“ My brother was the one that really got me back into climbing when he came to visit me over the summer,” Ryan Vellinga, a 20-year-old grad student said. “We weren’t any good at it and we were really really bad because we haven’t climbed for years probably. And we could barley solve any of the problems but we had a really really good time just screwing around and trying to figure out what we were doing and ever since then climbing has been something that really brought us closer together. And has had a really big influence on the relationship I have with my brother now.”
In this audio documentary, Lara Rivas explains how ever since he was younger, his father was the one who got him into rock climbing initially, and passed along the passion and gear to him and his brother.
“He was the one who got all the gear, got all the training, took lessons,” Vellinga said of his father. “So he could he really teach my brother and I how to do everything and he left the gear for my brother and I to inherit pretty much and use like he never got he chance the use.”
“Climbing is way to challenge myself both physically and mentally.” Vellinga said. “And every climb feels like a problem that needs to be solved and I think I really love that about climbing .”
Photos, Audio and Reporting by Laura Rivas shared with the Reynolds Sandbox