A Critical Eye - A Slow Travel Trip

Caroline Ciavaldini and James Pearson head to Ordesa, Spain to climb A Critical Eye.

As professional climbers, Caroline and I have had been fortunate to travel the world. Our profession has taken us to some of the most amazing countries, we’ve had the fortune of meeting wonderful people, and we’ve experienced climbing all over the world in both iconic and lesser known places. But, over the years we have become increasingly aware of the impact our lifestyle has on the environment and our surroundings. While we have become active in offsetting our carbon use through Mossy Earth we wanted to take a different approach to our next climbing trip.

A Critical Eye In Slow Travel Numbers

Part 1 - Getting There

As we sought out a climbing goal for the summer of 2018 we were drawn to Ordesa, Spain. Through our travels we met friends who continually told us “Ordesa is worth a visit, it is beautiful, and the valley has some technical big climbs that have rarely been repeated.” Heeding those words and researching the area Caroline set her sights on A Critical Eye, a 400m 8a at the back of the valley that had only ever been climbed twice.

As we planned for a summer trip though it wasn’t only going to be a climb that caught our attention and determined our destination. We wanted to plan a trip that we could approach in a more eco-friendly manner. We wanted to get to our climb using the lowest carbon footprint. We wanted to experience some adventure along the way, instead of just moving as quickly as possible to climbing. And we wanted a destination where we could immerse ourselves in the people and our surroundings.

We wanted to find the perfect location for Slow Travel and Ordesa fit the bill and had us motivated for an adventure. It turns out the Slow Travel was going to be just one small part of the adventure.

Part 2 - The Route

Peddling into Ordesa after a few minor delays in our travels and the hard cycle, push, bike-ski over the Pyrenees we were full of energy and looking forward to A Critical Eye. The route has only ever been repeated once after it was established in 2007 and although we did not have a lot of information on it we knew it would be testing. After two days though we found out just how testing it really would be. This was a route that might just have reset our scales of judgment on what loose, sketchy climbing really is.

A Critical Eye - A Slow Travel Trip

Caroline Ciavaldini and James Pearson head to Ordesa, Spain to climb A Critical Eye.

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As professional climbers, Caroline and I have had been fortunate to travel the world. Our profession has taken us to some of the most amazing countries, we’ve had the fortune of meeting wonderful people, and we’ve experienced climbing all over the world in both iconic and lesser known places. But, over the years we have become increasingly aware of the impact our lifestyle has on the environment and our surroundings. While we have become active in offsetting our carbon use through Mossy Earth we wanted to take a different approach to our next climbing trip.

A Critical Eye In Slow Travel Numbers

Part 1 - Getting There

As we sought out a climbing goal for the summer of 2018 we were drawn to Ordesa, Spain. Through our travels we met friends who continually told us “Ordesa is worth a visit, it is beautiful, and the valley has some technical big climbs that have rarely been repeated.” Heeding those words and researching the area Caroline set her sights on A Critical Eye, a 400m 8a at the back of the valley that had only ever been climbed twice.

As we planned for a summer trip though it wasn’t only going to be a climb that caught our attention and determined our destination. We wanted to plan a trip that we could approach in a more eco-friendly manner. We wanted to get to our climb using the lowest carbon footprint. We wanted to experience some adventure along the way, instead of just moving as quickly as possible to climbing. And we wanted a destination where we could immerse ourselves in the people and our surroundings.

We wanted to find the perfect location for Slow Travel and Ordesa fit the bill and had us motivated for an adventure. It turns out the Slow Travel was going to be just one small part of the adventure.

Part 2 - The Route

Peddling into Ordesa after a few minor delays in our travels and the hard cycle, push, bike-ski over the Pyrenees we were full of energy and looking forward to A Critical Eye. The route has only ever been repeated once after it was established in 2007 and although we did not have a lot of information on it we knew it would be testing. After two days though we found out just how testing it really would be. This was a route that might just have reset our scales of judgment on what loose, sketchy climbing really is.

Part 3 - Going Slow

Part of this whole trip was to get more out of a location than just experiencing a climb. This is something that Caroline and I have integrated into all of our travels, maybe sometimes it’s not exactly done on purpose but it is something important to us. Traveling, seeing the world, experiencing different cultures, and meeting people; all of this opens us up to new ideas and teaches humanities first hand. We also find it important to implement all of the same eco and green habits we do at home, even though this can be tricky at times it is really important. So after tackling A Critical Eye, we took the time to experience more of Ordesa.

Part 3 - Going Slow

Part of this whole trip was to get more out of a location than just experiencing a climb. This is something that Caroline and I have integrated into all of our travels, maybe sometimes it’s not exactly done on purpose but it is something important to us. Traveling, seeing the world, experiencing different cultures, and meeting people; all of this opens us up to new ideas and teaches humanities first hand. We also find it important to implement all of the same eco and green habits we do at home, even though this can be tricky at times it is really important. So after tackling A Critical Eye, we took the time to experience more of Ordesa.

As professional climbers, Caroline and I have had been fortunate to travel the world. Our profession has taken us to some of the most amazing countries, we’ve had the fortune of meeting wonderful people, and we’ve experienced climbing all over the world in both iconic and lesser known places. But, over the years we have become increasingly aware of the impact our lifestyle has on the environment and our surroundings. While we have become active in offsetting our carbon use through Mossy Earth we wanted to take a different approach to our next climbing trip.

As professional climbers, Caroline and I have had been fortunate to travel the world. Our profession has taken us to some of the most amazing countries, we’ve had the fortune of meeting wonderful people, and we’ve experienced climbing all over the world in both iconic and lesser known places. But, over the years we have become increasingly aware of the impact our lifestyle has on the environment and our surroundings. While we have become active in offsetting our carbon use through Mossy Earth we wanted to take a different approach to our next climbing trip.