You may have seen this guy around… maybe at his 10 Hardrock finishes including a win in 2010, finishing all 5 laps at Barkley, finishing Nolans 14, setting canyoneering speed records in Zion … or maybe you haven’t seen him because Jared doesn’t use Facebook, doesn’t talk about himself, doesn’t seek any limelight … and doesn’t run on roads.
The Wasatch Ultimate Ridge Linkup (WURL) is classic Jared:
- Not only are there no roads, but few trails either;
- High, remote, technically challenging;
- Huge vert – 18k of up, with 21 named summits
- Self-inflicted – Jared made it up
“I have been wanting to give the WURL a solid effort for many years. I personally feel that it is one of the most inspiring lines in the Wasatch Mountains. It is clean and non-contrived. Clean in the sense that once the ridge is acquired you simply stay on the ridge for the next ~25 miles never needing to leave the crest by more than 30 feet or so. It is humbling, beautiful, and precisely where I wanted to be on this incredible September day” ~ read the rest of the adventure on Jared’s Blog
What is an FKT again? http://door5.com/wasatch-fkt/
Jared’s time of 16 hours 44 minutes is over an hour quicker than the previous best on this stout route (Alex Honnold took 23 hours). He wasn’t trying to break any records though, just give it a good go. “He was in the zone today.” – Ryan McDermott
That’s the best: exploring one’s home turf, living your dreams, defining yourself along with your mountains.
“A free man, to me, is someone who tries to make his dreams come true.” – Flying Frenchies
Jared has helped us test the Ultra Jacket extensive as well as all the iterations of the Fastpack.