It may strike you as odd that, on a website devoted to someone's artistic career, he has decided to place pictures of himself scaling vertical faces of ice and rock. Well you're right - it is a bit strange - but the reason is simple: climbing has become such an integral part of my development as a human being, it would be wrong to exclude a section of this site devoted to it.

Further, as weird as it may sound, there are incredible similarities between acting and climbing. Both require intense focus and concentration. Both require the acceptance of a reasonable amount of fear, as well as the fortitude to overcome that fear and accomplish a goal. Both demand as a requisite for success a complete mental and physical awareness on the part of the player - you must be completely in tune with your body and mind, whether you want to act in a play or scale a five-hundred foot cliff. Like acting, climbing is an art in and of itself - a craft that involves technical knowledge of complex systems, as well as bravery, toughness and passion.

And finally, there is something mystical and self-actualizing about heading off into the wilderness to climb a mountain or scale a face. When we voluntarily immerse ourselves in situations that are less than ideal, we gain a more complete perspective on the normal , everyday facets of life. Climbing is not a game for thrill-seeking morons, though it may be portrayed that way when we read about accidents brought on by bad judgments. It is, rather, about facing fear to learn more about ourselves and our lives. When we climb, when we drown ourselves in an environment that is decidedly NOT safe, and that exists completely independently of ourselves, we are able to more fully understand how rich and vibrant life can be.

It's also really, really cool.