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22 breaking news
Grit’s new headpoint hero also happens to
flash V13. Plus, Mark Jenkins reports from
the brink of devastation in Pakistan. Big-
time comp coverage and war in Patagonia
round out this in-depth news edition.
38 ACCIDENT REPORt
Miscommunication is fatal ... again.
40 spotlight
He’s collected nine summits in the Fitz 76 field tested two words: vertical slopers
Roy region. Is he a crusty rusty trad Now, even you can own a jacket with James Pearson has repeated every difficult
dude? Nope, it’s Colin Haley, a 22-year- built-in mittens. That’s awesome. grit route. Now he has one of his own.
old willing to miss a few Monday classes. Photo david simmonite
BY Sarah garlick 80 ask gear guy oh, my god, are you serious?
Big Foot goes climbing and Melissa Rice can’t believe the skills she saw
42 outlook anti-freeze gets on a climbing at this year’s Hueco Rock Rodeo.
Sandbagging is just another way of saying, rope. Is the end nigh? Photo merrick ales
“I love you.” Or something like that.
BY fitz cahall 82 training barnes the noble
Natasha Barnes looks poised
You’ve hit your plateau, right? Wrong! at the Gravity Brawl.
46 Kemple’s Corner You can still shoot through the Photo tim kemple
grades like grass through a rabbit.
Listen up to what Chris Lindner has to
say. He’s been climbing his whole life. BY neil gresham
160 RockIce
BY tim kemple
90 parting shot
48 TNB Kim Reynolds, giver. J u n e // 2 0 0 7
What do mainstream media and
mountain lions have in common? 14 EDITOR’S NOTE and
If you’re attacked, Fight Back! 16 LETTERS
26 BOOKS AND FLIX
BY andrew bisharat 85 CLASSIFIEDS
14 R O C K A N D I C E . C O M | 07 JUNE
the sport—grades and caves and do. Landowners aren’t always the amazing adventure in the realms
climbs that only the mind can most reasonable or cooperative, of language, people, food, smells,
imagine. Mixed ice climbing lives but we should still do whatever places, and that I am utterly in
and rules! we can to have as little impact as love with South America, I would
RICH PURNELL possible on the land and main- like to say “thank you” to Rock
DENVER, COLORADO tain a good relationship with and Ice for reassuring me that
16 R O C K A N D I C E . C O M | 07 JUNE
SCHOOLHOUSE ROCK
It’s great to see Rock and
Ice covering the trend of high
school rock-climbing com-
petitions [Breaking News,
No. 156]. We have a climb-
ing competition series of 18
senior and junior high school
teams every week and we are
still growing. Contact Climb-
ingTeams@vermontclimbing.
com for more information.
STEVE LULEK
RUTLAND, VERMONT
18 R O C K A N D I C E . C O M | 07 JUNE
CORRECTIONS:
The caption to the photo of Jim Law-
yer on The Apology on page 61 of No.
157 lists the Adirondacks as being in 2007 DIAMOND BENEFACTOR
Maine. The ’Daks are in upstate New
ROCKICE
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20 R O C K A N D I C E . C O M | 07 JUNE
Pearson is no stranger to hard climb- for foreigners to grasp at fi rst but once a single #1 slider-nut in a shallow slot started to get a little stronger. I know
ing. Last summer, he flashed Secret you get it, it works very well for trad that is difficult to place correctly. It my technical ability can improve dra-
Splendor in Rocky Mountain National routes. Each grade is split into two is by far the hardest trad route I have matically and I’m still weak compared
Park, Colorado, a problem given V13 parts, the adjectival grade and the ever done, which makes it the hardest to a lot of people. I have a lot that I can
but subsequently down-rated. His trad technical grade. route on gritstone. work on.
22 R O C K A N D I C E . C O M | 07 JUNE
Pakistan’s revered Western celebrity Greg Mortenson, and a new earthquake-proof school.
