Justin Brown is a Bend, Oregon local who spends much of his free time climbing around the country and volunteering as a board member of the Smith Rock Group. Between campfires and trail-building, he’s even found himself clipping the chains on routes as hard as 5.14a.
He recently ditched his career as a chef to start Rhino Skin Solutions, after elevating his own climbing by creating recipes for some extremely effective antiperspirant and skin-recovery products. We talk about what it has been like to start a business in the outdoor sports industry, why it’s important for us all to give back to the resources we depend on, and why belaying just might be the sport of the future. We also cover why skin care is so important and how it can change your climbing.
TOPICS & TIMES:
- Intro (0:00)
- Bivouac Coffee (1:50)
- How did Justin get into climbing? (3:00)
- Why did he end up living in Oregon? (5:25)
- How did Justin’s background as a chef influence his founding Rhino Skin Solutions? (9:20)
- How does Justin make his products? And what is the chemistry behind them? (12:40)
- What level of climber tends to discover the importance of skin care? (23:40)
- Why did Dave initially resist focusing on skin care? And what changed his opinion? (30:25)
- What are some of the best circumstances for using lotion? (34:25)
- What is some of the essential work Justin does with the Smith Rock Group? (37:38)
- How does Justin characterize the climbing at Smith? (42:40)
- Adam Ondra’s skin care. (47:38)
- How can Rhino Skin Solutions serve every type of skin and circumstance? (50:05)
- Will there ever be career belayers, like famous golf caddies? (52:40)
- Outro (55:55)
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