Dean Potter: Delicate Arch

What did Dean Potter do on Delicate Arch, and how did he do it?
Those questions have percolated in the climbing world since May 7, when Potter—a 34-year-old professional climber who splits his time between Moab, Utah, and Yosemite National Park—scampered to the top of Delicate Arch, a fragile landmark in southern Utah's Arches National Park. Potter's climb touched off a storm that has led to condemnation from close friends and mentors, virulent criticism from many climbers, and strict new climbing regulations in the park itself. What has remained a mystery, though, is exactly how Potter conducted the climb, and whether it was quite as delicate as many believe. As Outside has learned, it wasn't, and there's even a chance Potter did permanent damage to Delicate Arch's famously soft sandstone.

Delicate Arch, a marquee rock formation in Utah's Arches National Park. (Steve Howe)

Potter is best known for risking do-or-die routes with no protective gear to catch a fall. And if you saw the footage he released to TV newspeople immediately after the Delicate Arch climb, you saw a bare-chested daredevil going up one side alone with only a chalk bag dangling from his capri-style pants. Potter says his ascent—a "free solo," in climber lingo—was a legal, ethical, leave-no-trace effort and that he did nothing more than blow "a little dust off" the smallest handholds. His wife, 33-year-old pro climber Steph Davis Potter, told at least one colleague that the climb was "a beautiful ascent in the purest of style."

That may depend on how you define "purest." Extensive interviews—with Potter, two friends who helped him video the climb, an Outside editor who was present for the latter portion of the episode, Arches officials, climbers, supporters, and critics—paint a different picture. Though Potter did free-solo Delicate Arch (as many as six times), he rehearsed the moves first, with protection from a top rope draped over the formation. Two men who accompanied him during the adventure—Brad Lynch, 35, and Eric Perlman, 55—ascended fixed ropes to the top. At least one of them captured Potter’s moves on video. Some of that footage was included in a trailer for Potter's new movie, tentatively titled Aerialist, which aired before audiences at last weekend's Telluride Mountainfilm festival. Outside saw a copy of the trailer, and it leaves no doubt Potter wasn't by himself atop the arch. One shot is taken from directly overhead while he's making an ascent.

Dean Potter's approximate route up Delicate Arch's east side. On the upper left is the area where groove marks are visible in the sandstone. (Steve Howe)

As of midweek, Park Service investigators declined to say whether they had found signs of damage to the arch. But a photographer dispatched by Outside—who used a telephoto lens to take pictures of the area directly above Potter's route—identified three distinct grooves worn by rope into the sandstone. (Each appears to be roughly a fourth of an inch deep and several inches long and is invisible to the naked eye from ground level.) In addition, Jason Keith, a Moab-based policy director with the Access Fund, a climber-advocacy group, says that, out of curiosity, he examined the arch in mid-May with a spotting scope and saw as many as five additional grooves that are visible on a different spot near the summit.
Arches officials have decided Potter's climb was not illegal, due to vaguely worded regulations that have since been made crystal clear to prohibit any more arch climbs. But according to Karen McKinlay-Jones, the park's acting chief ranger, officials are looking for damage to Delicate Arch with "a priority over everything except life and limb." (She wouldn't comment further on how they're investigating.) The park's superintendent, Laura Joss, adds, "If there is damage to Delicate Arch, that is of grave concern to us."
Rick Ridgeway, vice president of communications at Patagonia—one of Potter's main sponsors—says the company is "adamantly opposed" to acts that damage any natural setting and that it would likely reevaluate its relationship with Potter, one of Patagonia's top-ten paid athletes, if it turns out his climb damaged the formation. In any event, Ridgeway says it's now incumbent upon Potter to come clean about exactly what he did. "To say that he was just there to commune with nature is half the story," he says. "It's time to be frank."
Potter insists the climb left no trace. "The marks up there are not mine, absolutely, and I know for a fact that other people have been up there," he says. "So it's crystal clear: When we were doing this arch climb it was in all of our minds that the super priority was to be careful of the rock: Don't harm the rock, move slowly, don't do anything at all if you are going to harm the rock. I'm so in tune with rocks and nature. On any rock around the world, if I hurt the rock, I feel like I'm hurting myself."
Malcolm Daly, the 51-year-old founder of climbing-gear company Trango and a friend of Potter's, says any potential damage to the arch is a "tragedy." But another issue for him, he says, is one of profound disappointment, and it cuts deeper than a rope groove. After first supporting Potter and getting roasted for it on climbing Web sites like Mountain Project (http://www.mountainproject.com/), Daly has now become a critic.
"There are many people who think Dean just walked up there and climbed it," Daly says. "I wanted to think that, because I have all this respect for him and this spiritual context under which he says he climbs. And I think other people want to believe that. That's why I feel so hurt. He did rehearse it. It was for a photo shoot. It was a communal effort by a group of people, and there is damage to the arch. It takes all the polish off the diamond."

