Jason Kehl is a professional

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the " United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, ...

rock climber Rock climbing is a sport in which participants climb up, across, or down natural rock formations. The goal is to reach the summit of a formation or the endpoint of a usually pre-defined route without falling. Rock climbing is a physically an ...

known for his highball

bouldering Bouldering is a form of free climbing that is performed on small rock formations or artificial rock walls without the use of ropes or harnesses. While bouldering can be done without any equipment, most climbers use climbing shoes to help sec ...

ascents, inspired artistic endeavors, and for his work shaping holds. In 2006, he was awarded the prestigious Everest Award for climbing, and is the first person to ever boulder a 5.14d grade route;

The Fly (climb) ''The Fly'' is a short schist sport climbing or highball bouldering route in the Rumney Rocks climbing area, New Hampshire, USA, at the Waimea Cliff. ''The Fly'' was bolted by Mark Sprague in 1995 as an open project but did not see a first ...

, Rumney, NH. Some of his other notable ascents are as follows: A: First Ascent; FBA: First Boulder Ascent * FA – Evilution (V12) Buttermilks, CA, 12/02 * FBA – After Midnight (V11) Yosemite, CA, 04/03 * FA – The New Zero (V13) Holy Boulders, South Illinois, 03/04 * FBA – Straight out of Squampton (5.13+) Squamish, British Columbia, 07/05 * FA – Kumite (V10) Mizugaki, Japan, 06/06 Jason Kehl is widely recognized within the climbing community for his bohemian lifestyle and eclectic self-expression. For over a decade, Kehl has been living out of his van in order to facilitate climbing and travel. His art, diet, and lifestyle are heavily influenced by Eastern culture and thought, and for years, Kehl cut his hair in the Wu D'an kung fu style with an added twist of dreadlocks. These dreads were cut and burned in the latter part of 2010 in India where he was filming "The Zanskar Odyssey: High Alpine Bouldering in the Hidden Himalayas". On Cryptochild.com, Kehl's website, he writes, "Climbing always interested me because it is a great way to express yourself using your body, sometimes aggressive like a brutal fight and sometimes slow and seductive like a ritualistic dance. In that way I see climbing as a good artistic outlet." In 2008, Kehl underwent ACL replacement surgery and was sidelined for the better half of a year. During this time, Kehl focused more heavily on his website, blog, and other artistic pursuits. Kehl is interested in graphic design, special effects, videography, animation, and collecting doll heads. His most passionate artistic interest is certainly hold shaping, however, as Kehl has been shaping holds almost as long as he has been a professional climber. Boasting over 100 designs, he has shaped holds for Cryptochild as well as for five other companies: Pusher, Etch, So iLL, Revolution, and Ritual in Spain. Kehl is sponsored by Blurr, LaSportiva, Revolution, and Native Eyewear. He writes an ongoing blog for Deadpointmag.com.

References

External links

www.cryptochild.com

www.deadpointmag.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kehl, Jason American rock climbers Living people 1976 births