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As a newcomer to the Sanuk team, Ronnie Dickson brings a unique element to the table. You see, Ronnie lost his leg above the knee almost six years ago.  Amputation required Ronnie to search for different ways to engage himself. Two years later and determined to stay positive, he found his new passion- Climbing.

We hooked up with Mr. Dickson through a series of fortunate events and soon found out he’s a rad dude with a big smile and even bigger dreams. Recently, the Sanuk Squad made their way out to Joshua Tree for an amputee climbing clinic hosted by Ronnie and his friends.

Today we’ve brought Ronnie to the blog to share some words on his story and the clinic. The following words are from the happyhead himself:

I started climbing four years ago as a recent above the knee amputee. I found climbing by chance, and have been hooked ever since. It brought together the traveling and adventure that I enjoyed with my life and also got me set with a new challenge to pour all my energy into. Climbing was cool because everybody has to learn the way their body works on the rock, and it didn’t matter that I had one leg.

I used to do all my climbing without a prosthetic leg, but over the course of the past four years I have rigged up some adaptive equipment and adapted my style to where I almost exclusively to all of my climbing with my leg on. I have accomplished things that I never thought were possible and have met many amazing people along the way.

It has always been my belief that climbing is an accessible sport for people with disabilities, so it has been my goal over the past two years to introduce as many people with disabilities to climbing as possible. I have been very successful in this, introducing hundreds of people with disabilities to climbing through various indoor clinics around the country.

My vision finally came to fruition on April 9th in the So Cal desert at Joshua Tree National Park. We were able to introduce 13 persons with disabilities to their first outdoor climbing experience. Everybody made it up to the top of the wall and was able to enjoy the mostly sunny day out in Josh after the weather settled down.

I have to say that it was wild, encountering a fifteen minute bout of snow in the fifty degree heat out in the otherwise cloudless desert, but I suppose stranger things have happened.

The clinic was made possible by many people and it was great to have the crew from Sanuk come out and join us for the day. The prosthetic foot that I have cannot be set up with sandals so it has been nice to finally find a pair of shoes that feel like sandals. There is nothing like going from a pair of climbing shoes into footwear that feels like walking on clouds.

I am already looking forward to next year. My vision has been to make this a series of clinics that travels around the country. It has been great to take my passion and be able to pass that onto others. Bottom line: If you have something that you are really excited and psyched about…

Check out the video from the event:

Smile…pass it on!

To follow Ronnie on his incredible journey visit www.takealegoff.blogspot.com

Recently, Sanuk climber Ethan Pringle hopped a flight to Switzerland to film a handful of athlete profiles and a shot list of a hundred different bouldering scenes.

What better to do on a long flight (other than play Angry Birds) than admire the view: The Alps from Barcelona to Geneva.

Upon arriving, Ethan and his fellow climbers set up shop in a damp cave near Claro. Okay not really, but they did tick off their bouldering film checklist nearby.

Ethan and his beloved highball warm up near a place called Magic Wood.

(All photos via: ethanpringle.com)

To learn more about this trip in detail, visit: www.ethanpringle.com

It’s Monday, so we’ll keep it short and sweet. Here’s a few highlights from this year’s Outdoor Retailer. Check out Sanuk’s very own spiderman, Chris Sharma, doing his thing….

Highlights from the Unified Bouldering Championships, SLC, Summer OR 2010 from Rock & Ice on Vimeo.

Rock and Ice Climbing Zone at Outdoor Retailer, summer 2010 from Rock & Ice on Vimeo.

Modern day spiderwoman, Sierra Blair-Coyle, has been quite the show stopper this year! At just 16 years of age, Sierra qualified to compete in the 2010 IFSC Professional Bouldering World Cup. At the ABS Nationals, Blair-Coyle was the lone 16-year-old to finish in the top 5 at the qualifying event. As perhaps the top rock climber of her age, Blair-Coyle has proven that she has the talent to make big moves at the elite level.

(via: sierrabc.com)

At the Teva Mountain Games, Blair-Coyle was among the athletes competing on an artificial climbing wall with a height of nearly 20 feet. 20 feet? No big deal right? …Wrong-O! The wall was for bouldering…where ropes aren’t used.

Many tout bouldering as the fastest growing segment of rock climbing due to the high risk- high reward factor. Climbers are given scores based on how far up the wall they can climb without falling. As always, the top of the wall marks the desired destination.

For Sierra, the Teva Moutain Games proved a perfect opportunity for Sierra to size up the stacked field of elite women climbers. In an Bennington Banner article, Sierra said she had, “never seen so many talented people in one place” and “…knew it was going to be a super-tough competition.”

(via: sierrabc.com)

As the youngest competitor in the women’s division, Blair-Coyle finished an impressive 18th out of 34 with no regrets. She was stoked on her performance and knew that she had given it her best effort. Competition at the elite level opened Blair-Coyle’s eyes to a wide world. She returned home a with a rejuvenated focus. Don’t let the sweet sixteen stigma fool you, Sierra already has some pearls of wisdom in those chalk pockets of hers. She knows what she needs to work on—strength. Because, “the stronger you are, the easier it is to go slower.”

For a complete rundown of results visit www.tevamountaingames.com.

For anything and everything Sierra Blair-Coyle related visit www.sierrabc.com.