Only the "urban ape" could dangle precariously off a cliff thousands of feet above the ground just to make his friends laugh. Timmy O'Neill is one of the fastest rock climbers in the world and a self-proclaimed comedian.
O'Neill gave a multimedia presentation of his 2003 climbing adventures in Greenland -- which he introduced as "Greenland: The World's Biggest Oxymoron" -- as part of Outside Magazine's Outside University tour on Thursday in Logan Hall.
Over 200 people showed up on a rainy evening to be entertained by O'Neill's stories and to win prizes.
O'Neill has set numerous speed records in Yosemite National Park, including the world record ascent of the famed Nose on El Capitan at three hours, 24 minutes. He has climbed mountain ranges around the world -- from Pakistan to the Himalayas.
The presentation was a comical memoir of O'Neill's climbing adventures in Greenland. Attention centered on one of O'Neill's climbing partners, Warren McDonald, who is a double amputee. During the presentation, he showed a 10-minute homemade film of McDonald and his four-day ascent up Yosemite Valley's El Capitan.
Throughout the show, O'Neill shared his political views with the audience.
Once, between slides, a black screen quickly flashed "Evade Bush" in red letters, a parody of George Bush's controversial 2000 campaign advertisements.
"I'm not sure how I feel about the current administration," O'Neill said jokingly.
Another slide showed a map of the world, on which O'Neill pointed to Texas with a laser pointer and made the sound effect of a "wrong answer" buzzer.
"Remember to vote," he said to a bemused audience.
Following the presentation, donated items were handed out to the audience in an unconventional way.
Prizes included Frisbees, water bottles, a Nike Timing watch, Patagonia clothing and skateboards.
There was a handstand competition to decide who would win the free skateboard; a sound effects contest for the Patagonia jackets; and a best "epic" story by an audience member for a men's Sierra Designs jacket. O'Neill also traded a brand-new Nike Timing watch, valued at over $200, for the watch of a random audience member. He sold the latter watch for 10 cents.
O'Neill ended the show by encouraging attendees to make every day special and to appreciate life.
"Seize the day," he said. "Take advantage of it, because you never know when you're going to check out."
His final statement summed up his own goal and that of the Outside University Tour.
"Take advantage of this time that you have at UPenn," O'Neill said. "Try to integrate the natural world into your work world or into your home life, because you only have this one go around."
Outside Magazine presented the event as part of a 20-stop college tour called Outside University, which aims to encourage youths to spend more time outdoors.
"We're dedicated to giving you ways to make the outdoors a part of your lifestyle," Outside University Tour Manager Jen Wittman said.
Other sponsors of the event included Patagonia, Sterling Rope, Zig Zag Hemp Ropes, Sierra Designs, Nike Timing, Asics Shoes, Arbor, Ultimate Direction, Outward Bound and Marmat.
