When I first rolled into Moab as an adult, I drove up to Slickrock in my 1977 VW Rabbit and slept under the stars with my black dog Yeti - 1989. When I woke up in the sand I felt I was in a place custom made for me. Yeti cruised around to other campers making friends. I was in a crew of similarly minded bikers over-joyed at being in the red rocks.

The fabric of my life has changed and the complexity of an over-strained tourist town is different but the pull of the desert is even stronger now than it was then. Its mystery, openness and heartless reality helps me find clarity to my life.

One unique experience in our deserts is its open view into our past. It’s common to walk by pictographs depicting animals now extinct for 3000 years. Petroglyphs and ruins from an extinct culture are as common as deer. Daily worries diminish in a context of history and beauty.

In a capitalistic society I feel protective of the wildness that speaks to my soul. Still I want inclusion and acceptance of those coming here for the same reasons.

My communication about secret places is predicated on trust and an understanding that not everyone needs to know about everything. The fatal edge absent in our daily lives can be a step away. Its proximity adds intensity and responsibility.

Competence to participate and re-define the cutting edge is critical. At the same time this is not a one-up bestmanship message. Whether walking through a slot canyon loop for the first time or doing a first descent in Pakistan, Slot product must be equivocally the best tool for the job.

Slot has an opportunity to define a product culture that supports our message of enjoying a life of serious objectives, breathtaking sunsets and the friends we share them with.

All that said, our desert culture is one of all levels. Driving to a hike in The Swell, taking a young family to Bar M, or pioneering new cracks in Beef Basin - this product is meaningful and accessible to everyone. Responsibility, compassion, and cutting-edge performance.

DS