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Show FEBRUARY oN v Mediterranean Xv Do It at the Rock-Climbing Gym Style By Wayne Moore Bistro S . in the Heart er, of the ae vi Downhill District ° : 1996 Luneh wy and eo the mountain disappears, no matter how grand. All that remains is your heart, and your lungs and your legs. The mountain doesn’t care whether you are on top or bottom or stuck on its side. You are battling nothing but yourself. I go climbing to challenge myself, to see how strong, how disciplined, how creative I can be. The creativity is important. It is my responsibility to challenge myself, to find difficulty, to create problems and solve them. There are many ways up a mountain. Which way is best, depends on the individual Dinner 7 days ty a week x Reservations 801-536-5787 Solitude Big Cottonwood Ski Resort Canyon * Utah The Great Indoors During the winter months and other times when I can’t get outside, I like to practice climbing indoors. Recently, I headed for the great indoors for some climbing, Although there are several indoor climbing facilities in the Salt Lake area, I went to the Wasatch Front Rock Gym, 427 W. Universal Circle (9160 South). Another good spot is the Black Diamond climbing gym, 2084 E. 3900 South. Mountain Tony Tuttle practices bouldering The gym is a warehouse-like building with a big glass front. It appears as a cave, its walls angling outward from the warehouse walls, covered with various colored holds of different sizes and shapes. The floor is a small well, filled with a thousand TEVA’s — small pieces of foam rubber — with climbing ropes snaking through them, and a couple of gymnastic mats for those who wish extra softness. Td Tet: Bouldering The majority of people who climb in these gyms are doing something called bouldering. Bouldering is free climbing: no ropes, no harnesses, just the self and, hopefully, a good pair of shoes (which you can rent there). Climbers boulder up and down and traverse ‘round and ‘round the gym. Bouldering is a discipline of safety, in which the climber seeks to challenge the self, without going beyond the onhows priae in organizations that protect the world we live in by continuously donating a portion of our profits to: Utah Open Lands ® Park City Recycling Utah Wilderness Association HawkWatch We hope you take a vested interest in your Surroundings by making The Wasatch Mountain Times an important part of your mountain lifestyle. Wyoming Education, Winter 1996 Winter Ecology of Utah Raptors: February 14th and 21st from 6:30-8:30 p.m. and a field trip on Saturday the 17th. Learn about resident raptors and winter visitors to our area; discuss who’s doing what and where during this surprisingly good raptor season. Cost $30.00 members, $40.00 non-members. Call the office to register and for location. Woolens 518 Historic Main « Park City, Utah & Jackson Hole Wyoming 801-645-9427 HawkWatch Field Trip: February 24th Look for local raptors, rare visitors, and Bald Eagles with HawkWatch staff and friends. we Wyoming Wea JACKSON FLEECE FEET Spend the day “roadside hawking” while sharpening your ID skills. Cost: $5.00 members, $10.00 nonmembers. Call the office to sign up and to get details! 7 ~~ 924-8511 HOLE, USA PAGE . St 4 ‘ Times Photo techniques at Black Diamond's climbing gym. height of a safe fall. It is a climbing form by no means limited to the gym, but due to the variety of holds and especially the flat padded floor, the gym is the ideal environment. For those seeking the vertical challenge, as the term ‘climbing’ implies, this indoor world has routes extending upward toward 30 feet, with difficulties beginning at 5.6 and going beyond 5.11. The system by which various climbs are gauged in difficulty is something like this: expect to conquer a 5.6 difficulty climb with some work on your first visit to the gym. For a 5.11, plan on going daily for a year or more, possibly much more depending on your personal athleticism. Instruction The gym offers instruction in both safety and skill. There are lessons for children, adults, beginners, advanced climbers and groups. You can learn to tie knots safely and properly. You can learn the proper use of your equipment, harness, caribiners, braking devices, webbing and ropes. You can learn how to properly weight your foot, extend your arm, and position your body, so that something you once thought unimaginably difficult becomes incredibly simple. If you are at all interested in the sport of rock climbing, go to an indoor gym this winter, skip a day on the snow and head for a bit of warm challenge and excitement. There’s something there for everyone. The rock gym is not the exclusive indoor training center for the world class climbers, although you may get the chance to meet one or two. There is a route, a sequence, a traverse, a hold there, perfect to challenge your ability, no matter what your experience level. @ |
