Why have you chosen photography as your artistic medium?
Photography is mobile and I’ve lived a mobile life. For the last three years until this December, I had not slept in the same bed for a two-week period. So I’m pretty transient. It’s really hard for me to live outside of the hour, the day, the week, and even setting up an appointment ... it’s like, ‘I don’t know?’ I don’t need a specific time unless I’m forced to.  

You were on the cover of Climbing Magazine in 1996 — how did it feel to do 5.14 at that time?
Cool. Like. “Wow,” I can do this — that’s so cool. These walls were virtually impossible. It’s really hard to keep pushing beyond the limits — I did what I could and I probably could have done more — in fact, I know I could have done more if I would have taken it a little more seriously and pushed a little harder. I would have never done what Chris [Sharma] and Dave [Graham] are doing, though. My body, my skill set is just not that developed. I did what I could when I did it. I was in the right place at the right time. I wouldn’t even make the B-Team now.

I still wanna go back and do Necessary Evil. It’s going to be a rough one, though. I can’t not take it seriously — I couldn’t do it when I was serious, so it’s unfinished business. I know that once I get started in the process, it’s going to be fun and I’m going to be geeking out over it. I have one more in me, maybe two.

Can you tell me about Smack Magazine?
You have to give a lot of credit to MC (Mike Call), whom I’ve worked with on many projects. We’ve fallen into our respective roles as videographer and photographer, and we’ve been doing this for years. Our voice was always inclusive and fun. That’s what we were trying to do with it — to get people psyched. 

I’ve backed myself into corners several times. MC has actually watched me get bored and f—k up my whole life just to do something. I feel a level of boredom right now in my life. It’s not a bad thing. There’s just more out there, and I’m a curious person.

How do you measure success?
For me, success isn’t always about making the most money or doing the hardest route. The routes that were graded the hardest are not my most memorable. Any route that freaked me out, or put me on the edge, that I was able to pull through, will be the best moment; I didn’t necessarily feel that when I did Super Tweek. I was thrilled, but that was just like punching the clock — getting it done. Sometimes I feel loads of success when I take a photograph that nobody will like, but I know that I nailed it. I got what I wanted out of it, and I just know it. Nobody might ever see it — hopefully, they will — but I succeeded. I have super-high standards and I won’t accept mediocrity as success. 

What’s the next level?
If the next level has to do with climbing, it’s going to be finding a new area, photographing it, and then turning people onto it. For me, that’s where my contribution to climbing will come from now.

What has been your life's work so far?
The usual — inner peace. 

Most important life lesson you’ve learned?
Treat people with kindness and equal importance, which is sometimes easier said than done. 

Daily mantra?
¿Porque no? (Translation: Why not?) 

What mark do you want to make?
A well-placed tick mark, but just a small one, and I’ll brush it before I leave.