Dean Potter - Patagonia's Ambassador Climbs Delicate Arch

So, Dean Potter, one of Patagonia's Alpine Ambassadors just couldn't resist the urge to climb the most famous of arches in Arches National Park - Delicate Arch. By so doing he broke not one but two no-no's.

1. The obvious - climbing on a closed climbing location and state if not national natural icon.
2. He climbed with white climbing chalk instead of the brown colored chalk that is standard for the National Park - a no-no he should know about since he lives in Moab.

Fox 13 News in Salt Lake City broke the story when Steve Baron reported about the event with exclusive video that Potter's associates shot of him free soloing the Arch multiple times.

As a result the National Park Service has issued a closed climbing ban all noted arches or national bridges.

Patagonia is looking into the incident and should release information to the press about weather or not they'll keep Dean on as an Ambassador.

Message boards like Summitpost.org and TetonGravity.com are sounding off about it.

Our friends at The Piton have some humor on the topic.

Will his stunt keep you from proudly sporting your Patagonia R2 Fleece? One of my friends said he was not sure he'd keep his Patagonia shell, opting to sell it on eBay before he'd support them any longer.

So, what's your take? Is Dean a joke or one solid bloke? Sound off by clicking the comment button below.

Read more about this in today's Salt Lake Tribune.

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