Over the past 13 years, CAI, through duce just one cruise missile. With just
Mortenson’s indefatigable leadership, has the money spent on cruise missiles we
built 58 schools—providing education to could educate a million kids!”
over 24,000 children—in remote villages in (For more on the Central Asia Insti-
the Karakoram, Hindu Kush and Pamirs. tute, visit ikat.org.)
24 R O C K A N D I C E . C O M | 07 JUNE
KEEP CLIMBING
SECURITY LIFE BY SEAN SWARNER WITH
DIRECTED BY FRED BOHM RUSTY FISCHER
cartelclimbing.com, $25 simonandschuster.com, $24
★ ★★
SECURITY LIFE OSTENSIBLY SEAN SWARNER WAS 13 WHEN
tells the story of three old, beaten- he crumpled on a basketball court.
up climbers who are confi ned to Diagnosed with Hodgkin’s Disease,
TOP 20 CLASSIC a nursing home and relive their he endured chemo and then, in
BOULDER PROBLEMS glory days through “broken mem- ebullient remission, returned to
OF NORTH AMERICA ories and fractured perspectives,” full-scale activity. Two years later
DIRECTED BY NATHAN CANDO revealed in the fi lm as fl ashbacks, he was struck with a tumor in his
flashed.com, $25 hallucinations and dreams. In lung, Askin’s Sarcoma, with a sur-
★★½ reality, we see montages of direc- vival rate of only 6 percent. He
THE BEST THING ABOUT NATHAN tor Fred Bohm, editor Ed Rhine is apparently the only person to
Cando’s vision—to fi lm the top 20 and producer Scott Moser climb- survive both. That, more than an
most classic boulder problems in ing and bouldering interspersed ascent of Everest as a client, gives
North America as per a survey of 500 with the three old dudes remi- Swarner a tale to tell.
climbers—was his decision to use a niscing about their past exploits: “Life? There was no life,” he
team of badass women as the talent. Like getting caught in a snow- writes, “only the hospital, the
But as captivating as it is to watch storm on a wall in Zion or going treatments, the cycles, the mea-
strong chicks mantel the topouts of bouldering. Take this snippet from surements, the comas, and the
the fi nest problems from New York the fi lm as an example: “Man, you sad, unfi ltered truth: I was sick.”
to Texas to Canada to Colorado, it’s guys couldn’t agree on anything. The heart of his story is his willful,
not enough to carry the fi lm. Seems to me all you did was dis- combative vigor: Sean returned
Despite the fact that the fi lm is agree, disagree. Why, I remember twice to his swim and track teams,
structured around a countdown, when you’d go out to go climbing. even when illness had left him 60
the production feels scattered, You just couldn’t agree.” pounds overweight—or, the sec-
bouncing between musings on the This kind of random rambling ond time, 60 pounds underweight.
central meaning of the word “clas- proves that memory is only rele- The book is marred by an overly
sic,” what really makes a highball, vant or entertaining when accom- colloquial style. For example, we
and why Squamish is the ultimate panied by some kind of point. read this dispatch, from the top of
bouldering destination. Some of the Added to the story problems are Everest: “the stars are at eye level.
problems get only seconds of foot- uneven production values. The Amazing. Truly. If it were a few
age while others drag on for min- actors are hard to understand at hours earlier and I had a lasso, the
utes with detailed beta or an area times and the lighting varies from moon would be, well, you know the
mini-guide. The women’s perfor- harsh sun to full shade depending rest.” Various sentences include
mances are also interrupted with on the angles. lame little asides, or end with
snippets of interviews with dudes— Huge props to Cartel Produc- “right?” or “huh?”
like Fred Nicole, Matt Wilder and tions for attempting to tell a story Still, you give the wallopingly
Jason Kehl—opining about the art about climbing rather than offer- inexperienced Swarner—who had
of bouldering. Credible as they are, ing up the usual blasé mutants never climbed when he decided on
their views relate only peripherally pimping the sickety sickness. But Everest — credit. He and his brother
to the 20 boulder problems. a story has to have some clear moved to Estes Park, ate ramen and
A few of the interviews with the confl ict plus a theme in order to potatoes, and climbed 14ers, Sean
women, however, are refreshingly grab you and keep you interested. while lugging 100 pounds of rocks.
