Many adventurers don’t need a altruistic reason to give scaling a giant redwood a try, yet before embarking on his hair-raising climb, Chris Sharma reached out to scientists to see if he could do some good.
Collecting data from the canopy without disturbing the trees is a tricky business, so the chance to use an experienced climber such as Sharma — who’s traveled the world seeking new challenges — presented a unique opportunity to collect water data during California’s historic drought.
Of course, there’s also the thrill of the climb itself, which Sharma has dreamed of for years as a native of Santa Cruz.
I’ve come back to Santa Cruz and spend time in the Redwoods, I’m always blown away by how majestic and special these forests are. Also, having spent my whole life seeking out cliffs to climb, I can’t help but look up at these giant trees and imagine lines for climbing. So I guess this whole thing was a way to bring together my climbing with the place I come from and these amazing trees that were actually how I got started climbing in the first place and create a film that would pay homage to all of that.
Hey, no one said there couldn’t be a fun side of science.
Comments