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Show The Sait Lake Tribune OUTDOORSRECREATION Sunday, February 9, 2008 B10 SKIP KNOWLES Thanks, ATV, for Proving Pointfor Me ce fishers rule the winter and got a big frosty kiss from Mother Na ture last week, with the bitter cold tightening u e lid on lake: that were th g out in January it’s hard to say why it’s so en: thralling, but there is enchantment out there on the ice and hundredsof people spread across Strawberry Reservoir three weeks ago, showing why fishing is huge and growing, Roughly 517,000 anglers age 16 and old shed Utah in 2001. That rivals the combined popula is Salt LakeCity, Provo, and Ogden, said Alan Matheson, Jr. with Utah Trout Unlimited. A2001 U.S. Fish and Wildlife Ser- vicesurvey says these anglers con: tributed nearly $400 million to the Utah economy Toughjob, but it was timeto do Photos by Steve Mann/Special to the Tribune Above, Reed Hatchof Arizona attempts to climb Red Monster's GU Problem at Ibex while Orem's Arlo McGinn spots. Below, Provo's Brooke Misseldine climbs Boulder 1 in the Ibex Crags. Ibex, 50 miles westof Delta, is a unique location for bouldering, especially in the winter. my part. [borrowed a dull auger and Bouldering quickly wore out my rotatorcuffs tryingto cut aholeat Soldier Creek. I wassorefor four days. Aphilan: spot in thropist loaned his and we cut four holes in 10 minutes. ‘Then wewaited. In five hours, the fish came through once and we pulled out two fat rainbows. That southwestern Utah offers plenty of climbingfun in the winter wasit. Guys aroundustalked about 40-fish days. We stared at ouriceholes. It should havebeenreally boring, watchingwater freeze. Butit wasn’t. It was nice. For action, we usedthe ice oopto throwtheball for my old deaf Lab. When that grewtoo chal- lenging, wewouldfocuson trying to spit sunflowerseedsinto thehole. Over at EchoandPineview, they'rereeling in perch likeit’s their job. We would getfired at our rateof catch, and should havebeen bored, butit was wonderful. Mykidgetsit. Hewasglad | was wornout and auger-less, thereby immobile. He hadjust endeda grueling semester and was happy to dayd. BY STEVE MANN Atrioof old mentraipsedover, SPECIALTO THETRIBUNE old pros with perfect equipment. Theyhadjust killed themacross the interdoesn't stop dedicatedclimbers,especially boulderers. OneUtah hot spot, Ibex, has beenfea- lake, and startedfishing aroundus. L grew anxious, preparing to look a biggerfool than a chumpwith adull auger, Butthey caught nothing, either. It’s not just the rocks that makeIbexso appealing it's the combinationof the rocks and the weatherthat drawsboulderers. outdoors. what'sreally so cool aboutIbex.It’s not thefact Suddenly a quadrunnerfired up 30 yards away, anda guy blasts by doing donuts. He circled us three times, then charged the shoreline, ripping upthrough the snow until he got stuck. His knobbytires bit down and sprayedbig ug! plumesofshoreline soil across the white snow. Thenherockedit out, spunback ontothelake,anddidit again and again, untilthe shoreline lookedlikea landminetestsite. He comes back down, shuts it off, grabs a beer. million boulders. Thecoolthingis thatin the dead ofwinter, whenthere's a blizzard in Salt Lake and Provo, you can take a chance and driveto Ibex, finding it sunny anddry. It happens so many times,it’s just unbelievable. You candrive until you're within 10 minutesin a big blizzard, then all ofa suddenit’s dry.” A few hours nto almost anywinterafternoon confirmsKnezek’ s most clinjberssheddo 8 ‘Thoughts of the 20-degree temperatures back on the Wasatch Front bring sun-warmed smiles. Even whenthe temperatures remaincooler,the sunal Thetripto Ibex l manyfirst-timevisitors the sameweek doubting whethersuc! limbingShangri-La re- vere becauseit was ATV enthusiasts attackinga column| had writ ingoff-roaders need to get their act together beforeothersdoit for them. Among the brilliant rider reactions? Horse hay, regular vehi cles and hikers were problems on damage and illegal Id, do not exist. And ATVs are not ugly ‘The good news is it opened thedi alogue between responsible ATVen: thusiasts (and thereare many) who proposed: @ Patrolling by ATVowners for illegal useby other ATVusers. @ Mandatory use ofbig num: bered license plates soillegal users can beeas! orted. @ Lobbying lawmakersfor en. forcement of current ATVlaws, which are good but not enforced. ®@ Much stiffer penalties. A per. son who can dropseven grand on a toy machineis notliving in fear pay ing fora $50ticket. ‘The other ATVriders could take a big cluefromthesesanevoices. Show Them How You Get Skunked; Insteadof going to the Lower Provo again toteach afish to kid(as in anglers who think they will ever hookit) givethosetoosmart trout a break andteach a kid to fish instead. Adults are neededto helpin youth fishing clubs that will be es tablished in communities along the Wasatch Front this spring and sum mer. The more adults who volunteer, the more kids can beinvolved, said Mark Hadley, with Division of Wild most alwaysshines. al y exists in the barren wastelan James Rapsonof Sydney, Australia,tries to climb an overhang on a rock near Topus Boulder. The Route to Ibex Drive south on I-15 to Nephi, exiting at the second eeountr 'ysidesurprisingly boring. The inauspicious BLMsignseems to validate those doubts. A bandof chalky rockcliffs frames theflat Tule Valley, andadry lakebedparallels theroad. At the baseof the white cliffs lies theobject ofthe quest: boulders. Gargantuanones, Volkswagen-sizedones, mushroom-shaped ones, red, white, brown andyellow ones, ‘About a