human, illuminating real struggles, Security Life is all concept. On Everest, by then age 27, Swarner
both physical and emotional. Char- —JEFF JACKSON felt strong and passed others. Bet-
lotte Jouett’s story of resending The ter yet, he visited kids in a hospital
Buddha (V7) after being sidelined beforehand and brought hope.
by an abdominal tumor is particu- —ALISON OSIUS
larly compelling.
The majority of the problems fea-
tured—The Buddha excluded—are [guidebook]
rated in the mid-V range, making BISHOP BOULDERING
a future ascent of almost all of the BY WILLS YOUNG
beautiful boulder problems within AND MICK RYAN
the reach of climbing mortals. The wolverinepublishing.com, $36
Top 20 Classic Boulder Problems ★ Guidebooks are not rated ★
of North America makes a proud TWO THOUSAND PROBLEMS,
ticklist. nearly 350 pages, over 100 areas,
—LAURA SNIDER zillions of color photos. That’s a lot!
26 R O C K A N D I C E . C O M | 07 JUNE
JERRY DODRILL
lems could cause additional bone to
AAJ MOVES ONLINE
be deposited on the outside surface
The American Alpine Club has now
of the bone, something not usually
released the American Alpine Journal
seen in adults. Read the study at
Online, available at americanalpin-
journalofanatomy.com.
eclub.org.
Jorgeson punching through the opening moves of The Beautiful and the Damned (V13). —LAURA SNIDER
Underdog Paul Robinson may have won the Gravity Brawl, but got served (like everyone
else) on problem 5, dubbed “The Wheel of Tim,” on The Thunderdome.
Woods. If he could send, he would win. Stay tuned for the next issue of Rock
TIM KEMPLE
Just then, the DJ’s power acciden- and Ice, when Tuesday Night Bouldering
tally shut off, and the music stopped. reveals what kind of twisted maniac you
The crowd, interestingly, became pri- need to be to set up and pull off a huge
mal, even uproarious, because every- comp like this. Don’t miss it!
30 R O C K A N D I C E . C O M | 07 JUNE
Gitty up, l’il doggie. Allen Peters way up The Cornerstone (V4), at the Hueco Rock Rodeo.
At day’s end—with thin skin, sore Johnson for the female Mutant category.
fingers and worked muscles—all of the For more on the 2007 Rock Rodeo,
competitors turned in their score cards including all of the results, go to
and diverted their attention to one of huecorockranch.com.
JUNE 07 | R O C K A N D I C E . C O M 31
Will this new high-altitude helicopter change mountaineering for the better? Or worse?
32 R O C K A N D I C E . C O M | 07 JUNE
La Aguja de L’S boasts one of the steepest walls in the Fitz Roy Range, Patagonia.
WAR IN PATAGONIA!
STEEPEST WALL IN RANGE CLIMBED ... WITH MORE TO COME
BY ANDREW BISHARAT
RYAN NELSON AND CRYSTAL DAVIS- midst of surfing the giant headwall, the
ROBBINS, both of Colorado, established climbers were overcome by darkness. A
a 3,300-foot new route on the unclimbed storm blew in, and both were soaked.
south face of La Aguja de L’S (7,660 feet), Rapping the overhanging face was nearly
in the Fitz Roy range, Patagonia. They out of the question, so they continued
took 35 hours to establish The Art of War upward, freeing and aiding their way to
(V 5.12a A2), on the peak’s west side. the top. They reached the summit in the
“I just went down to Patagonia by early morning, and tried rapping the
myself,” says Nelson, “and luckily met north ridge, battling high winds.
