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Show THE ZEPHYRMAY 1991 PAGE 10 LADDERING moabs next sports craze is here by Jim Stiles Imagine this. Your royal blue lycra bicycle suite lies unused bicycle and forgotten in the back of the utility closet. The high-te- ch life that cost $2300 and was once the centerpiece of your hangs on a hook from the garage rafters. It twists In the breeze like a dead coyote strung up on a fence post. Its days of glory, charging up 60 degree Inclines on the formerly World Famous Slickrock Bike Trail, are a fading memory. Why? What happened? How could a sport whose popularity saw no end in sight have withered away so quickly? Ill tell you why. In one word....Laddering! Thats right. Laddering! Its now. Its wow. Its a sport for the 90s. Its a sport fo the 21st Century. Laddering! has arrived. Freestyle Laddering! Is the most popular version of the sport, Ladder! It Is particularly when applying the standard 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. Its only a matter of time before this popular recreation area gains worldwide recognition as the Slickrock Laddering Trail. But while Freestyle Laddering! is preferred by most, modifications and options are endless. Consider Riparian Laddering! for use In stream beds where running water and quicksand create hazards and extra thrills. Crevice or Hook Laddering! leads participants to dizzying 3-m- eter Rc(Wi?0 turni'C HeoK WELCOME M m TO THE Wo WORU5 REKklOW SLICKROCK V, ' LATXERlf)(b TRAI-L? LEASE US6" CAOTlOiO cowewtw to W VI9UM-UU- P WW6TIPS CSTfc. Laddering! had its origins In Bulgaria. A doctor named Yogov introduced the sport during a recess of a symposium for proctologists In the last decade of the 19th century. It gained popularity within the country but the mostly in the rural regions sport continued to be a mystery for the rest of Europe and the World. For 80 years the joys of Laddering! were shared only by those lucky Dr. Ur became a national hero. Bulgarians. Ur first Almost a century later, Laddering! finally reached the New World. Thanks to the vision and foresight of Utahn Kenneth Sanders, Dr. Urs Invention received the appreciation it had for so many years deserved. On a trip to Sofiya In 1983, Mr. Sanders observed the sport for the first time and knew that his life would never be the same again. Laddering! was In his blood. He had to share his discovery with the world. Ken brought Laddering! to America... to his blessed Native Utah. 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 bikes were glitzy, and glamorous, and sexy. And expensive. It appealed to Americans in a way no Ladder! could. Laddering! slipped from view before ft had a chance to be seen. heights in narrow cracks and canyons. The 30 meter Ladder! Is particularly difficult to maneuver and Is therefore extremely dangerous, but the rewards for the risks taken can hardly be exaggerated. Local search and rescue teams endorse Hook Laddering! since It eliminates a major problem for the Team difficult carryouts of critically Injured. to Sheriff Jim According Dryland, "You never have serious injuries with Hook Laddering! The fall always kills em. Less dangerous than Hook Laddering! but growing in popularity by leaps and bounds Is Tandem Laddering! Its Just the right sporting option for young lovers on the go. And because It 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. And with the E- -Z Clip on Ul Ladderette! Option, Laddering! can be fun for the whole family (maximum add-o- n 6 Ladderettes!) And what about the Ladder! itself? Will any old ladder do the this Age of Specialized Laddering! a specialized Ladder! Is Job? ne Ladder! absolutely necessary. The economical (at $79.99) Is perfect for the Beginning Laddered The Graphite Rainbow Ladder! is light, maneuverable and retails for $499.99 (with case). Hook Ladders! (which are necessarily collapsible, considering their ter length) can cost as much as $1000. Pontoon kits to convert a standard Freestyle to a Riparian Ladder! are available at a modest price. And for those who like to keep it natural, the beautiful, Ladder! is a hickory one-pie- ce In poly-styre- 3-m- eter top-of-the--line 30-me- That was then. This is now. Laddering! is back and its sweeping the nation. Bicycle racks are being pulled off the roofs of Saabs and Volvos and replaced with Ladder! Rails. l ar tiPAMiJ 3-m- hand-polish- ed, """' .... nifnwr wm, i i eter |
