Int’l Rock Climbers Bare SPOT Project

North Face rock climbing ambassadors James Pearson, Yuji Hirayama and Caroline Ciavaldini, in cooperation with climbphilippines.com directors Miel Pahati and Ina Pahati, met local climbers and checked the Cantabaco (Toledo City) natural wall formation in a climbing event recently in line with their SPOT Filipino Climbers Project wherever crags are in the country.

SPOT is an acronym for Share, Progress, Open, Teach.

“We will Share with Filipino climbers our climbing experience as well as climbing equipment,” the three shared in a gathering prior to the Cantabaco event. “We want to Progress together, learning from each other, climbing higher and harder,” they added.

“We are Open to them, and will Open new routes for them to drive forward the level of the community and to give them challenges to aspire. We will Teach them how to bolt, how to train and climb on different terrains.”

The SPOT Project is about helping each other, about spotting climbing buddies.

Pearson and Ciavaldini mentioned of turning over around 150 kilos of equipment like bolts, drills, crash pads and shoes, among many items, to climbphilippines to support this extreme sports here.

Ciavaldini and Pearson head Climbers Without Borders, an organization that brings together climbers all over the world to aid and support other climbing communities in developing the sport in their own localities. The SPOT Project is seen to create a support network between a global climbing community and local climbers. This would help local areas to develop climbing by collecting and sending in equipment, helping in developing crags by bolting more routes, and through financial, logistical or technical support supported by private and public sponsors within the network.

The mechanics of the SPOT were used at Cantabaco which is one of most interesting limestone crags in Southeast Asia. Grades here go from 6a to 8a+ with the majority in the 7 range characterized by pockets, tuffas, overhangs, crimps and slopes, offering around 40 routes up on the cliff.
The event was backed by ROX (Recreational Outdoor Exchange) aside from Climb Philippines and The North Face. (by Maria Eleanor E. Valeros)