The popularity of Patagonia鈥檚 R1 is no secret. It took the top spot in our test of women鈥檚 fleeces. Tommy Caldwell made the first ascent of the Dawn Wall while wearing one. Luke Nelson ran his first 100-mile race in an R1. The Ventura, California, company first released it in 1999 and has since made several different versions. But this is the first we鈥檝e heard of the fleece causing someone to burst out in song.
Pro climbers (and Patagonia ambassadors) Sean Villanueva O鈥橠riscoll and Nicolas Favresse starred in a music video, 鈥,鈥澛爌osted to YouTube on February聽12, where, for nearly four minutes, they sing the R1鈥檚 praises鈥攆rom the side of an 1,800-foot limestone cliff, the backs of donkeys, and while squatting behind bushes with TP in hand鈥攁ccompanied by bagpipes, a guitar, and a penny whistle. Patagonia鈥檚 team shot the production in Monterrey, Mexico, and it鈥檚 meant to honor the R1 pullover鈥檚 20th anniversary.
鈥淪hooting was extremely improvisational,鈥澛爏ays Alex Lowther, Patagonia鈥檚 creative director of film. 鈥淲e had a few ideas for settings and gags, but beyond that it was pretty seat-of-the-pants. Emily Grant, who produced it, was the only person who had worked on a music video before, so we were very much winging it.鈥
But they had fun with it, too. 鈥淪ean and Nico were playing music constantly,鈥澛燣owther says. 鈥淚 topped the wall out the morning of a long shoot day鈥攖hey had beat the rest of us there鈥攁nd they were already in the middle of a guitar and bagpipes rendition of Guns N鈥櫬燫oses鈥 鈥楽weet Child O鈥櫬燤ine.鈥欌