Here I sit, in my office in Lake Tahoe, awaiting a winter storm and procrastinating about cleaning out my email inbox.  Buried deep within my email I found a link to the Black Diamond Rock Climbing digital catalog that we shot last season in Malta. Wow, the Mediterranean looks different than what I’m seeing out my window at the moment!

This trip was one of those unforgettable journeys that will last a lifetime; dreamed up by Sonnie Trotter and Tommy Caldwell while climbing in Canada. Tommy’s wife, Becca, and myself tagged along as the photo team, working together to document the trip. 

Malta is an incredibly unique climbing destination.  Some of the benefits included friendly local climbers, great food, cold beer, and endless amounts of unclimbed rock over the Mediterranean. We made the trip around this time last year.  The water was cold and pretty darn rough which made for some adventurous climbing as Sonnie will attest to (see photo sequence above).  On one of the stormiest days, with high winds and rough waters, we found ourselves climbing illegally in a limestone quarry; very graphic environment and perfect parallel finger cracks. For this opportunity we implemented the old methodology which is, “It’s easier to beg for forgiveness than ask permission.” And the good news is no one got arrested.

After having such a great experience with Sonnie, Tommy, and Becca I know I'll return to Malta; but next time, I’m bringing my wife Marina! Now less than a year later both my wife and Tommy’s wife are pregnant.  Next trip to Malta will be with our kids, it’s the perfect family climbing destination. I can’t wait!

Special thanks to Andrew Warrington for being an incredible tour guide and host in Malta, and thanks to Black Diamond for supporting our adventure!

Ok, I’m done daydreaming about Malta.  Back to cleaning out my email inbox.

To check out the complete catalog visit:  http://catalog.blackdiamondequipment.com/rockclimbing2012/en_us/