up with Crystal, and she just happened “Crystal and I were literally lifted
to need a partner.” into the air and slammed down on
La Aguja de L’S is small from its our anchors,” says Nelson. The duo
east side, and can be climbed in four walked into camp 35 hours after leav-
pitches. From the west side, however, ing, “hungry and happy as little clams,”
the peak drops down over 3,000 feet to says Nelson. This was his fi rst climbing
the glacier. experience in Patagonia, while Davis-
“The south face rises above you like a Robbins has climbed the North Pillar
big wave,” Nelson explains. “The upper of Fitz Roy and made two other fi rst
headwall is overhanging on every pitch.” ascents in the area. Nelson said Davis-
Nelson and Davis-Robbins began Robbins thought this was her burliest
their route a day late in the weather Patagonia climb yet.
window, on February 11. The climb- “Crystal is a badass,” says Nelson.
ing began on a vertical buttress, “She already is, and will continue to
which Nelson all but freed at 5.12a, be, one of the most influential female
except for one thin corner of A2. The climbers in Patagonia.”
route then kicks back, and the duo If this headline made you think you
RYAN NELSON
traversed over to get beneath the impos- were going to read about the ethical
ing south face headwall. war over Cerro Torre, and the resulting
Davis-Robbins began up the headwall, fi sticuffs, you’ll just have to wait for the
firing a burly offwidth at 5.12a. In the in-depth exclusive in our next issue!
36 R O C K A N D I C E . C O M | 07 JUNE
PREVENTION
MISCOMMUNICATION and when other route he is never off belay until
between the belayer and options abound, avoid all the rope has played
climber is a common climbs where communi- out and the intent of the
cause of accidents, often cation can be a problem. leader is clear.
fatal. As an extra precau- Last, preventing an
When the climber tion, even when the accident of this type is as
and belayer will not be leader yells, “Off belay,” simple as never weight-
able to see one another, the belayer can keep the ing the rope until you
such as on Paradise, leader on, and feed the clearly hear a “got you”
clearly stating—before rope through the belay from your belayer. In this
the climber leaves the device all the way to case, the lack of a reply
ground—whether the the end. This might be would have alerted Mack
climber intends to lower annoying for the climber, to the fact that he had
or rappel is crucial. Nov- who struggles to tug up issued the wrong com-
ice climbers in particular the rope and rig the rap- mand, and was in fact no
should heed this advice, pel, but guarantees that longer on belay.
HAVE AN ACCIDENT TO REPORT? E-MAIL DRALEIGH@BIGSTONEPUB.COM
38 R O C K A N D I C E . C O M | 07 JUNE
REVENGE
OF THE
NERD
COLIN HALEY
By Sarah Garlick
PULLING UP ONTO A PARTIALLY to climb in my life, it was Cerro with the upper West Face route
buried picket, Colin Haley watched Torre. It felt pretty surreal to be on (VI WI4 M5 AI6). Haley has now
in horror as his sole piece of pro— a summit that I’d been obsessing reached nine summits in the Fitz
another picket, at his feet—slid about for so long.” Roy region.
out of the snow, loosened only by Descending the mountain, Haley Last July, Haley, with Jed Brown,
the movement of his rope. Instinc- became distracted by an odd smell. made the fi rst ascent of The En-
tively, Haley grabbed the piece as “I kept thinking, man, Kelly really tropy Wall (VI 5.9 A2+ WI4+ 2300
it started to fall and then placed it stinks. But then I’d get to an anchor m) on Mount Moffit, in Alaska’s
above his head in a desperate aid before he did and the smell would be remote Hayes Range. Haley has also
move. Haley was leading the last there. I realized it was me, too—we completed the second enchainment
snow mushroom to the summit smelled like ammonia.” Haley and of British Columbia’s Waddington
of Cerro Torre, a bizarre pitch of Cordes, emaciated from 40 hours out, Range (VI 5.9 AI3), in 2004, and
overhanging fluff. were burning through their muscle in 2005, a solo attempt to 21,300
“It was the scariest moment on tissue. “When we got to the ground, feet on Nanga Parbat’s Schell Route.
