News Blog

8th Sep 2008

New international Arc'teryx climber - Jonathan Siegrist

Welcome to climber Jonathan Siegrist, the latest to join the growing Arc'teryx team of sponsored international athletes. 

"My first days at the crag were spent confined between a barricade of backpacks that my Dad and his climber friends would set up a sort of make-shift crib, ensuring that I wouldn’t wander off while they were busy climbing.  As I outgrew the crag-pack crib my Dad decided to bring me along up the cliffs. I enjoyed these father-son climbing days that taught me the value of a good adventure in the mountains, but I climbed sporadically and never took it that seriously. However, when I was around 18-years-old I started bouldering at Flagstaff Mountain as a form of cross-training for downhill mountain bike racing. It wasn’t long before I was hooked on the movement and challenge of rock climbing and soon found myself setting long-term goals and climbing as much as my skin could handle.

Since then, rock climbing has become a driving passion that I have travel'ed through the United States, Europe, South East Asia and South America to pursue. I have skipped class, cancelled dates, spent thousands of dollars and trained tirelessly. Every so often I am rewarded with a strong feeling of accomplishment, but nearly every time I go out, I enjoy the company of friends and another day in the mountains.

I have become especially inspired by beautiful climbs with an interesting or significant history. This has driven me to complete routes like ‘Sarchasm’ (3rd ascent), the country’s highest altitude 5.14, the Lumpy Ridge test piece ‘Country Boy’ 5.13d (first all gear placed on lead ascent), the 3rd ascent of ‘Grand Ol Opry’ 5.14b/c at the amazing Monastery in Colorado and a quick ascent of ‘Honemaster Lambada’ 14a in one of my nearby and favorite climbing areas- the Flatirons. Longer routes have inspired me as well, like Eroica 5.12 V on the diamond and the ‘Standard Route’ 11c VI at 17,000ft in Peru. Not to mention that killer Colorado singletrack still inspires me just as much as it used to and I still love to mountain bike in between climbing days.

For the mean time I am stoked to continue my life in the mountains rock climbing, biking, hiking and exploring, along with my life as a Naropa University Student and Boulder Rock Club route setter. Looking ahead, I hope to continue using rock climbing as a vehicle to create more traveling opportunities, both domestically and internationally. I want to stay happy and healthy while pushing my personal understanding of  what is possible and continually stepping outside of my comfort zone. In the long run, I hope that I can still climb and bullshit as hard as my Dad and his bud’s do when I am in my late 50’s."