As hikers reach the jagged crags and boulders close to the summit, climbing can get technical and the altitude will leave most people short of breath.

BBC: Venezuela��s Andean playground

No longer just designing technical gear for his pals, and hoping to fund his own climbing expeditions, by the mid-1980s Chouinard found himself helming a red-hot, rapidly expanding, internationally known fashion brand.

WSJ: Patagonia's Founder is America's Most Unlikely Business Guru

Part of the reason for this decoupling could be in the strong technical resistance the U.S. dollar ran against today after climbing to within a few pips of the high price points on June 6 and June 30 as well as the highs of July 2nd and July 5th.

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