the entire climb,” Haley said. “I I could actually feel that my harness Last year, the American Alpine Club
used my elbows and knees, trying was looser,” Haley said. honored Haley with the Robert Hicks
to spread out my weight so I didn’t A 22-year-old college student, Bates Award for achievement by a
just fall through.” Haley tunneled Colin Haley has accomplished more young climber.
up and into the steep snow, fi nally in the world’s toughest mountains We chatted with Haley on a Friday
keLLY cordeS
punching his way out. When his than most alpinists will in their afternoon; he’d just gotten out of
partner Kelly Cordes arrived at the entire lives. His January climb of class at the University of Washington
belay, it was only a short pitch to the Cerro Torre with Cordes marks a and was packing his gear for a solo
summit Haley had been dreaming milestone in Patagonian climbing: winter attempt of The Garth Pillar
about since his early teens. the sought-after first linkup of the (V 5.10 A1) on the north face of
“If there was one peak I wanted ephemeral Marsigny-Parkin route Mount Stuart.
40 r o c k a n d i c e . c o m | 07 June
June 07 | r o c k a n d i c e . c o m 41
THE NOTES ON THE PSYCHOLOGICAL SANDBAG is a form of misrepresentation. and leap-frogged cam place-
BY FITZ CAHALL A driver of a battered Dodge ments forever.
Pinto feigns mechanical failure Singer’s epic ascent illus-
DARK
SITTING IN A KATOOMBA PUB, GARTH MILLER TOLD ME, to draw an opponent in. A card trates an important point.
“Whatever you do, don’t grab the surfboard.” shark fakes a weak hand. Es- Even if the victims realize they
We were in the center of the Blue Mountains. My mouth loose sentially, a climbing sandbag- are woefully under-equipped
after a pint or two, I had announced my plans to climb Bladder- ger downplays one’s strength to or in terrain above their
44 R O C K A N D I C E . C O M | 07 JUNE
LINDNER
everyone. I know plenty of people zines to see people living the ulti-
with families who work 40 or 50 mate lifestyle of traveling to exotic
hours a week, and they only have areas all over the world searching
time and money to make it to the for the perfect waves. Climbing is
local—perhaps heavily chipped— the same exact thing.
AGE 23 *VITALS cliff one day. If that cliff wasn’t
there, that person might not be What would you like
WEIGHT 155 able to climb at all. to accomplish in the
HEIGHT 5' 11" I do take a stand against drilling next five years?
a route down to your ability level. If Improving in both loves of my life.
WINGSPAN 6' 3"
the route has holds, leave it alone. Focus on developing remote world-
YEARS CLIMBING 20 I have never chipped a hold in my class climbing destinations with
VICES Anything on a tortilla. life, and probably never will. Also, I world-class surfing nearby.
have way more respect for the route
WEBSITE chrislindner.com
developers who’ve established hun- Describe having a
MUSIC 311 dreds of routes with a few chipped relationship and trying
Primus holds here and there than the to climb your projects.
ALO people who sit in their office and I will take advice from anyone
Donavon Frankenreiter try to defame these [developers] in who has it on this topic. I don’t
Beatles their little online forums. have a clue.
NON-CLIMBERS, OR AS
I LIKE TO CALL THEM,
FLOOR-BOREDS,
EXIST IN A TERRIBLE
TWO-DIMENSIONAL
WORLD—LEFT?
OR … RIGHT!—
AND HAVE NO IDEA
ABOUT THE THIRD
DIMENSION: UP.
48 R O C K A N D I C E . C O M | 07 JUNE ART BY E M I L I E L E E
50 r o c k a n d i c e . c o m | 07 June
52 r o c k a n d i c e . c o m | 07 June
2 walking tall
Chris Lindner feeling small on Huge (V9), Little Cotton-
wood Canyon, Utah.
photo Tim kemple
3
To the tooth!
