Colin Haley

Age: 27, Years climbing: 18, Hometown: El Chalten / Squamish / Seattle / Chamonix, Favorite product: Miura VS

blog: http://www.colinhaley.blogspot.com

Do you clip bolts, plug cams, stack pads, or crush ice?

I do all of the above, and I also ski snow and slog snow.

How long have you been an athlete with La Sportiva?

Four years.

What are some of your lifetime climbing goals?

There are so, so many... Basically, to climb big, highly-technical routes on big, beautiful mountains, and to stay alive in the process. I strive to always be improving in at least one aspect of my climbing.

Do you have a claim to fame?

My biggest "claim to fame" is climbing the Torres Traverse with Rolando Garibotti.

Do you have any vices?

Sushi, juice-smoothies, organic produce and tacos.

What makes you tick as a climber and in the real world?

I love the alpine environment. I love the different seasons, and am always excited for the next one to arrive. I love the feeling of release when you get down from a big, serious alpine route. I love sticking a dyno on a cool boulder problem. I love cruising up thousands of feet of moderate alpine ice or snow with headphones on. I love to ski powder or spring corn snow.

What drives you to climb? The money? The groupies? The fame? What?

When I was twelve I climbed Forbidden Peak in the North Cascades, and experienced my first off-route rappels by headlamp, my first un-planned night out, and my first total exhaustion. I've been hooked ever since, and it is always the more "epic" experiences that make the strongest memories for me.

What is your favorite movie?

"Cumbre," by Fulvio Mariani, which is about Marco Pedrini's solo ascent of Cerro Torre. Also, the self-titled film, "Jean-Marc Boivin," about the climbing and steep skiing exploits of Boivin, who pushed the limits of both.

Do you have any nicknames? Explain:

Cometa / Skeletor / Child of the Abyss / Extreme Colleen

What’s the longest you’ve gone without sleep? Why?

72 hours. Because Bjørn-Eivind Årtun and I were climbing a new route on the southeast face of Sultana (aka Mt. Foraker), and we didn't take bivouac equipment. Having a major storm hit us on the summit made our descent take a bit longer than we had hoped... After hour 70 the hallucinations became very strong, but fortunately by then we were just walking across a glacier.

If you had to be named after one of the 50 states, which would it be?

Unfortunately, my favorite state (WA), has a horrible name... So, let's just pretend that it is instead called "Cascadia," and I'll take that one.

What did you have for lunch yesterday?

5 empanadas - tres de fatay, dos de carne, y una de panceta y ciruela. Then I ate a banana, and an apple, and a couple kiwis.

If you could hook up a thought monitor to your head, would you see pictures, hear words or would music be playing?

I think you would hear and see all three... I often have dreams that I am freeride skiing and effortlessly dropping enormous cliffs and doing backflips - so if you hook it up while I am sleeping that might be what you would find.

What really scares you about climbing?

Avalanches, avalanches, fucking avalanches!!! Also, rockfall, un-roped crevasse fall, rappel-anchor failure, rope-cutting while jumaring, etc...

If your life was made into a movie, what would it be called?

Big rock, dumping snow, and rain falling on cedar boughs.

Where would you live if it could be anywhere in the world?

Chamonix Mont-Blanc, France!

Have no food or have no gasoline?

I eat A LOT, and I don't drive very often, so that one is easy.

Do you wish you had sexier feet?

Would that actually help me score chicks? Somehow I doubt it!