Dan Osman : Rope failure analysis

The following article is courtesy of Wikipedia...

Dan Osman (February 11, 1963 - November 23, 1998) was an extreme sport practitioner, known for the dangerous sports of "free-soloing" (rock climbing without ropes or other safety gear) and "controlled free-falling" (falling several hundred feet from a cliff while relying on a safety rope), for which his record was over 1200 feet. He was known for living a bohemian lifestyle, rarely working, and living in a treehouse for months at a time. He was the star of several rock climbing videos, which brought free-soloing to a wider audience.
He died November 23, 1998 at the age of 35 after his rope cut while performing a controlled free-fall jump from the Leaning Tower rock formation in Yosemite National Park. The exact cause of the failure is unknown, but a change in jump site selection which caused a rigging entanglement is most likely. He is survived by his daughter Emma Osman.

Rope Failure Analysis

Subject: My Dan Osman Rope Failure Analysis
From: Chris Harmston
Newsgroups: rec.climbing
Date: Fri, 16 Jul 1999 12:09:11 -0600
I think it is time I spoke up publicly. I have reviewed Dano's rope in
some detail. My findings and theory support those published by Kevin
Worrall in Climbing (No 183, March 1999, Pg 90).
This statement is mine personally and NOT that of Black Diamond Equipment!
This is obvious as you read below.
Irrelevant Background:
I am a Materials Engineer with BS degrees in Physics and Materials
Engineering and a ME in Materials Engineering (I nearly finished a PhD but
bailed once I learned I did not enjoy being a scientist any longer). I
know lots about atomic layer semiconductor crystal growth. I have been
the Quality Assurance Manager for Black Diamond Equipment for 6 years. My
primary responsibility is the testing and analysis of climbing equipment,
among other stuff. I have been involved in the ASTM climbing and
mountaineering standards development for the last 4 years. I investigate
all accidents I hear of involving equipment failure, whether they are BD's
or not. I review rec.climbing every day looking specifically for posts
related to accidents, gear, misuses of gear, issues about BD, etc. I, and
others at BD, go out of our way on this news group to publish information
above and beyond what is required by the standards that climbing gear is
designed to (see the recent lame thread on "Gear Safety" which I will not
respond to specifically. See Karl Lew's web site. Search under my name
on dejanews for examples). I do not post to this news group as a general
rule unless I think that posts from various people are specifically wrong
or misleading, as is the current case (in fact I try to avoid posting
because of commercial conflict of interest). I respond to individuals on
this news group constantly and my comments to these people come back into
this group (see the current RP thread on soldering cable fatigue). I
respond in detail to individuals who ask me questions, even when they do
not like what BD is about (see recent Camalot threads and failure analysis
associated with this thread).
Even more irrelevant background:
I have been rock climbing since 1981, and am primarily a trad climber. I
am a risk taker because I climb. Climbing IS dangerous and anyone who
thinks otherwise if fooling themselves. Anyone who climbs is a risk taker
in my opinion. I climb 5.12 on any rock type (that I have been on) and
style (except offwidth, so far) and have onsighted up to 12c/d. I climb
WI6 and possibly harder (ice is either hard or easy to me and is my
primary passion). I climb M8. I establish new rock, ice and mixed
routes ground up with and without bolts. I have no aid or alpine
experience. I weight 190 lbs and take upside-down 40 to 60 footers
without my helmet on. I have nearly killed myself several times due to
falling off 5.8. I am a climber, climbing eventually involves falling,
which may very well kill or maim me. Most people, including myself, would
consider me to be reckless because of how I climb. I climb for my own
reasons and no one else's. I don't care what people think about me in
general. Why Dano jumped off cliffs is his own personal choice that
nobody has a right to argue against, even if he had children in my
opinion. I certainly have no right to judge his reasons for doing what he
did. I respect Dano for pushing the limits way way beyond where they had
been previously. I met Dano twice but did not know him. I know many of
his friends.
Relevant Background:
My expertise in the analysis of broken climbing ropes is very limited.
This is due to the fact that climbing ropes very rarely break or cut in
actual use. The only previous experience I have with rope failure
analysis was that of Matt Baxter who died on El Cap several years ago when