mile from this cut, you'll see a BLM road sign ‘pointing to Ibex. Follow the directions on the ClimbXmedia topo map to the various climbing areas. ‘The topo mappoints out a numberofintriguingly namedbouldering areas: Candyland, the Tbex Crags, Topus, the Hill of Rocks, the Corral, Rabbit Rock, Stagger and WarmPoint. The Ibex Crags and theCorral arethe mostfrequented and most accessible boulders. For every mapped area December, January, February in the dead of winter it’s theperfect place to go. . Youcan and named boulder, hundreds of unnamed and on classic, once-in-a-lifetime boulders,” possibly untouched boulders dot the landscape. Thex isn't a one-trick pony: Bouldering isn't the onlyactivity for Ibex-goers. While best-known for its boulders, sport climbing also is growing in pop- ‘Thereare moreproblemsthan youcouldat. tempt much less conquer in alifetime. For boulderers,Ibex trulyis a winter nirvana the remotenessof the location a blessing resulting in fewerclimbers,notraffic andcleanair. Knezek summarizes Ibex's drawing power: “In go to Ibex and put up a million [new] problemsor repeat a million existing problems, many of them ularityon Ibex’s whitecliffs. The guidebook,/bex & Selected Climbs Of Utah's West Desert, by James Garrett, contains 120 pages ofsport, traditional Know Before You Go andsoft sandy ground, and these comforts makeit the most sought-after camping spot. Be sure to bring plentyoffood and water. Delta is the nearest town with supplies if50 miles can be considerednear.It also is a good idea to top off the gas tank on your wayoutofDelta, Steve Mann is co-authorof 100 Hikes in Utah Bouldering is similar to sport climbing — roped climbing — in that it requires a calculated sequence of the Ibex topo download. Print the topo and take it along on your visit to Ibex. It will prove vital fo your understanding and enjoyment. Unlike sport climbing, which emphasizes endurance, bouldering favors short bursts of power; a sequence of only a few moves on routes close to the ground, without ropes. A bouldering pad provides a soft landing zone, Most routes top out less than 15 feet from terra firma. Outdoors Recreation wrs ANIMAL TALK p.m. (knowles @sltrib,com) tent and the Ibex Crags, but the ground is hard, so bringa sleeping pad, and tents there are exposed to the wind. Topus provides shelter from the wind almost gymnastic moves; a combination of body awareness, skillful balance, foot placement and deliberate hand positioning, Scheduled to begin at 10 am, Visit httpy/www.sictrackclub.org for Skip Knowles will be available for a reader livechat session Feb. 21 at 3 plenty of opportunity to explore and scramble over Topus Mountain. Camp spots are plentiful. The flat lake bed provides adequate space and quick access between a The best source for the topois http:/www.climbXmedia.com. Click on “Guides”at the bottom. In the pop-up window,click on U.S. index then on Utah inthe U.S. map, Click on Ibex in the map of Utah, In the lower right comer is MOUNTAIN CLUB MEETS drew Cushing at (801) 588-4774. eastside ofTopus Mountain,so the ideal time to visit is during the midday warmth. 'There also is Whatis Bouldering? The Wasatch Mountain Club holds its general membership meeting Wednesday at 7 p.m. to elect the club's new board. Call Vicki at 801 230-1847 or Jeanine at 601-364-1873 for more information call An- head around the mountain westof the Topus Boul- derto the large, sloping sand dune for rock jumping, sand rolling andrelaxing. Childrenfind the sand dunea particularly rewarding destination. The dunelies on the shaded Like most other forms of climbing in the United States, bouldering had its beginnings in Califomia’s Yosemite Valley. Climbers warmed up — or conquered boredom between tackling roped routes — by hopping on short routes on the valley's plentiful bouklers. noon, at 1594 W. North Temple in Salt LakeCity, To volunteer, and Alpineclimbs. Whenyou tire ofclimbing, theflat lake bed makesa greatFrisbee zoneorfootball field. Or, ‘Whatdo you need to boulder at Ibex? The obvious gearinckxles rock shoes, chalk and @ bouldering pad. Perhaps less obvious is a topo a map showing each boulder, established route name and associated difficulty rating. life Resources. Volunteer training will be held Feb, 22, from9 4,m, to ra Darrin Knezek, owner of Prov 's MountainWorks climbingstore, clarifi People don’t get that the problemsare really cool and thatthere's a My groggy son was irritated and willed himto gothroughthe ice, but 1 just had to laugh, ® tured in national magazinesand climbingposters. We sighed, and did what we'rebest at. Joe rolledinto thesled, and| curledupbythe Lab. Lights out. We got that dreamsleepyouonly get SALTAIR RUN The second race of the three-event Great Saltair 30k Winter Run: ‘ning Series will be hold Saturday at the Groat Saltair The 10k event 6 more information Mare Bekoff, a professor of biology at the University of Colorado, will speak on “Minding Animais: Emotions, Nature, Science and Heart” at the University of Utah Marriot Library Goukd Auditorium at 7 p.m, Feb. 20. Bekoft ts a leading researcher in animal behaviour and animal minds. The lacture is free and open to the public. For more information, { call 801-585-3440. LEARN TO TUNE Learn how to tune your skis or snowboard at a free clinic Tuesday 4at7 p.m. at the Salt Lake City REI store, By tuning your equipment, you ne ee ee eeeeeaenee ree Included {in this hands-on clinic: how to sharpen and bevel edges, waxing and minor base repair. Call 801-486-2100 for more information. RE! Is lo- cad a 3285 E3200 South J ‘POOR |
