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Maury Birdwell

@maurybirdwell

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Lawyer. Climber. Aspiring philanthroper.
Mountain Performance Coach (DM for inquiries)
@honnoldfoundation co-founder.
@grade7equipment acolyte.

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This weekend our tribe gathered once more for our solemn, all-too-frequent ritual: bidding farewell to one of our own. No more or less unwelcome than any before it, this one felt particularly heavy and complex.

In my earlier years I romanticized those untimely losses conceptually, not welcomed but almost ‘heroic,’ the same way we memorialize the fallen on a battlefield. But as the years have gone by and losses in both those realms have been less distant and far more personal, that romanticization has largely dissolved, replaced with a quiet grief and appreciation for the time they had with us while wishing they could have had more. At the same time, I found myself feeling macabrely ‘practiced’ at the exercise, as though grief and its process were a skillset to refine and move through, each time with more grace and efficiency. There are better and worse ways to cope, to be sure, but I’ve begun to feel the cumulative effect of loss rather than any ‘expertise.’

Some say grief is like an ocean that comes in waves, and like any metaphor it’s partially complete. I’ve begun to feel that grief, like all human experience, is like an ever-expanding pool of water, and loss is like tossing in a stone. When you’re young, the pond is small, and the disturbance is massive, encompassing the entire surface, violently crashing against the bottom. But as the surface settles, the depth and capacity expand, so that each subsequent loss is absorbed more readily, settling into a larger ecosystem more able to accommodate it. But that greater surface also carries the ripples further and further outwards, sometimes touching elements we didn’t even know were there.

These mountains teach us a lot, but they sure exact a terrible price. Would I trade the depth and growth for a simpler, shallower experience? Hard to imagine. Would I trade knowing those I’ve lost to save myself the heartache? Certainly not - their life force has shone brighter than most and illuminated parts of myself I didn’t realize were dormant. As we gathered yet again to say goodbye, my mind has settled on one simple thought: I miss our fucking friends, and I am tired of watching them go. by @maurybirdwell

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4 months ago

Exocet, Cerro Standhart, Argentine Patagonia.
Some of the steepest feeling ice pitches I’ve climbed. While it wasn’t our initial goal last week, it was a helluva “consolation!”
1. John Ebers following the opening rock pitches from the Standhardt Col.
2. Looking up partway up the namesake chimney.
3. Summit!

After three weeks of mostly terrible weather (aka “town window”) in Patagonia with lots of performance hiking, last week finally yielded a promising stretch of good days. Unfortunately it came on the heels of significant precipitation, so conditions in the mountains were tricky to read at best. John and I hiked into the Torre Valley focused on our main objective, the Filo Sureste of Cerro Torre, but prepared for the possibility to consider alternatives. Wednesday dawned cloudy and presented little cleaning such that by midday we opted for warmup outing on the classic Media Luna - a 10 pitch rock route which offers the upside of closer and clearer views of our chief goal.

By the end of the day it was clear not much had changed (significant snow and rime ice on the crucial sections that must be clean rock to allow passage), and after consulting with some wise ‘elders’ in camp like @seanvillanueva and the local phenom brothers @pedro_odell @tomasodell3 we shifted to a try at Exocet. Aiming for an ice route with relatively high freezing levels seemed dicey so we departed in the morning to arrive at the ice chimney in the afternoon shade - dodging some debris on the snow ledge traverse along the route. Conditions in the chimney were shockingly clean and stable so we wasted little time in starting up, summiting 12 hours after leaving camp. 9 more hours of rappelling and descending brought us back to camp before first light the next day to take a short nap before packing up and hiking back to town! taken in El Chaltén, Patagonia by @maurybirdwell

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2 years ago

I’ve long had a nerdy obsession with training and the theory surrounding it. After years of self-experimentation and chatter with others I’m stoked to begin coaching others to help achieve their objectives. My main focus - as with my own personal goals - is on technical alpine climbing; but also working with my brothers on the other side of the wire to prep for their professional endeavors.

Reach out if you want to chat: whether it’s for one on one coaching, custom plans, or just some friendly advice. #training #alpinism #selection
@austin_siadak 📸 from the first full ascent of Gamblin in the Winds on Mount Hooker by @maurybirdwell

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3 years ago

Got my provisional invite to the Old Man Ice Climbing Festival, a true honor as I don’t quite qualify just yet at my vintage.

Things are all time in the South Fork Valley, with unprecedented conditions on a number of routes originally established by Alex Lowe as poorly protected “M7 WI7” et al. Now sporting more civilized, fully formed water ice - though nonetheless exciting at times - it was a treat to enjoy them with great friends.

