Alex Laine, Terri Laine, Val Franco and Marty Karabin showing excitement after installing the Karabin Museum Chouinard Equipment display at Patagonia corporate, Ventura, CA

I love this picture! I also love working with this fun and energetic crew of friends. This is actually the second version of the Chouinard Equipment Display. The first version was put together originally for the AZ Hiking Shack in November 2014. The display afterwards was slightly redesigned and installed 7-8-2018 just outside of the mail room in one of the Patagonia corporate buildings. Original wordage from 7-8-2018: But seriously folks, yes it happened! The Chouinard Equipment portion of the Karabin Climbing Museum now resides at Patagonia Corporate in Venture, CA! """ BIG CHEER """ I am totally psyched that my museum has a great home!!! Patagonia Archives Terri Laine and Val Franco made the magic happen. Master craftsman Alex Laine designed and built a totally sweet display case, which soon glass doors are being added to protect the display. Last weekend the puzzle pieces went together like it was meant to be! Once again big THANKS to the many donations by many climbers that believe in the Karabin Climbing Museums' mission to preserve climbing history. Props to God on this project! This is a big step for the museum for sure! Its not the fact that I am with Patagonia, it is that Patagonia is with me.  Terri, Alex, Val....lots of Love, great weekend!

Terri and Val hard at work. Patagonia Archives

In 2019 The Patagonia Archives moved to its new location in Ventura, CA and the display was moved and once again updated adding a few more items that were originally missing.

Post 9-2019: Two weeks ago I returned to Patagonia corporate in Ventura CA to install the Karabin Museum Chouinard Equipment display in the new display location at the Patagonia Archives. Alex had already moved the display case over and reassembled it so my job was a simpler task of adding the gear panels. On this visit I was excited to add a few more items to the display that I acquired over the past year. First of all I give a huge thanks to everybody at Patagonia for their many smiles and making my vacation very amazing and comfortable. So comfortable that it was hard to return back to AZ. The new Archives building is totally amazing!!! A work of art in itself and filled with Chouinard and Patagonia history dating from 1957 to present. Val and Terri are in charge of putting together the Archives and are the dynamic duo of creativity. I feel extremely Blessed that somehow, through Val and Terri’s magic, I am included into the history of the Chouinard / Patagonia corporation. 

Five day vacation which included climbing at the Boulderdash rock gym in Westlake Village and Boulderdash rock gym in Ventura. I spent a morning climbing at the Sespe Wall with Raf Dunn who pointed out the classic lines to be climbed. Great fun and I am excited to adventure with Raf on my next visit. Patagonia gave me a room at the beautiful Crowne Plaza resort which was directly on the ocean. Every night I slept with the balcony door open hearing the ocean which was so peaceful. A few of the pieces I added to the display included five Lost Arrow pitons made by Yvon in 1958-1959 which used to be owned by Steve Roper and William Dolt Feuerer. They are the pitons that began the Chouinard Equipment company. The weather was perfect! The people were amazing! The food was exquisite! The climbing was awesome! Big THANKS Val and Terri! Just another fun adventure on the Marty journey.