service has strengthened rules about climbing in Arches National Park, and people have blamed me for the loss of access. I sincerely regret any loss of access...anywhere, anytime. Let me add that I strongly advise anyone thinking of climbing the Delicate Arch not to try.
First, the climb is now unambiguously illegal. Second, the climbing community and the Park Service should be friends and work together to protect the environment and climbing access. Third, the Delicate Arch really is fragile and repeated climbing would inevitably cause damage.

Finally, I apologize to Patagonia for the injury this has caused the company and the brand. Patagonia is sincerely and deeply committed to their mission of using business to provide solutions to the environmental crisis, and regretfully, in the view of many of their customers, this has been compromised by my ascent.


Again, we'd like to express our thanks for your input, and for your patience as we've worked with Dean on an appropriate resolution to this issue.

Patagonia

[Cornholio]

Despite some of the obvious hipocracy in Dean's comments, I think it's a nice move and more Patagonia-ish than the previous "Yeah, so?" response.

[cj001f]

I hadn't heard anything about this

[alto]

Damn.
That probably wasn't the easiest thing to write.

[Art Shirk]

Dean, paragraph 4: "I didn't hurt the rock by climbing it."
Dean, paragraph 5: "The rock will become damaged the more it is climbed."

Also, his notation that he just wants to commune with nature and his recognition that most everything he does is public do not mesh well for me. He is right, he will get little privacy, so why expect it with Delicate Arch?

[Lonnie]

I hadn't heard anything about this

Just came in the E-mail today.

[cj001f]

Just came in the E-mail today.

Sarcasm.

[BLOOD SWEAT STEEL]

Tttthhhhhis just in --- Dean Potter: still a cocksucker.

[cj001f]

Tttthhhhhis just in --- Dean Potter: still a cocksucker.

nah, he just drinks his own pee and terrorizes monkeys

[BLOOD SWEAT STEEL]

Oh, my bad.

[Danno]

I hadn't heard anything about this

POTD

5678

[kidwoo]

I saw it as a chance to commune with the arch through expressing my own art of climbing

Yeah I find it a wonderful and beautiful experience when I feel the urge to hug and stick my dick in the dirt of my favorite bike trails in wilderness areas.

I really see where he's coming from.

[Steven S. Dallas]

obvious hipocracy

Dean Potter is a doctor?

[rideit]

Yeah I find it a wonderful and beautiful experience when I feel the urge to hug and stick my dick in the dirt of my favorite bike trails in wilderness areas.

I really see where he's coming from.

Here in the Tetons, there is no 'wilderness'. Just suggested boundaries. And an FS too broke to patrol. and radios that track their whereabouts.
Hmm, as to the 'sticking my dick in the dirt' part, uhhh....Speechless.

[Cornholio]

Dean Potter is a doctor?

Yes. Yes he is.

f'n grammar nazis...

[Sutter]

It doesn't change the fact that what he did, he did for selfish reasons, if you want to "commune with nature" a lot of what that has to do with is respecting a delicate area's sanctity and not getting all in there and having your way with it. That letter sounds like a scared boy worried about being banned from the village for acting so immaturely.

[jackstraw]

sounds like someone finally got in touch w/ Yvon for an 'official' no bullshit stand on the subject. and, potter got bitch slapped for being a fucking idiot!

[Plakespear]

nah, he just drinks his own pee and terrorizes monkeys

Hey, you shouldn't knock on the guy for this. I mean, don't we all do this from time to time?

[Gurterno]

C'mon people. Dean is a legend, he's done more than any of you. Get of your frikkin asses, get out into the wilderness and stop whining . Every man is entitled to a few misstakes, maybe a lot of misstakes.

From patagonia.com:
"He made the first ever free solo of the Supercanaleta on Fitz Roy, followed with the Compressor Route on Cerro Torre, becoming the first to solo both peaks. He topped it off by free soloing the first ascent of Californian Roulette on Fitz Roy, a route that had not been attempted since 1969

He also established what is arguably Yosemite's hardest crack problem, Sasquatch, barefoot.

Dean has also been at the forefront of slacklining. Recently he free soloed the infamous Lost Arrow highline and the Cathedral Spire highline in Yosemite" .

[Treepinner]

Get of your frikkin asses, get out into the wilderness and stop whining

Get your nose outta Dean's ass and wipe that brown stuff off. Just because you're easily impressed and don't know much climbing history, doesn't make him a legend who can screw other climbers and public resources at the same time.

[ak_powder_monkey]

The true losers here: Climbers who don't have the balls or witts to go out and poach things successfully.

They are all just fucking rocks and sooner or later are all gonna get melted by the center of the earth or blown up by devolopers. This contraversy is stupid. I don't think anybody other then a rock climber has looked at a bolt and thought "oh my god they've defaced this beuatyful rock." I'm not saying we should bolt delicate arch because I understand its special rock but shit rocks change we might as well let peeople climb them before they do. I mean look at new hamshires old man in the mountain, thats a state symbol its on their quarter, didn't it fall like a year ago, the same thing will happen with delicate arch, sooner rather then later especially with a wetter warmer utah (see red barons climate change video) it will fall and Potter will be able to say "you know what I climbed that thing before it did and am now part fo its history"

[jibco]

C'mon people. Dean is a legend, he's done more than any of you. Get of your frikkin asses, get out into the wilderness and stop whining . Every man is entitled to a few misstakes, maybe a lot of misstakes.

From patagonia.com:
"He made the first ever free solo of the Supercanaleta on Fitz Roy, followed with the Compressor Route on Cerro Torre, becoming the first to solo both peaks. He topped it off by free soloing the first ascent of Californian Roulette on Fitz Roy, a route that had not been attempted since 1969

He also established what is arguably Yosemite's hardest crack problem, Sasquatch, barefoot.

Dean has also been at the forefront of slacklining. Recently he free soloed the infamous Lost Arrow highline and the Cathedral Spire highline in Yosemite" .

That shit means nothing to the people that get to decide where I can and cannot climb. The "selfish asshole" Dean is the only one they know of.

[Treepinner]

I don't think anybody other then a rock climber has looked at a bolt and thought "oh my god they've defaced this beuatyful rock."

Absolutely false. There have been environmental groups actively lobbying against all fixed anchors in all NP and wilderness areas. Sadly these non-climbers are better organized and more vocal...and now they have one more egregous excess by another "evil climber."

[leroy jenkins]

Absolutely false. There have been environmental groups actively lobbying against all fixed anchors in all NP and wilderness areas. Sadly these non-climbers are better organized and more vocal...and now they have one more egregous excess by another "evil climber."

There have been enviromental groups that have argued for every stupid ass thing you can imagine. Theres probably environmental groups that are actively trying to preserve the rat habitat in your basement.

[cj001f]

There have been enviromental groups that have argued for every stupid ass thing you can imagine. Theres probably environmental groups that are actively trying to preserve the rat habitat in your basement.

Clearly we'd be better off without them given the educated populace