Climbing Narcissist » Access

Great News From Red Rock

Narc — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 12:11:52 +0000

Good Great news out of Red Rock, Nevada:

Thanks to YOUR public involvement and a SUPPORTIVE county commission, the developer has withdrawn his application for BOTH WAIVERS for Red Rock. There WILL NOT be a vote on February 8, 2012. We should thank the county commissioners as well. They always seem to have to hear our complaints, but now we have something to be grateful for.

Even though this decision doesn’t kill the misguided plans of developer Jim Rhodes outright, it does apparently make his path forward considerably more difficult according to these comments from Vegas local John Wilder:

In short, this was a pretty big win for Save Red Rock and other local groups. My personal opinion is that if these waivers had been granted, the war would have effectively been won by Gypsum [Jim Rhodes]. Thankfully, they were not, and now Gypsum still has a fairly long uphill battle. The financial burden from the road build from the east (I actually consider this part of the development cost prohibitive), as well as the long process that Gypsum will now have to endure to get a right of way to their land via the east approach (they will need to get an EA, which we can actually appeal and delay for years if we do it correctly).

To celebrate this good news perhaps we can all head out to the 2012 Red Rock Rendezvous and climb some heinous off-widths? Well, maybe not that second part, but this year’s Rendezvous does sound like a pretty fun time:

The ninth annual Mountain Gear Presents: Red Rock Rendezvous (RRR) rock climbing festival, title sponsored by The North Face, will return to the Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area near Las Vegas on March 30 through April 1, 2012. Registration begins Monday, Nov. 1, and is limited to the first 1,000 registrants. For the 2012 RRR, Mountain Gear is adding Special Friday Clinics to the three-day event that include a range of outdoor activities and classes.

Great News From Red Rock from Climbing Narcissist

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News & Notes – 9/14/2011

Narc — Wed, 14 Sep 2011 13:51:51 +0000

News…

Sasha DiGiulian has just about wrapped up her stay in Rodellar, Spain, and her final ticklist is pretty impressive. Some might say world record breaking¹. In addition to the 5.14c redpoint and the 5.14a onsight she redpointed a pair of 5.14a’s and flashed a 5.13c. In total she did 12 routes 5.13b or harder with almost half going down first try.
Another American in Rodellar is Ben Spannuth. Clearly motivated by that one time he and I talked shop over a bottle of Buffalo Trace², he too has redpointed Cosi Fan Tutti according to his 8a scorecard. In addition he’s done 6 other 5.14s since he left the States to climb overseas. He could not, however, do the famous DWS Loskot And Two Smoking Barrels which sounds pretty horrifying.
Dai Koyamada reporst on his blog (in Japanese) and to UKC that he did the FA of Dark Matter, a potential V14 or 15 in the Darkness Cave in Magic Wood, Switzerland. The problem starts on In Search Of Time Lost and exits out From Darkness To Sunshine.
New route on the Incredible Hulk:

600 feet 19 bolts, 10 days, 6 brushes, 4 partners and 1 route later, here is the long-winded tale of my experience new routing on the Incredible Hulk.

According to his 8a scorecard Jon Cardwell has repeated Daniel Woods’ Aslan (V14) in RMNP for the problem’s (at least) 7th ascent.

And Notes…

The 8th Yosemite Facelift starts next Tuesday
Indian Creek Volunteer Work Day(s) this coming weekend
Lincoln Lake cleanup Saturday, September 17th. Bring your supplemental oxygen…
This Saturday is the 1st Annual Gunks Climbers Coalition Membership Party in Rosendale, NY. The party will highlight the GCC’s new joint membership agreement with the Access Fund. For more info check out gunksclimbers.org.

Also this Saturday is the 1st Annual Meyers Climbing Festival & Bouldering Competition in South Lake Tahoe. More info on that here.

Help rebuild the fire lookout at The Needles in California that unfortunately, and I guess ironically, was destroyed in a fire
Jamie Emerson shines the B3Bouldering spotlight on some of the new areas being developed in Wyoming with this takeaway message:

I would also like to say that I have been astounded by the amount of new rock that seems to be cropping up out there in the woods, not only in Wyoming, but Colorado, Idaho and Montana as well. If you want to come up to Lander, by all means, come on up. But don’t think for a minute that there aren’t 20 other areas on the list waiting to be explored. There are thousands of boulders to be climbed out there. I have shared many new areas and problems on this site, with the intention that climbers will enjoy them. But as I often have said in the past, I would encourage boulderers to think outside the box, not follow the trends and get out there and find some adventure for yourself!

