Return 2 Sender Premier

Return 2 Sender, the latest release from Peter Mortimer (Front Range Freaks, Scary Faces), premiered at the Boulder Theater in Boulder, Colorado last Wednesday. Several members of the Climbing staff headed down to check it out. We arrived at the theater early, and were surprised to see a large cluster of climbers hanging around the entrance – believe it or not climbers were early for something! Once inside, the theater was jammed with sponsors’ booths displaying various products and free giveaways. The mood was very upbeat in anticipation of the film, with a little help no doubt from the in-house bar.

The first part of this film, Parallelojams, debuted at the Outdoor Retailer trade show in Salt Lake City back in January. Only the highest praise went out for the 45-minute sweat-inducing crack fest. Many called it the best climbing film they’d ever seen, so expectations were pretty steep for the complete hour-and-a-half film.

At around 8 o’clock Timmy O’Neil took the helm, full of the usual antics to fire up the crowd. Then the first segment, Parallelojams, began. I’d already seen it several times, but still squirmed as Topher Donahue took the huge screamer off of Broken Brain and watched with awe as Timmy O’Neil walked the Bridger Jack highline. The entire crowd was shouting approval and gasping with astonishment throughout this tour de force of Indian Creek. The first act was followed by an entertaining intermission of gear giveaways and a tattoo contest. The second act was of sundry climbing footage: ten-year-old Cicada Jenerik pulling V10, Michael Reardon free soloing everything in sight, BASE jumping in Mexico, the return of Biscuit the climbing dog, and a first ascent in Greenland. Each piece had something unique to offer, and while not as cohesive as the first half, the overall film delivers a nice package that I wouldn’t return to any sender.

Return 2 Sender is on tour right now across the western United States. For more info see www.return2sendermovie.com.