Dean Lords in a weak moment on Indulgence (M9+),
Perrine Coulee, Idaho.
photo Nathan smith
56 r o c k a n d i c e . c o m | 07 june
6 humpity humpity
Bean Bowers jugs a line on Torre Egger, Patagonia. Later
that day he took a 100-foot fall from the tower’s infamous
summit ice mushroom.
photo jonny copp
8 tunnel vision
Drew Haigh at a Barcelona gym, Spain. The tunnel is
closed to all traffic except for bicycles and scooters.
photo dawn kish
9 Not forgotten
Hari Berger gets steep and deep in a glacial cave, Tirol.
Photo hermann erber
10
11 head games
Letting loose atop Montezuma’s Head, Organ Pipe, Arizona.
photo peter noebels
12 band of sisters and brothers
A little ritualistic bonding after a hard day’s work, Indian
Creek, Utah.
photo john evans
13 what’s in a name?
Raphael Slawinski and Steve Swenson on the FA of Bros
Before Hos (WI 5+ M5) Ghost River Valley, Alberta, Canada.
photo cory richards
14 oh henry’s!
Mike Anderson somewhere in the Henry Mountains, Utah.
photo Andrew burr
15 the real deal
Kelly Cordes making good time above the crux pitch of
Deprivation, North Buttress, Mount Hunter, Alaska.
photo jonny copp
Naargh! 18
Cedar Wright on the crux of Birthday Bash (5.12 R), Zion
National Park, Utah. On the FA, Wright took a 35-foot whip-
per onto a nut in the soft sandstone.
Thankfully, it held.
photo Eric Draper
how’s it hanging? 20
Trevor Massiah begins a multi-pitch
sport route on Ko Laoliang, Thailand.
photo dawn kish
60 r o c k a n d i c e . c o m | 07 June
22 Oh Canada
A rare aerial view of Squamish Chief, Vancouver.
photo john evans
23 cool running
Lisa Bonds avoids the dip, Little River Canyon, Alabama.
Photo brian solano
whoa! 28
Serkan Ercan in Dalyan, Turkey, on the fantasy Lancelot
(5.11d), in Dalyan’s Temple Sector. photo boone speed
seeing red 30
Matt Fanning tweaks Quinsana Plus (5.13a), Endless Wall,
New River Gorge, West Virginia.
photo Dan brayack
62 r o c k a n d i c e . c o m | 07 june
austin power 32
ABS Champion Alex Puccio getting her kicks
on Zen (V5), Roger’s Park, Texas.
photo merrick ales
blood meridian 33
So ends another splitter day. Sunset over the
Six Shooters, Utah.
photo john evans
64 r o c k a n d i c e . c o m | 07 June
Rappelling from Skyline (5.8), on Morning Glory Spire, the iconic formation in the City of Rocks, Idaho. Crack of Doom, Greg Lowe’s legendary 5.11c, is the bulging splitter on the protrusion right of
the center chimney. The technical and fingery 5.12 Power Tools follows the face to a cleaved arete between the chimney and Crack of Doom. Yet another classic, Strategic Defense (5.11), climbs
the patina edges on the rounded arete left of the chimney. These are some of the best routes in the City.
66 r o c k a n d i c e . c o m | 07 June
The crux was easy. Maybe because I was over-prepared or scared; I don’t know, but over-
hanging 5.11 fingery face climbing makes sense to me. It was the 5.10 hand crack above
that made no sense to me. It spit me out over and over ... and I was on toprope. The
Crack of Doom (or The Incisor, as we called it) on The Morning Glory Spire was first led
free in 1968 by Greg Lowe who, as the story goes, graded it 5.9+. At solid 5.11 it is the
crown jewel of Idaho’s premier rock-climbing area, the City of Rocks. Twenty years and
hundreds of climbing days later, I still haven’t led the route clean.
I learned to climb around the Salt Lake City area in the 1980s, before SLC developed into one
of the country’s biggest and most diverse climbing destinations, with world-class bouldering,
sport, trad and alpine climbing just minutes from downtown. But back then, I felt unlucky
to live in an area with so little climbing. It was the three-hour trips to Indian Creek and the
City of Rocks that kept me going. My mentors, guys like Jeff Pederson, Bill Boyle and Paul
Shilton, often talked about “the City,” with details of classic testpieces like The Incisor.
