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| Messages 1 - 14 of total 14 in this topic |
Studly
Trad climber
WA
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Topic Author's Original Post - May 13, 2009 - 12:32pm PT
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What's the story on the history of the Comp Wall at Castle Rocks? Was it truely the scene of the first big outdoor climbing competition and the top climbers came from all over back in 1987? The scene of big controversies becasue holds were added to this out of the way place on flawless unclimbable rock out in the back country? Are those routes now considered historic or history? Tony Yaniro was the man with the plan and put it all togather.
The climbing magazines all decided to purposely scorn coverage of this big event due to added holds. Is that why to this day this trendsetting event is still pretty much unknown to most climbers?
Is there more to the story about this most incredible piece of rock?
Anyone on this forum actually participate or attend this event or climbed the Mens and Womens Comp routes there?
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scuffy b
climber
Bad Brothers' Bait and Switch Shop
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May 13, 2009 - 05:56pm PT
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They sure left a mess when the comp was done.
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Mungeclimber
Trad climber
sorry, just posting out loud.
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May 13, 2009 - 06:00pm PT
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I have video of this Comp from BITD. Remember those climbing VHS news tapes?
The thin ice section in that vid really opened my eyes to what was possible with tools, not that I did anything like that, but I got wide eyed for sure. hah!
I've also got video tape of the Sport Chalet climbing comp in Costa Mesa. hah! No controversy there.
Was there really scorn for this event? I thought the holds were bolted on with sleeves that would provide protection bolts for when the line was really sent by the future climbers of the world.
I know, still suspect whether it will go, so it's premature to drill. But hey I would just put in an A1 bolt ladder to stellar climbing if it was worth a few moves of aid.
what say folks?
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Clint Cummins
Trad climber
SF Bay area, CA
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May 13, 2009 - 06:09pm PT
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You did not mention it specifically, but I think the "Castle Rocks" you are talking about are in or near the City of Rocks, near Burley, Idaho?
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Studly
Trad climber
WA
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Topic Author's Reply - May 13, 2009 - 10:11pm PT
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Yes, the Comp Wall at Castle Rocks State Park In Idaho. It is one fabulous chunk of granite. The Womans Comp route and the Mens Comp route both look stellar.
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Studly
Trad climber
WA
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Topic Author's Reply - May 14, 2009 - 10:28pm PT
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So no one has climbed the Mens or Womans Comp routes at Castle Rocks State Park in Idaho?
The Womens comp route is one of the most awesome looking lines, mostly thin finger granite crack climbing with face moves.
The Mens appears to have the bolts chopped.
I looked at it in the rain....
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steelmnkey
climber
Vision man...ya gotta have vision...
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May 14, 2009 - 11:30pm PT
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Ain't that this chunk of rock?
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Maysho
climber
Truckee, CA
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May 14, 2009 - 11:45pm PT
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I competed in that event. Pretty sure it was 89. Tarbuster travelled with me jokingly referring to himself as my "handler". The routes were cool, and the field was the all-star cast of the day.
I was totally naive about the way things were manufactured, I remember being wide eyed in disbelief after the first day when a couple of more seasoned sportsters gave me the blow by blow of how the arete on the opening round had been created. Tony and Ted had worked for months on this. There was a hand jam behind a flake, and apparently the flake was a random chunk glued on, with the edges feathered with a drummel tool, and brown stain applied. I had not been able to tell at all. I liked the route and was one of the few who flashed it. (featured in the video mentioned above)
The event was an anachronism even as it happened, no one would put up with such construction projects in the outdoors, (thankfully) and a few months later the same field went on to Snowbird, and the Jeff Lowe series got going, and plastic was the medium.
Have to say, though I would not want to ever see such things again, competing on real rock, artfully crafted by route masters like Tony and Ted, was a treat.
Peter
p.s. edit, yes that is the crag, the finals route, Red Rum takes the smooth red wall toward the left, and you can see the arete bordering that section on the right.
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Studly
Trad climber
WA
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Topic Author's Reply - May 14, 2009 - 11:50pm PT
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Thanks Peter. Its great to hear about it.
Incredible looking lines when you get up to the base but so sheer I can't imagine anyone getting started on the Mens route with out aid or the added holds. But then I never imagined anyone could free climb Mescalito....
so my thought is that for historic purposes, perhaps the Mens route should be preserved and climbable. What's done is done and we learned from it, but the route should stand as it looks like one heck of a climb.
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WBraun
climber
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May 14, 2009 - 11:57pm PT
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Peter flashed it. Well this reminds me about that day we're all up at "Love Supreme" in Tuolumne.
Bachar got about 3/4 of the way up the thing that day on a top rope.
The rest of us got no where fast. Then Leclinsiki (sp?) shows up and calls us all pussies and he gets nowhere fast also.
We're all laughing having a great time when Peter shows up and asks to try. "Sure step right up."
He gets almost to Bachar's high point.
I'm blown away ....
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Maysho
climber
Truckee, CA
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May 15, 2009 - 12:04am PT
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The opening arete route had one or two bolt on holds. The final to the left was just the real, albeit chipped rock, the start was very crimpie 12a. One of the best performance moments was delivered by Yabo, who missed all the holds and still pulled it off with sheer willpower keeping him clinging to what looked like nothing.
Another stand out moment was when Michael Kennedy arrived, took one look at the bolt on hold and left (I think) refusing to give press coverage to this type of thing. At the moment I was not too bent out of shape about a bolt on hold on a "private" crag, but when I heard about the whole scope of manufacturing, I had to agree with Michael. Still, I was curious and enjoying checking out this "new" sport climbing evolution even the strange branches that went nowhere.
Peter
edit: Hey Werner! Those were the days my friend...
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Studly
Trad climber
WA
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Topic Author's Reply - May 15, 2009 - 12:59pm PT
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Anyone else have any comments on this incredible piece of rock?
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handsome B
Gym climber
SL,UT
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May 15, 2009 - 01:09pm PT
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Really nice piece of rock. RedRum is wicked good. Yaniro is a master chipper, and left barely a hint of his work, subtly enhancing natural features.
Louie Anderson could only hope to live up to Yaniro in terms of quality.
Strangely enough, one of the world's hardest boulder problems, unenhanced, has been established in the talus below.
Right under their noses.
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Tarbuster
climber
right here, right now
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May 15, 2009 - 01:16pm PT
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We didn't call Yaniro the rock doctor for nothing !
As craftsmanship goes, what with staining the rock to bring it visually back in line after it was chiseled, this was quite remarkable.
They also imported quite a large chunk of rock, an oval flake which by my dim recollection was like 15 feet tall.
(Those might be Paul Bunyan feet, but it was big and it was completely bolted on up in the middle of the route)
I have to say none of this really got me bent out of shape.
And not just because it was private property, and really for no particular reason at all either way, it was just too far out of my experience set to produce an emotional reaction.
The day before the final, Darius Azin, while doing the qualifier, entertained a strict no no peek around the corner looking into the final route and gleefully shouted down to the rest of us: "Wow that looks MEGA !!!"
1989 for sure.
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