October 2nd, 2008 - The North Face®, the world’s premier supplier of authentic, innovative and technically advanced outdoor apparel, equipment and footwear, today announced that English climber, James Pearson, has accomplished the seemingly impossible—leading the premiere climb of the route called The Walk of Life, located on the dramatic slab of Dyer’s Lookout on the North Devon Coast of England. With a mind-blowing rating of E12 7a, The Walk of Life is the most difficult traditional route ever climbed.

“James is an unbelievably intuitive and gutsy climber, especially for one so young,” says Keith Byrne Strategic Marketing Manager for The North Face® EMEA (Europe, Middle East and Africa). “He is continually pushing his own boundaries, and in doing so he elevates the entire climbing community. James very literally lives The North Face® motto, Never Stop Exploring™ and we are all inspired by his efforts.”

At only 22 years old, James Pearson has already established a bomber foothold in the international climbing scene. The young climber surprised the traditional climbing world and himself when in 2005, after only four years of climbing under his harness, he made a lightning-fast ascent of Equilibrium E10 7a, considered the single most difficult traditional route in the world at the time. Equilibrium had only been climbed two times previously, by seasoned veterans who took multiple years to unlock the intricate moves. James reached the summit in just four days. In early 2008, James raised the bar for traditional climbing by making the first ascent of The Groove at Cratcliffe Tor. With the mind-boggling grade of E10 7b, The Groove has been known as the hardest trad route in England and a contender for the most technically difficult route in the world.

Not content to rest on his laurels, James returned from the first-ever psicobloc (also called deep water soloing) competition in Majorca in mid-September, and planned the final moves of his route, The Walk of Life, which he had been studying for the past four years. Jutting skyward from the jagged Devon shoreline, the route begins with a very serious initial slab of approximately 15 meters on thin holds and smears. A fall on the first section of this climb would likely mean death. Above this point, the route joins an existing climb called Dyer Straits, on which James removed all pre-placed protection, preferring to place his own gear for a purer, yet much more dangerous climb. While certainly safer than the first section, the upper wall is prone to dangerous crumbling and allows few places for setting solid protection. On a previous attempt, fatigue and a light rain caused James to make a misstep on this upper section. He fell over 60 feet, but his protection held strong.

On September 29th 2008, after one failed attempt and four years of planning, James Pearson completed The Walk of Life, recognized as the single most difficult traditional climb in the world. “The Walk of Life pushed me further and made me dig deeper than any route I have climbed before. It is, by far, the hardest climb I have done and has been a long and difficult journey. Ascents like this one show me that climbing is still as exciting for me as it was the first time I put on rock shoes. I will continue to search the globe for rousing new challenges, and I will continue to push myself and my sport to the absolute limit.”

For more information about James Pearson, visit: www.thenorthface.com/eu/athletes/athletes-JP.html

About The North Face®
The North Face, a division of VF Outdoor, Inc., was founded in 1968. Headquartered in San Leandro, California, the company offers the most technically advanced products in the market to accomplished climbers, mountaineers, snowsport athletes, endurance athletes, and explorers. The company’s products are sold in specialty mountaineering, backpacking, running, and snowsport retailers, premium-sporting goods retailers and major outdoor specialty retail chains. Additional information about The North Face® can be found on the company’s website, www.thenorthface.com.

Per ulteriori informazioni:

Sound Public Relations
Corso di Porta Romana, 2
20122 Milano
Tel 02 80649.1
www.soundpr.it