Sean Courage on Groping for Oprah's Navel, Icicle Creek Canyon, 1997.

I was on assignment for Rock and Ice magazine, and needed photos of climbers on routes in Icicle Creek Canyon for a spring cragging feature. The problem was, it was early March and cold as hell, but Sean Courage and Kevon Shea came along to climb while I did my usual thing. Sam Hill had just been developed, and I personally found the white scrub lines all over this and other crags in the Icicle pretty damn unsightly, but Sean assured me the routes were worthy so I suspended my mild outrage and gave them a go. I got a lot of photos of Sean leading this edgy 5.10c slab route, but the photo of him actually groping "Oprah's Navel" was easily the best. Happily, I was able to rappel right down and follow the pitch. Fun!