About Monsters
Help us in the final stages of production and post-production of Beautiful Monsters, Mike Largent’s brutal dare to himself that brings the community together.
Mike Largent wedges into climbing history as he attempts 10,560 vertical feet (two miles or three trips up El Captain) of off-width climbing at The Creek in 31 days all to help raise donations for The Hive, a youth center in Durango, CO. While Mike’s own early struggles led him to climbing and eventually off-width, pushing the limits of his own body, he wants to enable kids with the opportunity find their passions, their own beautiful monsters.
We were there to document the story and continue to work toward our documentary goal. We’ve funded the project on our own steam thus far and just need a little more to finish the project the way it deserves. We’re looking toward enthusiasts, sponsors, and those looking for adventure content to work with us on finishing the final project and bringing this inspirational, gritty, and endearing story to everyone with a love of the off-the-beaten-path adventure!
Please Contact Us to support Beautiful Monsters
Climb On! – Risa, Director
Some of the basics
“What the heck is Offwidth Climbing??”
Off-width is a particularly brutal type of climbing where the fissures in the rock are larger than a comfortable hand or fist ‘jam’ as are commonly used in crack climbing. Off-width requires you start using whole arms, legs, even your entire body wedged into the rock to keep you from falling as you attempt to claw/scramble/wiggle/scrape your way up the climb. Some climbers have made this their specialty, but often don’t make it more than a few ‘pitches’…maybe 200-300 feet in a day on a good day.
``I like to think of offwitdh climbing, categorized as the one size of crack climbing that everyone has the greatest dislike and fear of...`` - Tom Randall, Wide Boyz
The Big Question
“Why is he doing this??”
“I went for two miles because one mile wasn’t enough of a challenge. Two felt possible. The idea of scraping the bottom of my reserves to keep trudging forward excites me. I get to learn what mettle I’m made of. I connected the feet to The Hive because I want better for the groms of DGO. Better than I had. The Hive was created in the wake of great tragedy. It’s a response to and a buffer against future tragedies. The founders didn’t wallow. They did something. Two miles was my something. I hope more people follow The Hive’s example.” – Mike Largent
``It's taking note of the things that you need to do in a certain moment and maybe it's not the right decision but it's something that's putting you further along. Mike does things that better his situation...That's something I've learned from him.`` - Ricky, Mikes womb-mate
The REASON
“What is The Hive?”
Collective Dream of The Hive Staff:
“We intend to manifest the culmination of progress, alternative thinking, and free creative thought into a space where we can witness attendees overcome hurdles in their skating, recreational, music, and art journey. It is the most powerful thing to be alongside an individual when they break mental or physical barriers to achieve a goal. These physical barriers are mirrored reflections of mental barricades that we battle and struggle with every day to free ourselves from. Where we find peace is walking up to the edge and soaking up all the danger, fear, and doubt, and then turn it into an achievement worth personal pride and tools that can be used in future encounters with the unknown. Mentorship helps promote in ourselves what we didn’t think was possible on our own.” The Hive | Durango, CO
“We intend to manifest the culmination of progress, alternative thinking, and free creative thought into a space where we can witness attendees overcome hurdles in their skating, recreational, music, and art journey. It is the most powerful thing to be alongside an individual when they break mental or physical barriers to achieve a goal. These physical barriers are mirrored reflections of mental barricades that we battle and struggle with every day to free ourselves from. Where we find peace is walking up to the edge and soaking up all the danger, fear, and doubt, and then turn it into an achievement worth personal pride and tools that can be used in future encounters with the unknown. Mentorship helps promote in ourselves what we didn’t think was possible on our own.” The Hive | Durango, CO
``I could see your passion for climbing and for helping getting youth on the right track...and we so appreciate it. Thank You.`` - Kelsey, The Hive
The OTHER Big Question
“Does he make it??”
Ultimately, you’ll have to watch to find out. What I can say, is that it was a question running through all our minds until the very last. Rain, snow, injury, exhaustion, heat, cold – we saw it all. Mike lived it all.
``OoooWWW, this is bull****! Who decided to do THIS?!`` - Mike Largent
what they say
“Pushing for funding with every vertical foot, it’s Mike’s brutal dare to himself; a dare that brings the community together.“
Monsters Behind-the-Scenes