You know, if there was such a thing in climbing ↩
Probably not ↩

News & Notes – 9/14/2011 from Climbing Narcissist

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Plan For Development Near Red Rock Gets Initial Approval

Narc — Thu, 18 Aug 2011 14:03:47 +0000

Last week I laid out the proposed plan to develop upwards of 7,000 homes and other buildings just outside of Las Vegas’ Red Rock Canyon. There was an incredible push throughout the climbing community to make our voices heard leading up to the August 17th hearing before the Board of County commissioners where the plan would be up for initial approval. Unfortunately, as often seems the case these days, we made our voices heard, but it seems as though nobody was really listening in the first place.

The board voted 5-2 to approve a “conceptual” plan to build 4,700 homes and a business park, and with lines like this:

In the end, lawyers, not residents, appeared to sway commissioners.

and this:

Still, to deny Rhodes’ plan now, the county would have to back up that action in court with facts supporting the contention that the project should not be built and not simply point to public sentiment being against the project, said Rob Warhola, deputy district attorney.

The county has no solid data showing the project will hurt Red Rock, he said, adding that people’s feelings carry no legal weight.

in the Las Vegas Review Journal’s story about the meeting it doesn’t really give much cause for optimism.

However, according to some updates posted to MountainProject during the hearing there were conditions put on the approval relating to density and BLM access so perhaps there is still some hope?

Plan For Development Near Red Rock Gets Initial Approval from Climbing Narcissist

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News & Notes – 8/17/2011

Narc — Wed, 17 Aug 2011 13:31:47 +0000

News…

Jorg Verhoeven had a good week recently redpointing Hades (5.14d) at the “God Wall” in Nassereith, Austria and sending The Never Ending Story (V14, although V13 is getting mentioned a lot these days) in Magic Wood, Switzerland.
Adam Pustelnik and Nico Favresse teamed up to make the first repeat of the much-hyped multi-pitch Orbayu on the Naranjo de Bulnes formation in Picos de Europa, Spain. The climb was first done in 2009 by the Pou brother Eneko and Iker with difficulties suggested up to 5.14c/d. In this report on Black Diamond’s website Favresse and Pustelnik confirm the quality of the line but humbly suggest that most of the pitches felt easier with difficulties “only” up to 5.14a or b. Best wishes to Pustelnik as he was badly injured in a ground-fall attempting a new route after the Orbayu ascent.
According to her 8a scorecard Audrey Sniezek redpointed her first 5.13d in Porn Star at Washington’s Little Si.
I had to double-check my calendar to make sure it wasn’t April Fool’s Day after Jonathan Siegrist posted some pictures of a huge swoop of blue limestone south of Salt Lake City called The Hoop. That rock can’t be in American can it? Apparently it is, and Siegrist had made the trip there to do some work on a video project for Arc’teryx. Like a true professional he managed to throw down a repeat of Chris Sharma’s “savage, delicate and powerful” Moose Licks (5.14b) after four tries.
Sasha DiGiulian blogs about her win at the European Youth Cup in Imst, Austria.
Since breaking his back in a fall in Rifle last summer Josh Wharton won the 2011 Ouray Mixed Climbing comp, enchained three summits in Patagonia and now he’s done the FFA of the Dunn-Westbay route on the iconic Diamond of Longs Peak:

On the day of the free ascent I stumble and fall, and generally epic before sending the crux pitch on my third try of the day. Above, I fall again, cramping and fighting wet rock on numerous sections of tricky 5.12. The rope gets pulled and I manage to put it all together for the first free ascent. I’m tired for a week.

…and Notes

The Access Fund is looking for your feedback on a series of grant proposals
The 2011 Bouldering World Cup wraps up this weekend in Munich, Germany. Scheduled to compete for Team America will be Daniel Woods, Alex Puccio, Courtney Sanders, Sasha DiGiulian and Audrey Sniezek. Watch the comp live starting Friday at IFSC.tv.
Speaking of amazing looking rock
The Outdoor Retailer Trade show has come and gone. I don’t know if I’ve just been conditioned by my overlord Steve Jobs to want to run out and buy new products the second I see them or what, but I find the product cycles of the outdoor industry to be a bit frustrating. Some interesting products are being unveiled but it seems like you are lucky if they are actually released within 12 months of being unveiled. That said, for an overview of some products you might see at some point in the future check out the OR recap from Splitter Choss as well as part 1 and part 2 of DPM’s coverage.
Today is the last day to enter for a chance to win a free download of Better Than Chocoloate
On Saturday, August 27th the Rifle Climbers’ Coalition will be putting on the 2011 Rifle Rendez-S.P.E.W in conjuction with the annual clean-up day. More on how you can compete in the elaborately thought out game of S.P.E.W. here.

