Photo Credit: Adam McKibben
Rick has had a vertical inclination from a young age always looking for something to climb, but growing up in Kansas meant trees and rooftops were the main options. With a little rock and alpine dabbling after moving to Oregon, it wasn’t until over 20 years later while working in South Korea that rock climbing lured him in forever. His introduction to the sport was driving all over the country documenting crags in English and “rope gunning” easy routes for his injured mentor. Every weekend was an adventure in climbing, traveling to a new part of his new country, meeting new people, meeting really really kind people, getting lost, and being found. Mostly being found.
Rick extended his climbing adventures around Asia during his time off including China, Thailand, and Japan, and the passion for climbing and travel continued to grow.
After a brief hiatus from the rock, while living on the very wet island of Okinawa, Rick returned to the very wet metropolis of Portland. He fell in with the great climbing group of Climb Matrix where he met climbers (new and old) with an excitement for adventure and a wonder for climbing – the two ingredients that whet his appetite and reignited the climbing flame. He felt like he was home again. He met his wife, Stefani, through this climbing group and shortly after that fateful encounter the two began scheming a plan to maximize climbing time together. They left the wet PNW and their home base is now in Utah where rain checks are few and far between. Rick and Stefani started a business together Climb-On Maps, where they have mapped some of the largest (and often confusing) rock climbing areas in the U.S. (http://www.climbonmaps.com/).
Rick's first love is snowboarding (shhh, don't tell his wife) and that change of focus over the winter means that every spring feels like he's starting over with climbing. For years Rick would get frustrated that he couldn’t climb harder which started to affect his interest and passion for climbing. Then, one day he remembered a quote from his first mentor: “If you’re not able to do something great, you better learn how to love doing it poorly”.
Finally, Rick was able to reconcile his enjoyment of the sport with the fact that he's not interested in putting in the training to be “better." Rick also has many additional things in life that he enjoys, including snowboarding, hiking, working on the house, working on mapping projects, and more. Rick has come to peace with the concept, "I don't care if I’m the best (or that I’m the best I can be) if that means I have to cut out other things that I enjoy."
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Rick extended his climbing adventures around Asia during his time off including China, Thailand, and Japan, and the passion for climbing and travel continued to grow.
After a brief hiatus from the rock, while living on the very wet island of Okinawa, Rick returned to the very wet metropolis of Portland. He fell in with the great climbing group of Climb Matrix where he met climbers (new and old) with an excitement for adventure and a wonder for climbing – the two ingredients that whet his appetite and reignited the climbing flame. He felt like he was home again. He met his wife, Stefani, through this climbing group and shortly after that fateful encounter the two began scheming a plan to maximize climbing time together. They left the wet PNW and their home base is now in Utah where rain checks are few and far between. Rick and Stefani started a business together Climb-On Maps, where they have mapped some of the largest (and often confusing) rock climbing areas in the U.S. (http://www.climbonmaps.com/).
Rick's first love is snowboarding (shhh, don't tell his wife) and that change of focus over the winter means that every spring feels like he's starting over with climbing. For years Rick would get frustrated that he couldn’t climb harder which started to affect his interest and passion for climbing. Then, one day he remembered a quote from his first mentor: “If you’re not able to do something great, you better learn how to love doing it poorly”.
Finally, Rick was able to reconcile his enjoyment of the sport with the fact that he's not interested in putting in the training to be “better." Rick also has many additional things in life that he enjoys, including snowboarding, hiking, working on the house, working on mapping projects, and more. Rick has come to peace with the concept, "I don't care if I’m the best (or that I’m the best I can be) if that means I have to cut out other things that I enjoy."
Articles:
- Cam Ranges (+ Big Bros) (By Rick Momsen) - A useful (and quite pretty) spreadsheet showing the ranges of every cam (and big bro) available as of May 2020. Gear nerds - enjoy!
- The Euro-Death Knot is NOT (by Rick Momsen) - Shrouded in myth, misnomers, and misinformation, the Euro-Death Knot is NOT a death knot. Simply stated it is a quick, safe, and easy way to join two ropes together for a rappel.
- Three Ways to Use a Stick Clip (By Stefani Dawn and Rick Momsen) - A photo and video tutorial on how to use a stick clip to: (1) Clip a draw (with the rope) to the first bolt (the basic clip); (2) Insert the rope into an empty draw already on a bolt; and (3) Remove a draw from an overhead bolt.
Reviews:
- Arc’teryx FL-365 harness (by Rick Momsen, 2016) - A climber has a hard time letting go of his original work-horse harness, but this ultra-thin, ultra-light harness finally convinces him to let go. Check out which features make this his go-to harness.