“I was so broke,” Young remarks as he recalls his days living in Camp 4. Korean born Young Chu began climbing in the 1970’s when bold characters and minimal gear ruled the climbing scene. “You should never try that,” Young remembers his father saying while hiking in the granite hills of South Korea the day he witnessed his first rock climbing. His youthful fascination overwhelmed him, “My life was changed forever.”

        Young’s parents supported the spirit of the outdoors but neither for or against his climbing. A lack of monetary support at such an impressionable age might be enough to derail the average newbie. Remarkably, the 16-year-old Young began fashioning equipment using his available resources, “I had to start making my own (climbing gear) if I wanted to continue climbing.” Using his mother’s sewing machine, he designed and made his first backpack, a harness soon followed, then a helmet. After some practice, Young began using all his own materials and design concepts. His friends started taking notice of his gear and liked his designs so Young made a few more to share with his climbing buddies. “Eventually, I was making all my own gear for my climbing needs.”
        Perhaps the idea came as a lightning bolt while jamming his last bit of strength and concentration into The Zodiac, maybe it appeared as a glimpse while nagging motivation pulled him to prepare for The Nose. Whatever the moment of inception, it was weathering the seasons in Yosemite that initiated the notion to manufacture his gear on a larger scale. “Every year was the same,” he explains, “I had to sell all of my rock climbing gear in the late fall to buy ice climbing gear for the winter season. Then when spring came, I had to sell it all back again.” While enduring this constant state of flux, the impetus to make affordable gear seemed only fitting to the maker who was collecting aluminum cans at the time to buy food. “Making good climbing gear is not very hard. But making them at an affordable price is a big challenge.”
        In 1987, Young started Nelson Sports, Inc, and began designing shoes for mountain and extreme sports. He started designing climbing shoes for Five Ten, motor cross boots for FOX, racing boots for Shift, snowboarding shoes for Device. He was the head designer for Five Ten for 10 years, developing designs that are still incorporated to this day. “I can happily say that the lasts (a form that creates a shoe size, fit and style) that I have developed, which is based on my own foot, are the best selling and most copied lasts in the world.”
        In 2002, Young Chu started a new brand, “Mad Rock”. Young’s successes in shoe design compelled him to continue designing, and together with his passion for rock climbing a focus on designing affordable rock climbing shoes seemed the best avenue. “I quickly realized that the evolution of the climbing shoe will never end.”
        In 2004, Young received the ISPO Outdoor Award in the footwear category for the Hooker Lace and Hooker EZ designs, “ I always thought this kind of award was given to major shoe companies like Nike and Adidas.” With Mad Rock and Nelson Sports to help fuel the fire, Young was bent on improving the performance of climbing shoes.  “Yvon Chouinard inspires me the most,” He mentions as he recounts his most memorable epic adventure: Climbing the North Face of the Eiger during a snow storm. Once a dirtbag, always a dirtbag. Only now, Young Chu has both the technique and endurance to continue experimenting with his “crazy ideas.”

Beginnings

Mad Rock began in 2002 as a small, climber owned and operated company that made innovative, highly technical and affordable rock climbing shoes. After many years and over a million pairs later, we still choose not to reflect on our accomplishments nor rest on our laurels-because our best shoes will always be the next batch! To us, "Innovation" isn't just a catch phrase-it's a challenge to be met daily. In that spirit, we embrace using the latest materials and technology to meet consumer demands while maintaining the high quality and innovative products that have put us on the map and in the packs of climbers around the world!

Refinement of an existing design can often be as labor intensive as creating an all-new one. Yet instead of making new models for the sake of making new models, for 2018 Mad Rock is committed to making subtle but definite running improvements to our existing shoe models and offering a variety of new features, colors, and options to our increasingly popular hardware and accessory lines. Mad Rock's goal from the start has been to offer the most sophisticated designs and materials at a fair price, and now more than ever our message of value, quality, durability and climbing enjoyment rings true - so much so that our competitors are increasingly following our lead. We always thought that climbing should be enjoyed by everybody - and we aim to do that with the best gear at a fair price. For 2017 and beyond, Mad Rock is committed to offering you a great deal on the best equipment and back it up with the best customer service in the business.