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Follow our team's adventures as we climb the highest peaks of each continent!

 

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Our team's current Mission:

 

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"Of the four elements of life...Earth, Air, Fire, and Water...

Man stole only one from the gods...

Fire...

And with it, forged his Will upon the world."

-Unknown

July 10th, 2008:

Well, I'm back home in Irvine and getting back in the groove of things here. There is always a need for a minor re-adjustment after coming home from these expeditions. It really is like traveling between different worlds.

I've updated the featured knife to my 9" Fighter. I should have a few more knives completed by the end of the month. Our media program for Secret Spot Adventures is maintaining high gear as we begin preparing for our team's traverse of Mount Everest next spring. Episode 6 of our SecretSpot.TV podcast will be completed shortly and viewable HERE! Also, be on the lookout for a special bonus episode that I'm putting together on the knifemaking process from start to finish!

It's looking to be a very busy busy rest of the year! I may even find the time to do a little cross-country road trip in August %^> Keep checking back for the next knife releases!

 

May 28th, 2008:

Just a quick update coming to you from The Land of the Midnight Sun....Anchorage, Alaska. After some delays in recieving needed gear, our team is just about ready to roll to Denali. We should be on the glacier by this Friday and starting our climb. We will be doing live dispatches from the mountain that you can check out at our online blog by CLICKING HERE!

I will be pretty much out of regular email or phone communication until June 23rd, so please be patient and I will get back to you after the 23rd of June! Be safe and I will see you all when we return!

Sunset...at 12am...Big Lake, Alaska looking towards Denali

 

May 11th, 2008:

Welcome to the new look of WestCoastBladecraft.com...I hope you all like it! The last few months have been a flurry of activity. For those who have not been following, our expedition to traverse Mount Everest has been postponed until next year due to the closure of the Mountain on the Tibet side for the Olympic torch run. The ensuing political controversy over the closure has unfortunately resulted in very strict, military-enforced laws on the Nepalese South Side of the mountain as well. It was determined that our team's goals for this project would not be fulfilled in going over there this year.

Instead of climbing Everest this year, our team is undertaking another of the 'Seven Summits'...Mount McKinley (Denali) in Alaska. I am currently in Seattle, Washington right now with the rest of our team prepping for the climb! You can follow our adventure (and all of our future ones) at our online blog spot:

I've updated the Knife Gallery with a couple knives added to the archive section and a new, Antique Bowie knife that is currently for sale! Click Here to check them out! While these knives were commissioned and sold, as always, I can produce similar pieces upon request.

Episode 5 of our SecretSpot.TV podcast is online at: SecretSpot.TV. This episode begins a four-part segment featuring the Sherpa culture of Nepal. I definitely urge you to check it out and follow us along on our adventures!

I have a couple more knives still in the works. They will be completed upon my return at the end of June!

 

November 10th, 2007:

I've updated the Knife Archive Gallery today with a set of four Japanese-style cooking knives. Click Here to check them out! While these knives were commissioned and sold, as always, I can produce similar pieces upon request.

I have updated the scenic gallery with some pictures from our trek to Mount Everest's South Side Base Camp from last Spring as well as some pictures from our team's recent climb of Mount Rainier in Washington. We are all diligently working to lock down and secure our sponsors for next Spring's Summit Traverse of Mount Everest!

Episode 4 of our SecretSpot.TV podcast is online at: SecretSpot.TV. This episode follows our climb of Mount Rainier last month. Phill Michael and I are currently working on Episode 5 that will spotlight the Sherpa culture of Nepal! I definitely urge you to check it out and follow us along on our adventures!

In spite of the logistical work load for our coming Everest Expedition, I still have a few knives in the works. One will possibly be a Loveless-style hunter...though hand forged! We'll see how it comes out ;~) I also have a large bowie and some smaller trout & bird knives underway that will hopefully be completed in a few weeks!