1. the eponymous Ice Fest
2. barren and beautiful landscape
3. the upper pitch of Mean Streak
4. the Legal At Last and Barely Legal cirque
5. given ‘er on Barely Legal
6. finding some Joy After Pain
#brucemiller @jessehuey @mag_mcmahon @danesteadman taken in South Fork of the Shoshone by @maurybirdwell

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3 years ago

You can’t always get what you want, but if you try sometimes, you just might find the pro that you need. #innovation #bomber #alpeenism taken in Bugaboo Provincial Park by @maurybirdwell

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3 years ago

Despite rapping in last weekend with blackberry pie, we found ample servings of the humble sort on Colorado’s best route: Tague Yer Time. #provemewrong #cornersfordays
📸 Granite technician @mag_mcmahon waltzing up pitch 2, and enjoying a poo with a view from the bivy taken in Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park by @maurybirdwell

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3 years ago

Perhaps equally as impressive as the HURT itself is that @senderfilms managed to scrape together a 35 minute film from all our footage, including epic drone shots by @brettlowell
The full film premieres online this evening as part of @reelrock #sorrymom

Though in my opinion the true reason you should tune into Reel Rock 17 is the feature ‘Resistance Climbing’ - an incredible, stark view of the Palestinian reality in the West Bank that illuminates some of the true power of climbing community: “It’s easy to say climbing doesn’t matter much…til it’s all you have,” @andrewbisharat
If you don’t cry a bit well…you’re more stone faced than me. by @maurybirdwell

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3 years ago

Taking a break from winter to sample a different kind of dangler…
#cubalibre #climbcuba #tufawrestling #authoritarianismsucks taken in Viñales, Cuba by @maurybirdwell

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4 years ago

In 1997 Jeff Lowe and @realwillgadd had the vision and gumption to quest up into and out of what became Deep Throat (5.9, WI6, M7). Despite being Gadd’s pick in the “Fifty Favorites” book, the much mythologized route has received only a couple of repeats. Fresh on the heels of @jessehuey and @mattsegal (and their much helpful cleaning!) a few weeks ago we snagged a coveted tick. I can soundly say the crux is the wildest pitch I have ever climbed (ice tools or otherwise) and it is surely deserving of more action!

📸 @quentinclimbing taking us out of the maw and into the hanging ice daggers of the final, crux pitch. Being a Canadian I think they’re assigned ice tools in the maternity ward, it was impressive to watch a master at work.
🎥 weaving through daggers and stemming out over the void - amazing!
*Like a couple of chuffers we took a drone so check Q’s reels for some nifty amateur footage taken in Glenwood Canyon Colorado by @maurybirdwell

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4 years ago

I’ve learned that one of my favorite things to do is support people on big visions. Getting to do that recently for @alexhonnold on the “HURT” was quite a time. Having watched the process of envisioning, investigating, plotting (and giving up) over the past few years it was rad to witness the final execution. It was also rad that @climbingmagazine gave me the opportunity not just to write about the HURT but opine about the value of big objectives and what they can teach us. Link in bio to check it out!

📸 Alex and I scouting a HURT section the week before the big effort. taken in Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area by @maurybirdwell

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4 years ago

Over the years its been a pleasure to enjoy the Valley and to get to know The Yosemite Climbing Association as they work to protect our sport's past, via the Yosemite Climbing Museum, and our sport's future, by organizing not just an annual Yosemite Facelift cleanup but (newly) a DOZEN Facelift events across the country!

The YCA is hosting its second annual fundraising event where enthusiastic supporters like yourself can bid on stunning signed photographs of @AlexHonnold, all-inclusive trips to stay and climb in Yosemite Valley with the Yosemite Mountaineering School for a full day on the rock for two, a full kit of @patagonia winter wear, and so much more.

Click the link in @yosemitefacelift bio to participate in this year's online auction and support the Yosemite Climbing Association. For the better part of three decades, Ken Yager (@YagerYCA) has been working tirelessly to make events like @YosemiteFacelift happen, so lets help them keep it going!

📸 YCA current Exec Director & Kook-in-Chief @timmyoneill taking in the view after wrapping up the day with a scramble up the classic Royal Arches

#yosemite #yosemiteclimbing #climbyosemite #rockclimbing #climbinghistory #yosemitefacelift #yosemitefacelift2022 #climbon #halfdome #elcap taken in Yosemite National Park by @maurybirdwell

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4 years ago

The @grade7equipment HAUL PACK just launched on Indiegogo, TLDR: they’re worth it. For the past 6 months I’ve had the privilege to test mine on a multitude of adventures including:
- Freerider on El Cap
- Halfway up Zodiac, El Cap (@alexhonnold couldn’t send so we bailed)
- Mt. Huntington in Alaska
- The South Rim of he Black Canyon
- Plus lots of travel, cragging, and daily abuse
I then handed it off to @bustercruz with Colorado Mountain School so he could up the abuse quotient, subjecting it to daily hammering guiding in and around Rocky Mountain National Park. It’s still going strong. Rarely am I this impressed by a piece of kit, but I’m stoked about what these guys are building and the attention to detail is uncompromised.
📸 @ad_wyatt coming up the Enduro Corner of Freerider sporting the 22L HAUL PACK by @maurybirdwell

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4 years ago