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Matthew Brdlik

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Contact Me!

I’m always looking for new opportunities, friends, and travel recommendations. I don’t bite! 😉

Chicago
mattbrdlik@gmail.com
630-341-3252

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Hood. The major objective of this trip and the la

Hood.
The major objective of this trip and the last climb I was able to do. This mountain is interesting because there is a ski resort which the government allows to operate on it. At the time I didn't think this was important enough to shoot but I regret not having a photo as it's a big part of the story here. The nice side benefit of dodging skiers on the way up is getting to drive to a high parking lot.
As we reached the top of the ski area a patrol member offered a piece of advice that we were very late in the day. Indeed it was already noon, far from an alpine start typically chosen to take on a big peak like this. In addition we elected to climb at a very slow pace as to conserve energy. No matter though because we were determined to give it a shot.
On the way up we happened to stumble upon someone's forgotten vodka. At this point one in our group admitted that he was feeling the effects of the altitude. Hood isn't a particularly high peak, but everyone reacts differently, and he was by far the least acclimated among us. Therefore it was decided that the group leader, who had submitted the mountain 4 times previously would head back with him.
At the same time the group decided that the snow bridge was likely already melted and we should try an alternative route up a rock fall zone. The group leader appointed a second in command with the orders that of he makes the decision to turn back we should follow it.
Because it was late in the day the peak was melting and sending intermittent rockfall down in the area we were climbing. This made this portion of the trek quite dangerous. Because of this I hurried ahead, hoping to spend the least amount of time possible in the danger zone.
As I reached the top of the rock fall area I put on my crampons and waited for the others, snapping the final two pictures. Unfortunately as my team arrived the new group leader made the decision it was time to turn back in fear of falling ice while climbing the final ice wall, the last major challenge to the summit.
Given the time we had already spent in the rock fall zone, I was disappointed to have to turn back without a proper assessment of the wall. (Continued in comments)

Three Finger Jack + Broken Top One of the most mem

Three Finger Jack + Broken Top
One of the most memorable climbs I've ever done and my favorite of the trip was Three Finger Jack. This paired with Broken Top gave me my first taste at true free climbing for a truly exhilarating experience.
You start TFJ by entering a section of the Pacific Crest Trail. For those unaware this is a massive trail that spans the west coast. It was cool to experience a small leg of this and run into hikers who has been on the trail for weeks.
Eventually you jump off trail and start heading up the mountain. TFJ is made of loose volcanic rock and looks something akin to a sandcastle made with wet sand. The proportions can be deceiving. Photo 3 is a great example zoom in to see someone on the peak for scale.
As you approach the summit and have to start climbing you have to check every stone to make sure it's not loose. This is especially important as you reach the traverse. This is the first time I've experienced unroped climbing with absolute cliff exposure. For a brief moment as I started I felt a panic in the back of my mind. I had to take a breath and push those thoughts out of my head and focus on one move at a time, again making sure to shake every rock before still, not fully trusting it. This feeling of mental control is ultimately why I enjoyed the climb so much.
Next is the rock wall a 20 ft exposed free climb I captured Jacek free climbing in photo 5. Once up he fastened a rope for the rest of us. For a moment I considered forgoing this to get the full experience of the climb, but decided better in favor of safety.
The top was magnificent with views of the nearby volcanic peaks. While up there I couldn't help but think of the upcoming down climb, which is always more challenging. Strangely enough of all the fatalities I could read about on this peak, those unlucky climbers didn't perish at the hard exposed sections, it was the 'easy' scrambling where one let's their guard down. One small mistake leads to a tumble which leads to something much worse.
After arriving back at camp I was elated to see Michael had stopped to find a celebratory drink named after the peak! (Continued in comments)

Oregon. Just got back from this year's Western ou

Oregon.
Just got back from this year's Western outing which means it's about time I start posting my photos from last year's Western outing!

This is a yearly trip I do through the Chicago Moutaineering Club. Last year I did just over a week out in Oregon and we attempted multiple cool objectives. For this first post I'm showing general photos from the trip and our attempt on South and middle Sister.

South sister I was told was an easy warmup. This mentality led me to question my choice to be on the trip because it was anything but! Trudging through mixed snow, dirt, and rocks with heavy crampons on at an ill-advised fast paced pace without being acclimated led me to a cloudy summit with a heavy feeling of exhaustion that haunted me for the following days.

