Brent Barghahn

Brent Barghahn shows up in two films that explore opposite ends of modern trad and big‑wall practice: a concentrated, idiosyncratic Little Cottonwood first ascent and a contemporary ground‑up free attempt on El Capitan. The catalog presents him as a climber who moves between technical single‑pitch traditionals and prolonged, multi‑pitch strategy on Yosemite’s granite.

In 100 feet of Kneebars: Slayer 5.13c the camera follows the unusual premise of Barghahn’s line in Little Cottonwood Canyon: sustained kneebarring under a roof with a narrowing crack at the back that culminates in an upside‑down flare crux. The piece is deliberately spare—its value is the on‑the‑rock footage that lets viewers study body positioning, continuous resting technique and how a route composed of a single repeated motion reads on real granite. The edit omits the crux send, which focuses attention on movement and sequence rather than outcome.

Arc'teryx Presents: Ground Up documents a ground‑up free attempt on El Niño (Pineapple Express variation) in Yosemite Valley alongside Amity Warme. Shot over eight days, it foregrounds mechanics: hauling systems, fixing and unfixing protection, reading fragile sections of granite and the cumulative toll of multi‑day pushing. Named sections in the film—the La Niña crux, the “Black Cave” pitch and “Lucy Is A Labrador”—help viewers see how a high‑end big‑wall free route is assembled from many sustained pitches rather than a single isolated crux. Together the films show Barghahn’s range: from a concentrated technical FA to the prolonged decision‑making of big‑wall free climbing.