FROM THE ZEPHYR ARCHIVES...MAY 1991 LADDERING! ALWAYS ON THE Imagine this. Your royal blue the utility closet. The high-tech centerpiece of your life hangs on and dust. It twists in the stagnant CUTTING EDGE, THE ZEPHYR REPORTED Lycra suit lies unused and forgotten in the back of titanium frame $5300 bicycle that was once the a rusty hook in the garage, gathering spider webs air like a dead coyote strung up on a fence post. Its a sport 21ST CENTURY search and rescue teams unanimously endorse Hook Laddering! since it eliminates a major problem for the Team--difficult carryouts of the critically injured. According to Grand It’s now. It’s wow. It’s sung. It’s hung. “Nuthin’ in this world could make me It is truly THE Crevice or Hook Laddering! leads participants to dizzying heights in narrow cracks and canyons. The 30 meter Ladder! is particularly difficult to maneuver and thus extremely dangerous, but the rewards for the risks can scarcely be exaggerated. Local One word: Laddering! (always with an exclamation point). Ladder!” FOR But while Freestyle Laddering! is preferred by most, modifications and options are Why? What happened? How could a sport whose popularity saw no end in sight have withered into obscurity so quickly? : my SPORT endless. Consider Riparian Laddering! for use in streambeds, where running water and quicksand create extra hazards and special thrills. days of glory, charging up 60 degree inclines on the formerly world famous Slickrock Bike Trail, are a fading memory. madder, than to be outside without Century. Laddering! has arrived. THIS County Sheriff Jim for the 21st Nyland, "You never have serious injuries with Hook THE CANYON COUNTRY ZEPHYR Origins Although the roots of Laddering! are somewhat obscure, the sport apparently began in Bulgaria. A medical doctor, Yogov Ur, first introduced the sport in its modern context at a symposium for proctologists in the last decade of the 19th Moab, Utah ~ Century. Laddering! gained popularity in Dr. Ur’s country--mostly in the rural regions--but remained a mystery for the rest of Europe and the world. Visitors and tourists who saw Laddering! aficionados often mistook the Ladderers! for confused housepainters and rumors'of rampant mental illness in Bulgaria circulated for years. But for Dr. Ur and his countrymen, Laddering! was a joyous experience. The Doctor of Laddering! became a national hero. Volume 3 Number 2 / May 1991 50 CENTS ay NEXT SPORTS CRAZE? ADDERING! a sport for the 24st century hh. If, To \.come THE WORLD aos 61) SLICK ROCIS UY, -ADDERING Yea PLEASE USE” " : : CAUTION) eee ADDERING: 4 Cowpurcy Sheets : ) S ; _ PoLicA- det ) La] "0 % k 3 (stD.) Ge _\ OD With ia Votan: 5020 wweries (STD) > Raat Dr. Yogov Ur introduced the sport in its modern context at a symposium for proctologists in the last decade of the 19th Century. For Dr. Ur and his countrymen, Laddering! was a joyous experience. ” interviews with: anuel Torres e' 2 Jack Campbell on Economic Development Jones on Trees P.O. BOX 327 MOAB, UTAH 84532 Almost a century later, Laddering! reached the New World, thanks to the vision and courage of Utah native, bookseller /entrepreneur Kenneth "Spurs Jackson" Sanders. The Art of Bob Walker While preparing for a trip to Europe, Sanders discovered a first edition copy of Ur’s classic, “Laddering for Lovers,” and immediately recognized its potential as an Laddering! The fall always kills ‘em.” Less dangerous than Hook Laddering! but growing in popularity by leaps and bounds is Tandem Laddering! It’s just the right sporting option for young lovers on the American sport. In 1983, Sanders traveled to Sofiya and observed Laddering! for the first time; from ‘that moment he knew his life would: never be the same again. Laddering! was in his blood and there it has stayed. He had to share his discovery with the world. Ken brought Bulgaria’ National Pastime to America--to his blessed Utah. go. And But the timing was wrong. The mountain bike craze had already established a firm foothold by the time Sanders and his Ladders! could reach the showroom floor. And it was the Reagan Era. The Raygun Daze. The bikes were glarnorous and glitzy and sexy. And expensive. It appealed to American Greed and Materialism in a way no simple Ladder! ever could. Laddering slipped from view before it ever had a chance because proper function requires the pair to coordinate their movements, Tandem Laddering! can have a positive bonding effect. Many happily married men and women can honestly say that Tandem Laddering! brought them together. In fact, - while we can’t verify the claim, Mike and Bonnie Tyler of Cope, Colorado insist that : — their first child was conceived while the happy parents Tandem Laddered! on a weekend vacation in the Black Hills. And with the E-Z Clip-on Li'l Ladderette! option, Laddering! can be fun for the entire family (maximum add-on: 6 Ladderettes!) to win the hearts and souls of all God-fearing Americans. Finding the right Ladder! Laddering! rocks!!! Specialized Laddering! absolutely not. The economical poly-styrene 3-meter Ladder! (at $79.99) is perfect for the beginning Ladderer! The top-of-the-line Graphite Rainbow And what about the Ladder! itself? Will any old ladder do the job? In this Age of That was then. This is NOW. Laddering! is back with a vengeance and sweeping the country. Bicycle racks are being ripped from the roofs of Saabs and Volvos and Subaru Outbacks and replaced with Laddering! rails. Once you've Laddered! life will never be the same again. Here’s an overview of America’s fastest growing sport... Freestyle Laddering! is the most popular version of the sport, particularly when applying the standard 3-meter Ladder! It is particularly challenging on wide,treeless expanses of slickrock where speed and balance are critical. Laddering! trails have already been established near the Slickrock Bike Trail and it’s only a matter of time before this popular recreation area gains worldwide recognition as the Slickrock Laddering! Trail. : Ladder! is light, maneuverable and retails for $499.99 (with leather-look case). Hook Ladders! (which are necessarily collapsible, considering their 30 meter length) can cost as much as $1000. After-market pontoon kits to convert a standard 3-meter Freestyle to a Riparian Ladder! are available at a modest price. And for those rich weasels who like to keep it natural and show their opulence at the same time, the beautiful, hand-polished, one-piece hickory Ladder! is a must. Recently we spoke with Moab’s Dave Sakrison, the exclusive Rocky Mountain Regional Laddering! distributor and owner of Dave’s Corner Laddering! store, right