Luckily because of these aforementioned factors, this proved to be the hardest challenge of the trip. We spent an 'off day' climbing at Smith Rock followed by attempting Middle Sister.

Middle sister was a great all around climb but as we neared the top we were met with heavy cloud cover, howling, blisteringly cold winds, and what seemed to be a sheer face of snow to climb thus we were forced to turn back.

More to follow!

Moving on. A few of the best photos I got from sp

Moving on.
A few of the best photos I got from spring of last year. What an interesting time to think back on. So much has happened and yet it all still somehow manages to feel like a blur.

I've been working quite hard all throughout covid. That continued into the previous few months on a very interesting short film which I think will be by best work yet. This project required an incredible amount of work but I'm very proud of it and excited to get it fully finished this summer. But after all that I'm now excited to finally take a breath and a bit of a little break from what was the regularly scheduled programing.

This summer I have A LOT of travel planned. Just about half of the summer I'll be gone. While focusing on advancing my career has been very important to me, I'm extremely excited to also take a moment to reflect, travel, and open myself up to new experiences. Jumping from one project to the next the previous few years hasn't given me much of an opportunity to do this. It's a special opportunity that I'm fortunate to have carved myself, a mini self sabbatical of sorts.

I find when I do that I open myself up to the new, I create more memories and time seems to slow a little. It becomes new, more memorable, and more enjoyable. A side effect is I also take more photos. I hope to do plenty of this in the coming months and focus on taking some of the professional pressure I always seem to place on myself off.

Throughout this I'll start preparing to embark on my biggest project yet next year! I'm feeling lucky, appreciative, and very optimistic. Stay tuned 🤠

Sawtooth Mountains Idaho. Went here on a backpack

Sawtooth Mountains Idaho.
Went here on a backpacking trip with my little brother and was not disappointed. It was my first trip to Idaho and I was pleasantly surprised at the quality and beauty of the mountains for a place you don't usually hear much about.

The high desert environment was much more isolated than other western treks. I can remember people on the trail asking us where we were from, and being surprised we came here all the way from Chicago... But the pictures speak for themselves.

One notable memory, I made the mistake of accidentally forgetting my rain coat as I was heading out the door. In addition to this, I figured in the middle of summer would be very hot and so I did not pack cold weather gear. These proved to be painful mistakes.

I certainly was sweating climbing uphill with my pack, but when we got caught in a surprise thunder and hail storm I was reminded how rapidly changing and turbulent of an environment the mountains are. In a few minutes the storm passed but I had to immediately had to hit the trail at a brisk pace to warm up as my entire skeleton was shivering like it had few times before. Our tent then got a nice frosting of snow overnight.

I made sure to splurge on a nice gortex jacket as soon as I got home. It's already proved several times over to be worth the investment! I'd love to come back here soon and do some more climbing as well as hit the natural hot springs!

It's a sign. A collection of Neon from 2022 taken

It's a sign.
A collection of Neon from 2022 taken mostly around Chicago.

Under The Bridge. Using the tail end of the last

Under The Bridge.
Using the tail end of the last cold blast winter to get through the rest of my black and white film. I have to say these are a few of my favorites from the year. They're simple, yet satisfying. I love discovering little scenes like these off the beaten path.

In order to take the best photos you definitely have to get in the habit of wandering. That's something I definitely haven't done enough as of late. It's easy to feel even in a big city like Chicago after eight years you've seen it all. Then you happen to take a side street you never have before and all of the sudden in two hours you've taken more photos than you did in the past two months. The whole world seems to open up to you.

The weather is getting warm so it's time to switch to color, and start wandering again 📸

It's been a while since I updated my website so I

It's been a while since I updated my website so I put together this directors reel to highlight some of my previous work. Crazy seeing what's effectively my life's work put into 90 seconds. I'm proud of what I've accomplished so far, but I also know this is just the very beginning. I can't help but feel optimism every day and a feeling that whatever happens, I'm on the right path. I'm extremely excited to see what the future holds for me and the fellow creatives I have the pleasure of sharing it with.

Special shout-out to the talented DPs that helped create some of these amazing images:
@nickemmanuele
@maxrood
@h.eg
@tyler_krawczyk
@prochoroffoto

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