The Philosophy Of Verve

The first six pairs of Verve shorts I owned were actually men’s and probably a size or two bigger than they needed to be. I was an 11-year-old tomboy, climbing in a gym where female climbing partners where considered an endangered species. I idolized the guys I climbed with, so, I wore what they wore.
A few years later, after some persuasion, I finally moved on to the women’s clothing and tried a pair of Saphos. I liked them. A lot. They tastefully fall just below the knee, safely covering up all the valuables. They’re loose, but drape perfectly over the butt and made me feel comfortable but not frumpy.





Since then, I’ve grown up and my shorts have gotten smaller. Although I now have no insecurities about wearing skimpy Magico shorts and Lorelli bras, I still have Verve clothes from 10 years ago that I like to wear now and then, simply because they are still comfortable. Even though my taste in clothing has changed quite a bit, Verve clothes continue to look and fit just right on me; being in climbing clothes is where I feel most like myself. I have a confidence and a comfort when I’m wearing them that I just can’t quite find when I’m wearing street clothes. In Verve, I don’t have to worry about whether my pants are falling down, if my bra is showing, or if my skirt is twisted; I feel natural, ready to sprawl out, or go climbing, or running, or dancing. My poor Verve clothes get stuffed into yoga bags, climbing bags, beach bags and suitcases. They go up mountains, down rivers, across oceans and August through May, they even attend school. My poor Verve clothes really go through it all. But as I grow up, as my hobbies vary, as I explore the world and figure out who I really want to be, I may change a lot, but favorite Verve pieces will always be in tow for the journey.

Going International

Looks like summertime is finally going to be with us for awhile. With nothing but sunny days in the forecast, now is the time to come out and crush the mountain! Conditions on the upper mountain are as good as they get for early July. Routes such as Liberty Ridge and the Fuhrer Finger that normally get a little thin this time of year are still holding lots of snow and should really be climbed a lot in the coming weeks.

Climbing rangers have been fairly busy over the past weeks with a number of tasks including climbing the mountain, training with the military, doing a couple of searches and rescues, and in our spare time trying to keep the toilets clean. One of the most special things that has happened in our world lately is that we have been able to host Ang Tshering Lama, a Nepalese climber, who was here as a guest ranger for three weeks in June. Ang spent time at both Camp Muir and Camp Schurman, patrolling climbing routes with rangers, taking part in our various trainings, and assisting in multiple rescues. If you were at Camp Muir or Schurman in the past few weeks you might have even caught a smell of the delicious food he cooked up for us during his stay. This is the third year in a row we have hosted Nepalese climbers in our program and we are very proud of our close relationship with their climbing community. Later this summer we will be hosting the Korean Alpine Rescue Team, so stay tuned...

Be sure to come by the Guide House up at Paradise, or one of the other ranger stations around the park, and say "hello."