Spray.  We at Crank Climbing hate spray.  We’ve written blogs about it.  But lets talk about a kind of Spray we can all enjoy, and that’s Brian Solano’s film….  Spray (Trailer)

The film follows Chris Lindner, Joe Kinder, and a few others up and down the northeast coast of California, hunting for a good time.  Nameless boulders abound, and there’s no urge to throw a grade on anything.  Our main characters each have specific goals. Joe seeks to experience Surf Safari, a route with some climbing history.  Chris feels a silent call back to one spot, over and over, and is finally rewarded with what may be the source of the magnetic draw – the first ascent of Window of Opportunity.

In between, the crew of those two, BS mainstay Luke Paraday, Colette McInerney, and Vanessa Compton take in the splendor of serene pressure-free climbing.  If there’s one gripe I’d like to make about this film, its that the other three didn’t make the cover or the billing at the same level of Joe and Chris.  I know they aren’t as large of names, but they are important to the film as a whole – without them I would find this flick a lot less well-rounded.

There are many things I love about this film.  The soundtrack is on point – seriously I have heard Odub on exactly one other soundtrack, ever, and the rest is bumping early-00s lyric-heavy hip hop.  Lindner’s ability to channel the pure aggro on hard moves might turn some people off, but for me its the sensation I seek climbing and I identify with it.  Finally, there’s the ocean.  Climbing onnear the coast, the ocean is ever-present, and multiple climbers point to it during the interviews and contemplate is vast, overwhelmingly powerful presence.  I’m not much for surfing and I swim like a stone, but one can’t help but feel small looking at the expanse.

The other bright spot in this film is its an excellent evolution in Brian Solano’s history, a much more polished effort than earlier films.  Its a film focused not on the details, but the feelings that climbing evokes, and the camaraderie between friends.  The interviews and the views expressed are well placed and speak to the admirable parts of our sport.

Verdict: Sit Back, crack a Corona. and enjoy this one.  Brian was kind enough to post it for rent at $4 here.

The Who:
Joe Kinder
Chris Lindner
Vanessa Compton
Colette McInerney
Luke Paraday

The What:
Humboldt County
Trinity Aretes
The Promontory
Mickey’s Beach

Named Routes:
Surf Safari
Mean Streets
Window of Opportunity