Patrick Cassiday

Age: 26, Years climbing: 15, Hometown: Salt Lake City, UT, Favorite product: TESTAROSSA

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

Some of all but the ice crushing, though that would probably be fun (I just don't have the time). Mostly bolt clipping and stacking of pads.

How long have you been an athlete with La Sportiva?

Since 2007 I believe.

What are some of your lifetime climbing goals?

I used to really had "grade" directed goals... V14 and 5.14... I've done the later (though harder ones would be fun I suppose) and haven't quite made it to the former. I think now though, after 15+ years of climbing I'm more interested in getting out there. Finding projects, hard, classics, test pieces, obscure lines, it doesn't really matter. After back country skiing I've also developed, atleast in my head as I have yet to do much to pursue it, an interest in minor mountaineering... which is to say there are some mountains around my home I would like to summit, so as to be able to ski down after.

Do you have a claim to fame?

I was a two time North American Continental Speed Climbing Champion... I suppose thats super prestigious. I mean, everyone used to know my name because of that...

Do you have any vices?

Grapefruits... one a night for the last year or so. Chocolate chips, skiing and cycling.

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

good angles, huge jugs (take that as you will) and HIV... umm... that isn't quite as bad as it would sound if I explain it, but I think I wont...

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

More often than not, myself. I always try to get my girlfriend to drive but she gave up climbing, mostly, and hates driving. I don't know. I've climbed since I was 10... it has always just fascinated me. I wasn't into team sports, to many other people, and weight lifting is boring. The movement is climbing is just an oddly captivating thing.

What is your favorite movie?

Boondock saints...

Do you have any nicknames? Explain:

None that are currently in use that I know of...

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

Maybe 36 hours. I'm not really sure. I might have gotten an hour, at most, in there at some point, in which case I don't know what event would be the longest. Last year I got suckered into doing this relay bike race from SLC to Las Vegas. My car was one that was used, so I got to do alot of driving, and the legs were short enough that you couldn't really grab any sleep between yours.... It started out fun and by the end, I just wanted to go home.

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

Nevada. Born there, raised there. It means "snow capped" so I guess thats cool, though if genetics has its say I'll go blad well before I go gray so I guess it might not be that fitting for me. I don't know if any other state names really mean anything.

What did you have for lunch yesterday?

I had an awesome PB&J. Costco has this bread which is amazing, tons of nuts/seeds in there. super hearty... makes for a great tasting PB&J.

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

Oh man... if it was when I'm not at school it would probably be blank no matter what was hooked up. I think it would be words though, as boring as that is.

What really scares you about climbing?

The ground... when I'm trad climbing anyways...

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

Hectic: The Story of Being Overstreched.

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

Somewhere kind of remote. Probably some mountain village in the Pyrenees. Lots of rock, relaxed life. Good skiing. Good cycling. Just wake up in the morning, walk to the small cafe and have a pastry and coffee before going off on some adventure.

Have no food or have no gasoline?

No gas. If it were easily feasible to not use gasoline at al I would. Drive a hydrogen powered car, or some such, renewable energy-ify my house. I already commute by bike as much as possible. Then car pool or public transit otherwise. Try and keep the house cold but the girlfriend doesn't go for that... It's impossible though to not use a car for "long" (more than maybe 20miles) in Salt Lake though.

Do you wish you had sexier feet?

Well... I mean, I don't have the worst climbers feet I've ever seen. I'm not really a foot person either. I guess if I had sexy enough feet to make a good living as a foot model, do they make good livings? David Duchovny in Zoolander seemed to have done well has a hand model, so maybe fictional foot models make alot too?