So, I went to Spain from April 15th to May 4th with my homie Matt Pincus. It was the first outside climbing we did after a brutal training period, and we were stoked. Matt especially, because he’d never been to Spain. However, it turned out to be quite a difficult trip. Matt popped something in his knee on like our 2nd climbing day, and also, well, we trained too hard too close to the trip. We were utterly exhausted, and struggling to understand why we were so tired all the time. It felt like we never got over jetlag. But, we made the very most of it. Thankfully Matt’s knee wasn’t too bad, and he could still climb.

Climbers have been hearing about Spain for a while. Kinda like yawns and rolling eyes… But, I love Spain. I really do. I love trying to speak Spanish, and the friends I’ve made there. I love exploring other facets of the life there, both urban and rural – Hikes or via ferratas. Walking through the small towns. Touring up to Andorra. Flamenco in Barcelona, or an all night techno party. Walking the beach and putting my feet in the sea. Museums, bars, cafes, etc. It’s a special place for me, and I’ve been there many more times than any other foreign destination. I guess I should clarify. I’ve mostly gone to Cataluña. I know that I’m missing out on all the other parts of the country. I promise to get to those too. I’m sure it will deepen the love affair.

This little movie was like a self-imposed challenge. I wanted to do something easy and simple, fun and creative. I love making things, but I’m a minimalist and a perfectionist. To try to abide by my tendencies, I wanted to create “a day in the life” style piece shot and edited entirely on my phone. On top of that, to make it a little more fun and interesting, I inserted GIF’s here and there. The music was shot on my phone too, both the Flamenco and the techno, but it was an earlier in the trip. The climbing date was May 3, and it was our last climbing day in Spain. Matt and I went to a beautiful little crag called Tres Ponts, and we had a great day. Incidentally, it was the first day where I climbed well, and didn’t feel so much fatigue from training any longer. On this day I thought – “Ok. Here it is. Here’s all the work starting to kick in. I feel something. Something different. Maybe it was not all for nothing?…”

Check out Sam’s full movie here

Sam came home and continued to feel good. He spent the majority of May and June in Rifle Mountain Park, Colorado and quickly sent 2 of his projects – Bad Girls Club 5.14c and Shadowboxing 5.14d.