Legendary North Texas rock climber dies in fall
November 30, 2006
I just received the following information from Friends of Forester:
The rock climbing community lost a legendary climber and environmental advocate on November 24 when Jimmy Ray Forester fell while climbing in El Potrero Chico in northern Mexico. Forester, an experienced, talented and well-known climber, failed to return to camp after a climb on El Potrero Chico’s “The scariest ride in the park”, a 55-pitch 5.9 ridge route. When he didn’t return after the early-morning climb, an attempt was made to view his progress with binoculars, and when unsuccessful, a search was initiated. He was found the next day at the base of the wall.
“Jimmy was an intelligent and super strong climber,” said Ryan Ray, a Forester climbing partner. “He never put himself, or anyone else, in danger. This climb was well within his capabilities, so we can only speculate what might have happened. It could have been rockfall or a handhold that gave way.”
Forester became an iconic figure throughout Oklahoma and Texas during his 17 years in the sport. He established his own characteristically ground-up, onsight style and was endued with a deep sense of climbing history and tradition that energized other climbers. According to his friends, he was also a consummate climbing teacher and mentor.
Popularity: 7% [?]
The Boys of Everest
November 30, 2006
Clint Willis has a new book out, The Boys of Everest, which was a finalist for the 2006 Banff Mountain Literature Award.
The Boys of Everest: Chris Bonington and the Tragedy of Climbing’s Greatest Generation is a story of tremendous courage, staggering achievement, and heart-breaking loss. Bonington’s inner circle—they came to be known as Bonington’s Boys—included a dozen of mountaineering’s legendary figures and gave birth to a new brand of climbing. They took increasingly grave risks on expeditions to the world’s most difficult peaks. And they paid an enormous price for their achievements. Most of them died in the mountains, leaving behind the hardest question of all: Was it worth it?
The Boys of Everest, based on extensive interviews with surviving climbers and other individuals as well as five decades of journals, films, photographs, expedition accounts, and letters, provides the closest thing to an answer that we’ll ever have. It offers riveting descriptions of what Bonington and his comrades found in the mountains—as well as an understanding of what they lost there.
From the sample chapter (pdf) you can download on the site, The Boys of Everest looks to be a good read. More info can be found on the book’s website.
Popularity: 9% [?]
Bouldering in Ireland
November 14, 2006
TheShortSpan has a great guide to bouldering in Ireland. The guide is downloadable in doc and pdf format and contains over 900 problems from all over the country. The site also has some articles on climbing in Ireland including this intro to the bouldering.
Popularity: 14% [?]
Rock climbing not linked to arthritis
November 13, 2006
A University of Tennessee study has shown that rock climbing does not increase the risk of osteoarthritis in the hands and fingers (Forbes). This is good news for climbers because even if the reverse were true and climbing did cause arthritis, we wouldn’t stop climbing anyway…
The researchers compared 27 rock climbers and 35 non-climbers to determine if the long-term stress placed on the hand and finger bones of climbers caused changes associated with osteoarthritis.
The study also examined whether climbing intensity and frequency of different styles of climbing might influence changes in hand and finger bones.
“Radiographs of both hands were taken for each participant and were scored for radiographic signs of osteoarthritis using an atlas method,” researcher Adam Sylvester, of the Department of Mechanical, Aerospace, and Biomedical Engineering at the university, said in a prepared statement.
“We compared 27 recreational rock climbers and 35 non-climbers for four measures of bone strength and dimensions and osteoarthritis. The results suggest that climbers are not at an increased risk of developing osteoarthritis compared with non-climbers,” Sylvester said.
He continued: “Climber’s finger and hand bones are, however, greater in cross-sectional area and total width, indicating that additional bone is being deposited on the external surface, not usually seen in adults. The strength of the finger and hand bones are correlated with styles of climbing that emphasize athletic difficulty. Significant predictors include the highest levels achieved in bouldering and sport climbing.”
The study was published in the November issue of the Journal of Anatomy.
Popularity: 4% [?]
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