I drooled over pictures of Straight Edge (5.11)—a perfect 120-foot face climb.
June 07 | r o c k a n d i c e . c o m 67
During one early trip to the City, Boyle and I lifelong friends, all from within 250 miles of
arrived in the morning and drove straight to the City, areas including Boise, Sun Valley,
the base of The Twin Sisters formation for Jackson and Pocatello.
Straight Edge. Then we ticked Safer Than Two of those friends were Mike Beck and
Sex (5.10+), to the right. “Wild Bill,” as we Eric Wright. I’d heard Mike’s name tossed
called Boyle, was on a tear. He was 17 years around as an up-and-comer, and we were
older than me and much more experienced. soon thrown on all the SLC testpieces, and
At the time, I couldn’t comprehend his com- had a lot to talk about. Now, 20 years later,
mitment and motivation, let alone how much Mike and I still have a lot to talk about. On
we climbed. The day culminated on Crack a recent drive to the City, Mike and I agreed
of Doom, our 10th route of 5.10 or harder, that the area was a forgotten gem.
which Bill grunted up with a single hang and As soon as you pull into the City of Rocks,
where I hit my failure point. you’ll understand how it got its name. A
That night we met Dave Bingham (author cityscape of granite monoliths rises so
of the City’s guidebook) and Pokey Amory. close to the road you can practically touch
Both were developing new routes in a mod- the rock from your car window. The soar-
ern style imported from Smith Rock. They ing granite is prominent, and the area was
had seen Boyle and me climbing and were a waypoint for California-bound emigrants
psyched to have us check out some of their in the 1840s, some of whom wrote their
new routes. The next day, we were guinea names on the rock in axle grease, graffiti
pigs on Dave and Pokey’s testpieces, lines that survives even today.
that typified the mixed trad/sport routes The slabby to vertical granite that typifies
from the mid-80s ethic of top-down, hand- the City isn’t conducive to producing climbs
drilled bolts. The routes sometimes required harder than 5.12, so it is no longer a place
unique gear like the TCU (new at the time) where the cognoscenti can make big names
on Hyper Spuds (5.11), a face climb that for themselves or impress sponsors. If any-
combined widely spaced bolts with fiddly thing, the City is decisively mellow. It embod-
small nuts and the small three-cam unit. ies that middle slice of American climbing,
The two proud authors offered precise gear where routes between 5.8 and 5.11 abound,
advice and running beta as they took us to the camping is quiet, and you don’t have to
another, and another still. Of all the climb- worry about having relentless beta spewed
ing jaunts I’ve taken, the spontaneity and at you. Here, in this out-of-the-way spot in
adventure of that trip to the City ranks as southern Idaho, you climb for the same rea-
one of my most satisfying ever. son Greg Lowe did way back in the 1960s: 2
Over the next couple of years I met many For the pure enjoyment of it.
June 07 | r o c k a n d i c e . c o m 69
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10
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Interceptor (5.11a)
Upper Breadloaves (First done by visiting
New Yorkers, early 1980s)
Brendan Nicholson on the unforgettable City of
Rocks rainbow lichen.
C airo (5.11a)
Parkinglot Rock (Dave Bingham, Tedd
Thompson, 1988)
Cynthia Levinthal cruises technicolor rock.
Thought-provoking moves, good pro and
a nice position make this one of the City’s
most popular jaunts.
June 07 | r o c k a n d i c e . c o m 73
getting there
The City is located in southern Idaho, three hours northwest
of Salt Lake City, Utah, five hours southwest of Jackson Hole,
Wyoming, and four hours east of Boise, Idaho. The nearest
town is Almo, Idaho. Almo offers basic amenities including
gas, groceries, showers and sandwiches. Make sure to visit
Idaho’s oldest store, the Tracy General Store.