California-based Clif Bar "has withdrawn its sponsorship of five top professional climbers," some of whom had "a year or more left on their contracts, saying the climbers take risks that make the company too uncomfortable to continue financial support," according to John Branch of the N.Y. TIMES. The move "has stirred debate in the outdoors community, creating rare introspection about how much risk should be rewarded." Among those whose contracts were withdrawn were Alex Honnold and Dean Potter, "each widely credited with pushing the boundaries of the sport in recent years." The athletes, "who get most of their income from a web of sponsorship deals, greeted the news with surprise and a range of emotion." Clif Bar "still lists 99 sponsored athletes on its website, representing a long list of outdoor pursuits." Honnold "was among those wondering why it chose to suddenly shed five specific climbers when he considers sports like big-wave surfing, big-mountain skiing and snowboarding more dangerous than free-solo climbing." Honnold: "Maybe they just didn't like us. That's fair. It's their prerogative." Potter, sponsored by Clif Bar "for more than a decade, called it 'a huge emotional blow.'" What frustrated him most "was that the decision seemed connected to 'Valley Uprising,' a documentary about the evolution of rock climbing in Yosemite National Park that "recently won the grand prize at the Banff Mountain Film Festival." Clif Bar "remains a major sponsor, and said that it continues to support the film and its current tour" (N.Y. TIMES, 11/16).