In southern California? Head out to Carlsbad to meet Steph Davis and Chris Sharma tonight at the SoCal premier of Chuck Fryberger’s latest movie, The Scene.

Comping up September 2-5 is the Skaha Climbing Festival in Penticton, BC, Canada. The event will have the usual array of clinics, competitions, gear demos and appearances by Will Stanhope and Beth Rodden.

News & Notes – 8/17/2011 from Climbing Narcissist

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Help Save Red Rock Canyon

Narc — Tue, 09 Aug 2011 12:56:56 +0000

The issues surrounding potential developments near Nevada’s Red Rock Canyon are well documented at this point, but the issue bears repeating in case you weren’t aware. The basic gist of the situation is that a local developer is pushing forward with a plan to develop some 7,000 homes and other buildings directly adjacent to Red Rock Canyon. Other than the fact that this development seems illogical given the current status of the Vegas economy, it would have a direct impact on the outdoor experience of any and all users of Red Rock. The Access Fund has stated that the development would be visible from most anywhere in Red Rock, and the added congestion and other unforeseeable side-affects certainly seem to not be in the outdoor community’s best interest.

There’s also this from SaveRedRock.com:

The plan does not honor the land use and zoning plans for the area. Nor does the plan honor the local, state and national commitments that led to the creation of the Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area, an area near and dear to Las Vegas that has become world renown for it’s hiking, rock climbing, cycling, nature walks, photography, and natural tourist draw.

This concept plan also defies reason and economics, asks commissioners to jump the Las Vegas infrastructure five miles from what is readily available, adds 7,000 more homes in Southern Nevada when 20,000 homes sit vacant, proposes major competition to our local university system, and adds 20,000 or more people in an area of drought.

Location of proposed development outside Red Rock Canyon

Locals are encouraged to attend a hearing on August 17th at 9:00 am when the plan will be presented to the Board of County commissioners. In addition, emails and petitions are being circulated so the otudoor community as a whole can make their voice heard before it’s too late. Visit SaveRedRock.com for more information on what you can do to help.

Help Save Red Rock Canyon from Climbing Narcissist

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Access Fund, Jeep Team Up For National Conservation Team & New Access Fund Smartphone App

Narc — Mon, 01 Aug 2011 14:32:11 +0000

A couple of interesting tidbits from the Access Fund during the past few weeks.

First, the Access Fund has teamed up with Jeep, with support from REI, Outdoor Research, and CLIF BAR, to launch their Access Fund-Jeep Conservation Team:

The Access Fund-Jeep Conservation Team will employ two full-time conservation and trail building experts who will travel the country in a new 2011 Jeep Patriot to help maintain climbing areas throughout the United States. The team will work with local climbers to address conservation needs and will provide training on planning and stewardship best practices. Look for the team to hit the road later this summer.

This new program will extend the success of the Access Fund’s existing Adopt a Crag and TeamWorks stewardship programs that help local climbers around the country take care of the places they play. The Access Fund-Jeep Conservation Team will provide climbing communities and volunteers with the training and resources they need to address conservation issues before they become dire.

Visit the Access Fund’s website for more details on the job and to find out how you can apply. Applications are due by August 8th.

Second, the Access Fund also recently launched a new smartphone app for iOS and Android devices that aggregates various climbing news feeds, including this site, into one convenient app. The app will also be used to push out various access alerts. Here are a few screen shots from the iOS version:

Access Fund, Jeep Team Up For National Conservation Team & New Access Fund Smartphone App from Climbing Narcissist

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American Alpine Club Making Changes, Launching New $25k Conservation Grant Program

Narc — Wed, 08 Jun 2011 21:15:07 +0000

The American Alpine Club, which was founded in 1902 and run for many years as an organization catering mostly to alpinists, has been making a lot of changes lately in an attempt to broaden their appeal to the greater climbing community. To aid in achieving that goal they’ve come up with what they’re calling the AAC Five Year Strategic Plan with a stated mission of providing, “knowledge and inspiration, conservation and advocacy, and logistical support for the climbing community”.

