"Belayed & beloved" photo gallery
Photos by João Teixeira Fotografia
Design Gallery
The holy trinity
The rock is a crag gremlin's religion, and crimps, hand jams, monos, and more are how we pray. Each time we reach for the next hand, we're calculating the unique combination of grip style and strength, angle, muscle recruitment, and body positioning needed. So much strength and coordination flows from the five (or fewer) fingers that we use to connect to the wall, our muscles, tendons, and ligaments working together. I've always thought hands were beautiful, and as a climber, I feel a respect for them not unlike that felt for the work-worn old man giving advice from the corner of the bar.
Sipping and Sending
As crag gremlins, our best days are usually spent sipping a coffee and sending (or trying to send) our project.
Whether it's lukewarm coffee that's been in a thermos since the morning, or there's someone setting up their campstove and moka pot to make it fresh, a mid-afternoon coffee break helps revive me enough to crush those last few fatigued attempts of the day.
It's a small pleasure I cherish, sipping coffee with whoever else is at the crag that day- the people I came with, friends I ran into who I didn't know would be there, and new people I've just met. We shoot the shit, get to know each other, discuss beta, and watch a fellow climber fixate on a challenge or finally send their project.
This was the first design that made it all the way to a final draft, and I treasure it the way I treasure the pairing of sipping and sending.
Expresso
O café é o sustento do escalador. Na rocha, no campismo, no rocódromo, estamos sempre a beber este líquido dos deuses.
I've made my home here amongst the climbing community of Portugal, and words can't express how much I love being here with these people, climbing, making friends, making art, and learning from my fellow gremlins. I feel motivated by their drive, their creativity, and their love of and respect for the rock.
Obrigada por tudo.
This design is a trocadilho, or pun, being that both espresso and quickdraws are called "expresso" in Portuguese.
The non-Portuguese version of this design is called "Coffee and Quickdraws," and does not have writing.
crag gremlin logo
This logo has undergone a lot of change since I first conceived of it. It currently has two main versions: The Classic (without the sun) and the Pôr-do-Sol (with the sun).
It's designed to resemble a long overhang, a type of climbing that was new to me when I moved to Portugal (I'm a born-and-bred slab slut) but has quickly become emblematic of my climbing experience. This logo is a reflection of the picture I have in my mind when I think of climbing: at the crag surrounded by hot rock, cool wind, swaying olive trees and swooping swallows, watching the sun sink low in the sky as my forearms fatigue in that satisfying way that marks a good day of climbing. Complete peace.