“Does anyone have a Router?” or at least that is what I remember  Dale’s Instagram post started out with.

“If you can’t get anyone local to help you let me know and we can figure something out”. At the time I thought his idea looked interesting and my studio,  Pete Hill Ltd. certainly has the resources to lend a hand.

Dale got back to me that night, and I did a couple of quick 3d models. Over the course of a couple of days I built prototypes tried them, refined them, and shipped one to Dale for his professional review. About 6 weeks after that first exchange on Instagram, production on the boards began. What makes a great product stand out from just a good idea is the detail work. After the boards are cut out of Baltic Birch the fine finishing begins with detail sanding of all the interior details and ends with hand polishing the third coat of water-based finish.

To get just the right name we put it out to Dale’s Instagram followers to suggest and then vote on the name. That engagement and the good humor was one of the best parts of the project.

It has been just about a year since we shipped our first products and interest has stayed strong. Climbers, guides, gyms, and outdoor programs have been able to bring lots of anchor scenarios into living rooms and backyards.

Dale and Freestone’s CEO and founder Pete Hill have know each other from the way back days when they both lived in Seattle and frequented the Vertical World.