The AAC’s Five Year Strategic Plan In Pictures & Video

The AAC put together this series of slides to help outline the plan:

And here AAC Executive Phil Powers, who was badly injured last month in a fall in Colorado’s Clear Creek Canyon, explains more about their mission:

New $25k Cornerstone Conservation Grant Program

One of the key items listed in the above slides was the Cornerstone Conservation Grant program which the AAC has just launched. The program will be giving out $25,000 in grants this year (in amounts ranging from $1k to $15k) to be put toward local projects like fixed anchor maintenance, trail projects and other human impact issues like waste management and parking. More information can be found in the below press release as well as on the AAC’s website. Applications are due by August 15th.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

—American Alpine Club Launches New Conservation Grant Program—

GOLDEN, CO—The American Alpine Club is now accepting applications for the new Cornerstone Conservation Grant. The program provides $25,000 to individuals and communities that need essential infrastructure to improve, conserve, and protect their climbing resources for years to come.

The Cornerstone Conservation Grant has grown out of a decade of American Alpine Club underwriting and volunteerism. The AAC has established new trails and human-waste management policies at Utah’s Castleton Tower and Indian Creek climbing areas, Grand Teton National Park, Rocky Mountain National Park’s Lumpy Ridge, and Alaska’s Denali National Park.

This year, $25,000 will go toward multiple local projects that can include, but are not limited to: fixed anchor improvement, new trails, human-waste management solutions, parking and signage. As part of the infrastructure, funds may also be used to teach crag conservation and sustainability techniques. Applicants may be individual climbers on behalf of a local climbing organization, regional club, public agency, AAC Section, climbing group, or not-for-profit (501 (C)(3)) organization. Grants range from $1,000 to $15,000, depending on the size and scope of project.

The most successful proposals will have substantial support from their local climbing community, show use of best practices, demonstrate a sustainability plan, and have measurable and achievable goals. Projects require a landowner partner and must show completion within 18 months. This grant does not fund expedition travel, project overhead, salaries, land purchase, general maintenance, or research. Only projects in the United States will be considered. All proposals must be endorsed by a local AAC Section.

Proposals must be submitted by August 15, 2011. Applicants will be advised on or before September 15, 2011. Submission instructions are available at: http://www.americanalpineclub.org/cornerstone

About the AAC:
The American Alpine Club is a 501-c(3) charitable organization dedicated to supporting American endeavors in mountain environments around the world. The AAC supports alpinists, rock climbers, ice climbers, boulderers, and mountaineers who are passionate about climbing, its community, its history, and conservation of the places we climb.
Together, through this collective passion and the AAC’s programs, we inspire, create, partner, steward, and unite to have a stronger voice and lasting impact for future generations of climbers.

American Alpine Club Making Changes, Launching New $25k Conservation Grant Program from Climbing Narcissist

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News & Notes – 6/1/2011

Narc — Wed, 01 Jun 2011 13:08:07 +0000

Somehow we went all of May without a News & Notes update???

News…

According to his 8a scorecard Ethan Pringle has done the 2nd ascent of Le Cadre Nouvelle Version, a 5.14d in Céüse, France.
Cedric Lachat and Nina Caprez did the 2nd and 3rd ascent of the multipitch Délicatessen in Corsica that has difficulties up to 5.13d. This report on Caprez’s blog has some great pictures of the route as well as some pictures of another beautiful looking route, Tom et je ris (5.14a) in France’s Verdon Gorge.
Carlo Traversi established a new V13 called Flux For Life last week in Colorado’s latest hotspot, Endovalley. In true Colorado fashion the problem already has 4 repeats by the likes of Daniel Woods, Jon Cardwell, Jimmy Webb and Brion Voges.
Speaking of Webb & Voges, they both repeated Dave Graham’s proposed Endovalley V14 Glow In The Dark Estrellas. New beta was found that brought the grade down to V11 although Webb comments that, “What dave climbed is def v14…”
Simon Carter has a report complete with quality photos of Lee Cossey’s FA of Sneaky Snake (5.14b) at the incredible Taipan Wall in the Grampians.
Black Diamond has a report from Ines Papert about her repeat of Super Cirill, a 600+ ft. trad route with difficulties up to mid-5.13 in Ticino, Switzerland.
While not “news” in an international sense, I wanted to take a moment to give props to a local Wisconsin climber who had an excellent season at the Red River Gorge. In the course of two months he took his max redpoint from 5.13b up to 5.14a culminating in an ascent of Transworld Depravity in the Madness Cave. Since he’s not big in the online spray department I’ll refrain from mentioning his name, however anyone that has spent time climbing at Adventure Rock over the past 10 years probably knows the affable and oftentimes goofy looking young man I’m referring to.

