Ethan Salvo is a Canadian climber, filmmaker, and route developer celebrated for his combination of athletic excellence and thoughtful engagement with the climbing world. Raised through a mix of gym training and outdoor sessions, Ethan has carved his path by embracing complex movement, disciplined project work, and deep commitment to the places he climbs.
In June 2025, Ethan achieved a landmark ascent on Event Horizon (V16 / 8C+), in the Grand Wall Boulders — making him the first Canadian climber to send a V16 boulder. After more than 100 sessions over several seasons projecting the line in The Room, he completed the second recorded ascent of this iconic problem on June 13, 2025, shortly after redpointing the classic sport route Dreamcatcher (9a) in the same week.
Beyond personal performance, Ethan documents climbing culture through film and photography, exploring the stories embedded in stone and the climbers who chase them. Whether projecting boulders or mentoring others, he sees climbing as a lifelong practice rooted in curiosity, respect, and connection.
Some winters aren’t about sending—they’re about not quitting.
In this presentation, Ethan Salvo takes the audience inside the cold, repetitive, and often uncertain reality of spending winters on the road in Bishop, California. Living out of a vehicle and returning to the same projects day after day, Ethan shares stories of doubt, failure, and the quiet grind that defines long-term commitment. These seasons weren’t just about climbing harder—they were about learning how to stay present when progress is slow and success feels far away.
Those lessons followed him home to Squamish, where unfinished business waited. Ethan unpacks how the mental discipline forged in Bishop became essential to finally unlocking Event Horizon, revealing the years of setbacks, recalibration, and belief behind one of Canada’s hardest boulder problems.
The presentation culminates back in Bishop with Lucid Dreaming (V15)—a line Ethan had been chasing for five years. Its eventual ascent becomes a powerful closing chapter about resilience, timing, and what it takes to return to a dream after nearly walking away from it.
This is a story about ambition, endurance, and the long view—on rock, and in life.
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