The ethics of climbing
June 27, 2006
Mark Scott-Nash of boulderdirt.com wrote a thought provoking article on the ethics of climbing.
The “guidelines” of climbing range from restricting one’s technical climbing style to the first ascentionist style — for example, no new bolt placements — to not claiming an ascent of a peak unless you actually stand on the summit. They help us measure and define what is in reality a very open-ended activity.
But there are more serious ethics that come in to play when the stakes are higher.
Two incidents rocked the climbing world in May. David Sharp, a British climber on Mount Everest, was reportedly solo climbing when he ran into trouble and slowly died high on the mountain. Scores of people climbed past Sharp while he faded away in the thin, cold air on May 15. And in a completely different type of incident on the other side of the world, rock-climbing star Dean Potter made an ascent on an off-limits rock formation in Utah called Delicate Arch on May 7, sparking a controversy that has drawn national attention.
Climbing ethics is always a touchy issue, but the author brings up some salient points. The full article is a good read.
Popularity: 7% [?]
Climb like Dean Potter ad
June 22, 2006
This is pretty funny - a humorous take on the Dean Potter climbing Delicate Arch controversy.
Climb like Dean - but without all of the controversy. Build a full-size Delicate Arch climbing wall in your own back yard - plans included!
This blueprint is an actual public service ad (PDF link) from the National Parks Conservation Association. (via The Piton)
Popularity: 5% [?]
New climbing blogs - The Climbing
June 22, 2006
I’m finally starting to see an increase in the number of climbing blogs being created. For a while, there was a surprising few climbing blogs while there were many web sites dedicated to climbing. This post is the first in a series that will highlight new climbing blogs. If you have a blog dedicated to climbing, let me know about it. Contact me with as much info as you care to leave including what topics you cover, your climbing background, and what climbing areas you frequent.
The first is a blog titled The Climbing. This brand new (June 2006) climbing focused blog already has some good product reviews (Petzl Zipka, Arc’teryx Vapor Harness) and promises to have a heavy focus on gear.
Popularity: 30% [?]
Trango Cam Recall
June 20, 2006
Trango has announced a recall on their #1 MaxCam. Details are in the PDF below:
http://www.trango.com/pdfs/MCrecall.pdf
Popularity: 3% [?]
New Jersey rock climbing featured in AMC
June 19, 2006
The Appalachian Mountain Club has an article on rock climbing in New Jersey. I knew there was climbing there, but not to the extent that this article covers.
Standing at the base of a 150-foot cliff fronted by a field of car-sized boulders, it’s hard to shake the feeling that this area just doesn’t seem like New Jersey. Even though I’m only a few miles from the interstate, there aren’t any smoke stacks and the landscape is decidedly more interesting than the smelly, sprawling flatland that we’ve all seen from the Turnpike.
The article also lists some of the main climbing areas including: Read more
Popularity: 4% [?]
Superclip review
June 18, 2006
Wired Nut has a review of a new stick clip tool, the RockTools Superclip. Looks like it may be a better alternative than the Trango Squid.
Popularity: 12% [?]
Nelson Rocks Via Ferrata
June 18, 2006
The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette has an interesting article on the via ferrata at Nelson Rocks in West Virginia. I’ve never been on it myself, but I’ve observed many people on the via ferrata while climbing at Nelson Rocks (when it was open of course).
Italian for “iron road,” a via ferrata is essentially a fixed rock-climbing route defined by cables attached to a cliff face every few feet to provide protection from serious falls. Climbers wearing a harness around their waists and legs attach themselves to the cable with two carabiners, or climbing clips, allowing them to slide along the route with a relative degree of safety. U-shaped rungs drilled into the stone ease the difficulty of the climbing on steep stretches of the route.
Although the via ferrata concept has been around for more than a century in Europe, particularly in Italy’s Dolomite Alps, they are new to North America. Built in 2002, the Nelson Rocks via ferrata is only the second in the nation, the first being in Torrent Falls, Ky.
Popularity: 2% [?]
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