And Notes…

Petzl has a notice posted on their website regarding the potential for a rope to get jammed behind the cam on their new GriGri 2 belay device. While at least one report seems to indicate this causes the rope to slide through the device, Petzl says otherwise:

Don’t worry: this jamming does not damage the rope. Our internal testing shows that even with the smallest diameters, the rope remains intact, even if the climber falls. Note also that even with the rope in this position, the cam functions normally and the climber’s fall will be arrested.

Gallery of photos from this past weekend’s Bouldering World Cup in Canmore.
DPM has a quality video from Joe Kinder featuring the UK’s Tom Bolger climbing in Santa Linya, Spain
Despite last week’s bad news life goes on in the Red River Gorge with efforts underway to rebolt the entire Motherlode. Check out this thread on RedRiverClimbing to learn more about the plans and visit Team Suck to donate.
This cave in Flatanger, Norway can’t be real, can it??
Will Stanhope details his attempts on the famous route Parthian Shot which left him on crutches
Cautionary accident report from Lake Tahoe’s Lover’s Leap
And on a more positive note, check out the website for Green Climbers Home, a new outfit being opened by two German climbers in Laos.

News & Notes – 6/1/2011 from Climbing Narcissist

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More Thoughts On RRG And Access Situations In General

Narc — Wed, 25 May 2011 18:23:37 +0000

In the wake of yesterday’s news of the closure of Roadside at the Red River Gorge many people took to Facebook and message boards to register their displeasure with the news. Emotions ranged from disappointment over not being able to climb there anymore to displeasure with the people who “caused” the closure. The problem with the latter thought is that while it is convenient to blame a closure like this on a few bad actors, the reality is that everyone that has visited Roadside over the years, myself included, has contributed to the problem. In clarifying their concerns one of Roadside’s owners says as much in this post on RedRiverClimbing.com:

Just to be clear, the problems at Roadside are not permadraws. It is greater than that. Roadside is simply a crag in a 80+ acre nature preserve. It has been loved to death by over use. It continues to deteriorate. Want to see Roadside 20 years ago? Stroll over to Andromeda Strain – there are ferns, vibrant green moss, old growth trees – it is fabulous. Remember, Roadside is in the Graining Fork Nature Preserve. This is intended to be a special place for years to come. Instead it has become an outdoor climbing gym.

“Outdoor climbing gyms” is an apt description for a lot of the areas in the Red these days with many featuring permadraws that actually make the walls look like, well, a climbing gym. Even without permadraws Roadside has always felt like an outdoor gym to me, especially with the addition of several easy climbs continually attracting huge groups to the crag over the years. In some sense I find it surprising that the owners of Roadside are even surprised with what they’re seeing.

Of course the problems at Roadside are not unique to the Red River Gorge nor are the reactions. Similar situations play out at areas across the country. If the problem is dogs at a crag dog owners insist that it’s everyone else’s dog that is the problem. If there are specific rules regarding gaining access to an area many people act as if the rules only apply to everyone else. If the problem is too many people climbing at a crag or behaving poorly when doing so then we insist that it’s those other people who are causing the problem and so on.

And it’s this last problem that is really the crux of the issue. There are simply more people climbing today than ever before, and in popular internationally known destinations like the Red River Gorge the crags are really not able to withstand the onslaught of people. Closing one crag simply moves the crowds to the next available area, and while self-policing ourselves is obviously the best option it is oftentimes easier said than done.

Figuring out what to do about these types of problems remains something for people smarter than me to figure out, but I think it’s important for people to remember that even with the best of intentions our simple presence at a crag is leaving at least some impact no matter where we are, who we are or what we are doing.

More Thoughts On RRG And Access Situations In General from Climbing Narcissist

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Access Alert For California State Parks

Narc — Wed, 25 May 2011 16:59:55 +0000

Keeping with the access theme, Prana has a post on their blog about the pending closure of 70 California State Parks including several that offer access to climbing like Caste Rock State Park.

Access Alert For California State Parks from Climbing Narcissist

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