Ray Jadrine, born in 1945, an adventurer
and former climber that used to live in Yosemite.
He holds a degree in Aeronautical and Astronautical Engineering
and started his working career in the aerospace industry,
but gave it all to
fulfil his dreams of all kind of outdoor activities. He
is married to Jenny and they share all adventures together.
Ray is most known as the inventor of the "Friend".
Nevertheless, Ray is a good rock climber himself and was
the first person to climb 5.12 (The Crimson Cringe in
1976) and 5.13 (The Phoenix in 1977) graded climbs. His
climbs include 50 first ascents in Yosemite. He is neither
unfamiliar with mountaineering and have climbed most of
Colorado's fourteeners, many in winter. His highest summit
is Huascarán in Peru. In 1981 he moved away from
Yosemite and stopped climbing.
In a Rock and Ice interview from 1995, Ray explains why
he stopped climbing: "What attracted me to climbing
was the physical and mental challenges, the beauties of
the natural world, the companionship of kindred spirits
and the freedom to live in a realm far beyond the norm.
Global sailing, ultra-long-distance hiking and sea kayaking
do the same things for me. I didn't bum out from climbing;
I just needed to expand my horizons by pursuing other,
equally challenging adventures."
In 1982, Ray and Jenny put to sea aboard their ketch SUKA,
and sailed around the world for 3½ years.
Sea kayaking is another interest. Ray has paddled offshore
California, the Sea of Cortez, French Polynesia, Australia,
the coast of Arctic Alaska. In 1996 Ray and Jenny returned
to the arctic and paddled all the whole arctic coast of
Alaska in their self designed and home-made sea-kayak.
Ray is also regarded as America's leading authority in
lightweight long-distance hiking. In 1987, he and Jenny
thru-hiked from Mexico to Canada along the Pacific Crest
Trail, crossing the USA from north to south in 4½
months. Once wasn't enough, so in 1991 they thru-hiked
the PCT again, in 3 months and 3 weeks. In 1992 they thru-hiked
the Continential Divide Trail, in 3 months 3½ weeks.
In 1993, the
Appalachian Trail in 2 months 28 days. And in 1994 they
thru-hiked the PCT southbound, in 3 months and 4 days.
He is the author of the book called The PCT Hiker's Handbook
that is now re-written and sold underthe name "Beyond
Backpacking".
Recently, Ray and Jenny have started with skydiving; they
immediately got hooked! With more than 1,000 jumps during
less than a year, Ray has become a vivid skydiver - as
in everything else he has been committed to learn...
"We knew it was 5.13, but rated it 5.12 because
we didn't want to be presumptuous. We thought it might
be down-rated later; we let them up-rate it instead.
"
- Ray
Jardine
(about The Phoenix)
Books by Ray Jardine
» Beyond
Backpacking : Ray Jardines Guide to Lightweight Hiking
» PCT
Hiker's Handbook
More about Ray Jardine
» Ray
Jardine's adventure page
How to contact Ray Jardine
Ray-Way Products
P.O. Box 2153
Arizona City , AZ85223
USA
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