 

October 6th, 2007:

Please excuse my web site down time this past week. My hosting provider went belly-up and I had to change providers! I'm happy to announce that everything is now back up and running...including my email, chris@westcoastbladecraft.com! I went with GoDaddy for my new hosting provider...a bit more expensive than my previous host, but the service has been excellent thus far.

Phill Michael, Alex Mondau, and myself had an amazing trip up Mount Rainier in Washington a couple weeks ago. Absolutely beautiful weather all around! I'll be posting some pictures from the trip in the 'Scenic Gallery' in the next few days, so stay tuned for that. All in all it was a great training climb to get us ready for the Everest trip coming up in March :~)

Episode 3 of our SecretSpot.TV podcast will be posted later today at: SecretSpot.TV. Each episode just keeps getting better all around, from content to editing. The more I play with Final Cut, the more cool things I figure out how to do ;~) I definitely urge you to check it out and follow us along on our adventures!

I've currently got a complete set of Japanese style cooking knives in the works. While the set is spoken for, I will definitely be posting the pictures up in the gallery archives. Look for those in a few weeks! I will also be completing a few more of the small trout & bird knives to sell through Plaza Cutlery over the holiday season.

 

August 26th, 2007:

Congratulations to Chris and Ashley Stark!! All my best wishes for your future!!

And to commemorate the union...what could be better than a pair of 'His & Her' fighting knives?! (Especially when the recipients are both skilled in their use!) The latest additions just added...Click Here to check them out!

A few more knives are still in the works...including a good size bowie and some smaller trout & bird knives. I will be heading up to Seattle in the middle of September to meet up with Alex Mondau and Phill Michael from the Everest Team, to climb Mount Rainier. We will definitely be doing a podcast on the climb...ideally filming from the summit of Rainier! You will be able to check it out, along with our entire podcast series covering our two year Everest project at: SECRETSPOT.TV

I'm not sure if I will finish the bowie knife before I leave for Seattle as I'm getting a bit fancier with this one...but we will see! Hope everyone is doing well...check back soon for my latest creations!

 

July 23rd, 2007:

Well I'm back from Nepal and still in one piece! We had an amazing adventure and I can't wait to get back there for our summit push next March! If you have not been following our journey, please check out our web site for the Everest Freestyle Expedition to see what you've been missing! We have kept the site updated almost daily.

Our podcast series is coming along quite nicely, as well! We recently posted Episode 2 of the Everest Freestyle Expedition Series. Episode 1 was filmed at Everest's South Side Base Camp and Episode 2 was filmed on our return to Kathmandu, the capital of Nepal. It really gives you a great look at a beautiful country and the amazing people who live there! Click below to Enter SecretSpot.TV:

SecretSpot.TV

Since my return, I have completed a Prototype Nepalese style Khukri Knife and added it to the Knife Archives. Click Here to check it out! This blade was obviously inspired by the many Nepalese blades I came across during our adventure, though I have added a bit of my own influence to the styling.

I will likely be hard at the anvil over the next few months and have some great blades on their way! First will be a matched pair of mid-size fighting knives. I also have a bowie and some smaller hunting knives in the works, so look for those soon!

 

May 18th, 2007:

My apologies for the super long delay in updates! This Everest project has been taking up almost all of my time for the last couple months! But...everything is finally in place and we will be on our way this coming Tuesday, May 22nd. We've gotten some great media exposure and the project has really grown nicely! :~)

For those who have not checked out our website for the Everest Freestyle Expedition yet, I urge you to do so and follow our team's progress. Along with the Everest site, we are also putting together a podcast series that will have regular episodes added throughout our trek. That podcast series and the website that goes along with it has been one of my major projects these last couple months! Please check it out and let me know how it looks! Click below to Enter SecretSpot.TV:

SecretSpot.TV

We will be returning from our trek on the 21st of June. I will have email while we are there, but I will not be dealing with any knife-order related business until I return on June 21st. I will have a couple knives completed shortly after I get back to add to the site!

I hope everyone is well and I hope you all follow our podcast series and keep up with our adventures on Mont Everest! I will talk to you all when I return!

 

 

Copyright 2008, West Coast Bladecraft