FOEHN | Scarred for life

Climbing is at the core of my existence. Over the last 10 years, It has introduced me to incredible new places, and new people.

I first met Sam Weir in Boulder Colorado about 8 years ago. Like me, he had come to the promised land to focus on climbing. Having both spent a lot of time developing new areas, we shared an affinity for exploration and seeking the edge of possibility.

Born and raised in Pennsylvania and one of 13 kids, Sam was different to many of the climbers I met in the past. Passionate to a fault, his after work exploits often involved hiking alone for hours into Rocky Mountain National Park to stare down his latest project. As someone who shared the same tendencies, we bonded over our addiction to the sport.

Years later, I would leave Colorado for Utah, and Sam headed to France. Understanding how life has the tendency to send us in obscure directions, I wasn’t sure if I’d ever see Sam again.

I stayed in touch with Sam throughout the years, exchanging psych and hearing about the latest project. Since meeting Sam in Colorado all those years ago, I’ve watched him take down countless hard boulders, flashing V12 as though it was a warm up, and generally just silently crushing without the media eye. I always admired this, motivation through pure joy for the challenge.

Last year, I happened to be in France for work and reached out to Sam. He was living in Geneva, climbing in Switzerland and at the time, was working a steep roof Boulder called “Scarred for life” 8b+, put up by Dave Grahem (@dave_graham_) With a few days free in my schedule, we arranged to head the Boulder together.

As a filmmaker, I find joy sharing authentic stories of those that inspire me, and creating a style and format that breaks with convention.

This is a film about a friend and inspiration, this is Sam Weir (@sam__weir)

Executive Producer: Gareth Leah
Director: Gareth Leah
Camera Ops: Kai Czarnowski x Gareth Leah
Editor: Kai Czarnowski x Henry Allison
Photographer: Gareth Leah