Coloradoan Winter - your source for winter fun, ski-reports

December 23, 2001
Tom Blackford
    Family status: Single. Has a fish tank.
    Aage: 23.
    Nickname: Tam. I have no idea why.

    Occupation: Unemployed and looking for work. Recently laid off as a database administrator.
    Where have you been: Born in New Jersey but grew up in Dallas. Moved to Fort Collins in 1996 to attend Colorado State University.
    Adventures: Recently returned from two months of climbing in the Fontainebleau area of France. Climbing in Colorado and producer of SoLuTiOnS, a video of climbing in the Poudre Canyon.
    So what are you doing now that you are unemployed?
    Actually, I'm going back to France in two weeks to climb at Fontainebleau. It's got great weathered sandstone and the climbing there is pretty much world-renowned.
    I'm guessing some of the trip is going on plastic?
    I have some money saved up, but some will go on the credit card. I definitely wasn't planning on being unemployed.
    Where did the idea come from for the video?
    A couple of us that have been around here for five or six years started climbing in the Poudre Canyon. Not too many people climb up there. During our exploring, we found a lot of good stuff. I happened to have my video camera up there one day, and we started filming. We collected so much video that we decided to make a video.
    Were you happy with it?
    It came out pretty well. It took a lot of work, especially learning how to edit.
    Is this for personal use or are you going to market it?
    We started marketing it all over the country. The Mountain Shop sells it, and LaSportiva, which is our major sponsor, is going to sell it.
    How does it feel to make your own video?
    It's kind of a crazy experience. I've had people that didn't know me come up to me and say, "Hey, you're the guy who made the climbing video."
    Did you ever dream of making a video?
    Not really. But now it's something that I want to keep doing.
    Will you film in France?
    I gathered quite a bit of video last year in France, and I'll try and get quite a bit more this year. We also have another video in the works on more stuff in Colorado, like climbing near Red Feather Lakes and Estes Park.
    Think you'll become a millionaire making videos?
    It's definitely not for the money. It's mostly because I like watching climbing videos, so I figured why not make one.
    Is the Poudre a good place to climb?
    It's granite, and it's really weathered and pretty much unbreakable. That makes for great bouldering.
    What's the climbing like in France?
    Fontainebleau is about an hour south of Paris. It has houses that rural families rent out. You climb all day, drink lots of French red wine at night and get up and do it all over again.
    Turn-ons and turnoffs?
    Turn-ons are remote areas and good, quality climbing. Turnoffs are hot weather and lots of people.
    Where is one place in the world you haven't climbed but would love to?
    New Zealand.
    Will you ever get down there?
    I think so. I'm planning on a trip there a year from this spring.
    Wait a minute. Won't you have to get a job first?
    Hopefully I'll be employed so I have more money.
    Favorite beverage?
    Milk, followed by beer. Guinness, for sure.
    Advice to get people off the couch and out climbing?
    The thing with climbing is there is always someone better and someone worse than you. Don't get discouraged. It takes a long time to get good at it.
    Have any harrowing moments?
    One time, about four years ago, I was climbing in Eldorado Canyon and we were on a tall route of about 450 feet. It started getting dark and we were trying to pull our rope so we could rappel down. Our rope got stuck and we were unable to get it, so in the dark I had to free solo to get the rope. It was not a good situation.
    What is something about you that most people don't know?
    Most people don't realize I grew up in the South because I don't have an accent.
    Final thoughts?
    I hope to keep doing this kind of stuff around Colorado like Mark Wilford has for 30-some years.
    Do you know of someone who is an adventurous type who we could feature in our Q&A section? If so, please write to the Coloradoan, Miles Blumhardt, 1212 Riverside Ave., Fort Collins, CO 80524, fax the person's name and phone number to 970-224-7899, call 970-224-7743 or e-mail at milesblumhardtcoloradoan

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