Ruptured Pad • So iLL x Organic Climbing Crash Pad

My brother and I grew up in St. Louis. The only climbing we had was the climbing we created for ourselves. We built home climbing walls in any attic, garage, or basement that would allow it.

At the time, custom flooring wasn’t an option. Not just from our lack of money, but there were no companies making it.

To protect our landings, we’d drive around the backs of hotels, dumpster diving for old mattresses. Yep—they were covered in pee, stains we couldn’t identify, and other things not worth mentioning.

The amount of time I spent on my back on those things, staring up at the wall and figuring out the beta for my next boulder, is kind of terrifying. Looking back, I remember that occasionally my back would break out in a rash at night, even after showering. Makes sense.

I wanted to bring these memories back because we’re seeing another wave of young climbers coming up in dingy, gritty spaces.  Twenty years ago, that was us.  We were setting a pace that I’m hopeful helped pave a path forward.  That’s the same mission we have today.

We made these crash pads with my friend Josh at Organic Climbing. We were both starting our brands around the same time, and getting to work together all these years later means a lot.

Josh has a full-color printer for Cordura, so we worked up some images to give you a sense of standing on an old mattress during the “garage days.” We want to take you back with us… minus the rash.

Enjoy.

Dan Chancellor