To me, 2013 contained three stand-out events in terms of the sport of rock climbing. In no particular order: First: Adam Ondra’s first ascent, and Chris Sharma’s subsequent second ascent, of La Dura Dura (5.15c). Second, was Tommy Caldwell coming one pitch closer to unlocking a free route up the unlikely 3,100-foot face of the Dawn Wall on El Capitan, Yosemite. And third was the first first deep-water soloing competition in America: PsicoComp.

Photo: Boone Speed

I spoke to Mike Call in the weeks leading up to PsicoComp.

“Dude, where did this even come from?” I asked. “How come I’m only just now hearing about it?”

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People have been talking about doing a deep-water soloing competition for as long as I can remember. But it’s all talk until someone actually does.

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“We are literally throwing it together right now!” Mike said, sounding slightly exasperated.

People have been talking about doing a deep-water soloing competition for as long as I can remember. But it’s all talk until someone actually does. Who would’ve guessed that it took one of the world’s best rock climbers and the sport’s most leading ambassador, Chris Sharma, to assemble not only the crackpot crew needed to pull it off, but to bring in the much necessary industry support at the fiscal time of year when most companies’  budgets were already tapped? By all accounts, PsicoComp should’ve never happened. Yet it did. And it was awesome.

PrAna and Mike Call and put together this great 10-minute recap of the PsicoComp experience. It stoked me up for next year.