[Trailer] The Tooth Traverse

The Tooth Traverse from Camp 4 Collective on Vimeo.

Here are some pieces of the attempts Zack Smith http://www.aspenexpeditions.com/i-Zack-Smith-103.html, Freddie Wilkinson http://www.thenamelesscreature.com/ and myself, Renan Ozturk, http://rockmonkeyart.com have put into climbing the 'Tooth Traverse' of the Ruth Gorge, AK.

There has been a lot going on surrounding our adventures: The 1st attempt http://vimeo.com/6038303 was heavily embarked upon only days after the memorial for the deaths of our close friends http://vimeo.com/5065432, the 2nd attempt ended with helping with body recoveries of other climbers in the gorge http://www.thenamelesscreature.com/2010/07/25/a-hard-freeze-away/ and the just before our proposed launch day this past spring I almost died in a skiing accident http://vimeo.com/21904471.

Beyond the allure of enchaining one of the most iconic (& untrodden) skylines in NA the Tooth Traverse has come to represent so much more than that to us. With my healing going well (http://vimeo.com/26531646) and the inspiration (and angst) greater than ever we are planning another attempt in the NEAR future.

I see the eventual story breaching some pretty heavy topics involved in alpine climbing: sponsored vs. non-sponsored expeditions, dealing with death and the effect tackling dangerous objectives has on friends/family.

At any rate here is a little window into our work in progress. ~reo

Music:
"Transit"
Philip Sheppard
http://philipsheppard.com

"Make It Good"
Fink
http://FinkWorld.co.uk

Additional Love and Support:
Inspire Award http://www.americanalpineclub.org/grants/g/5/Copp-Dash-Inspire-Award
Lyman-Spitzer Awardhttp://www.americanalpineclub.org/grants/g/7/Lyman-Spitzer-Cutting-Edge-Award
Paul Roderick http://www.talkeetnaair.com/
Colby Coombs http://www.climbalaska.org/
Photos for intro: Claudia Camila Lopez http://www.claudialopezphotography.com/ and Jonny Copp http://coppworks.com/
Motion Graphics support- Barry Thompson and Eric Bucy
Additional Cineflex Scenics: http://brainfarmcinema.com
Mad Dog- Dirt-bag Van Rentals
Tobey Carman- Weather Interpolation
The North Face http://thenorthface.com
Mountain Hardwear http://www.mountainhardwear.com/
Patagonia http://www.patagonia.com/us/home
Black Diamond http://bdel.com
La Sportiva http://www.sportiva.com/

The 1st attempt

BD athlete Renan Ozturk and Zack Smith in Alaska's Ruth Gorge from Black Diamond Equipment on Vimeo.

Black Diamond athlete Renan Ozturk teamed up with Zack Smith and traveled to Alaska in late June 2009 to attempt a variety of climbing objectives, keeping their options open to the whims of weather, conditions and their stoke. Below is an excellent video the duo filmed during their ascents (a rarity in the world of alpine climbing where lightweight and speed typically take priority over documenting the adventure with video and photos). Check out Renan and Zack's trip report with words and photos here: http://www.blackdiamondequipment.com/en-us/journal/climb/trips/renan-ozturk-and-zach-smith-on-a-mission-in-alaskas-ruth-gorge

Renan almost died in a skiing accident

CLIP Renan in Hospital 3.28.11 from Camp 4 Collective on Vimeo.

Renan after getting to the hospital in Jackson.

Renan's healing

Living The Dream 2 from Camp 4 Collective on Vimeo.

A standard day in the life of the recovery from a few broken vertebrae and a skull fracture. Even though I'm not technically cleared for psychical therapy yet, the time has finally come for some soul therapy. Besides my standard 5d shooting style with lots of http://kesslercrane.com pocket dolly motion control it was cool to test out the http://www.vio-pov.com/ POV.HD cam. It was fun to experiment with a fresh roll of duct tape, a bit of stiff steel wire and some thin pieces of PVC :)

cheers, ~reo

Music:
"And Then the Screen Turned Red"
Diagram Collective
http://DiagramCollective.com

"Trax"
Ki: Theory
http://KiTheory.com

"Time For the Ride"
Adam Parker
http://bit.ly/adam_MMC