his rope was cut by a flake after a carabiner had broken (see dejanews for
more info on this, send a Freedom of Information Request to the NPS-I
recommend you do it for the Dano accident as well and then you can have a
copy of my official report, or look at ANAM). I have also reviewed
several ropes with sheaths shredded due to the open back regular carabiner
gates in minor axis. This lack of experience could indicate that my
findings are incorrect or suspect.
I first became involved in Dano's accident when news of Dano's death
spread across this news group with the associated rumors that the NPS
might have purposely cut his rope. On December 9, 1998 I sent an email to
John Dill (YOSAR director) letting him know of these rumors on this news
group and offered my assistance in the analysis of Dano's equipment. John
responded back that Yosemite Law Enforcement (YLE) was investigating the
accident and that they had to finish their investigation before I might be
able to see the ropes (they too knew of the rumors of murder and were
investigating this as well I suspect). As you all should know Dan's ropes
stayed on the wall for over a month and YLE was unable to recover them.
Given the rumors of tampering by the NPS a climber took matters into his
own hands. He recovered the ropes and sent them directly to BD. As soon
as I received the ropes I contacted YLE because I was in possession of
stolen federal evidence from an active investigation. I was told to
return the ropes immediately and reveal the name of the person who sent me
the ropes. While on the phone with the lead investigator another phone
call came into BD from "someone within YLE" stating that the FBI would be
at BD to arrest me if I did not send the ropes back the next day. I was
freaking out to say the least. Meanwhile I looked at the rope in some
detail. It was melted through. It looked as if there were the
possibility that someone had hot cut the rope. When I called YLE back and
told them this they wanted me to conduct my full investigation and allowed
me to keep the rope for two weeks. No FBI showed up to haul me away.
Analysis:
I only saw the one section of rope that was cut down and contained the
failure point. I did not see the rigging, retrieval rope, or the section
that was attached to Dan directly.
Everything I did was visual examination. I did not untie any knot or
tamper with the rope in any way other than prying the knots to see inside.
With some insight from Doug Heinrich I concluded that the failure of Dan's
rope was not due to tensile overload or from being tampered with. I
strongly believe that Dan did miscalculate on his last jump. For some
reason he moved his jump site. In doing so he crossed the ropes (either
on the retrieval line or on the main jump line). When he jumped the first
knot above the one he was tied in with slid down a section of rope several
lengths up. The sheath was heavily melted and removed in several sections
on this upper part of the rope. The knot that slid down the rope was
melted in multiple locations and was melted nearly completely through,
deep inside the knot. This knot was not tight, yet others in the system
were (this is the one open question that is unresolved as far as I know).
It is my conclusion that Dan's rope was cut by his own rope sliding
against itself. Use of a magnifying glass indicated to me that the cut
surface was due to sliding action in one direction. There was no evidence
of hot cutting with a knife or other type of instrument. I conducted
further experiments in my lab to see if tensile overload could have caused
this failure. The samples I tested were significantly different in that
they were heavily frayed and tattered. My analysis of Dan's ropes in
general was that they were in great condition. There was no evidence to
me of damage due to previous falls, uv exposure, or weather. I would have
climbed on these ropes without any hesitation had they not been from this
accident. I do not believe that the condition of the ropes had anything
at all to do with the failure of the ropes. Nor do I believe that Dan's
basic shock absorbing setup was incorrect. Crossing the ropes was the
problem.
I was asked by YLE not to make my findings public until they had finished
their criminal investigation. They forced me to tell them who sent me the
rope and they pressed charges against this individual (I will have to live
with the fact that I was unable to keep this information confidential). I
still have not heard back from YLE about closure of this accident and
decided to make my findings public now due to the vast numbers of
misinformed posts relative to this subject. Maybe my analysis will stop
some of the useless bickering many of you are currently engaged in.
Conclusions:
What is to be learned from this accident? NEVER LET NYLON SLIDE AGAINST
NYLON! You should already know this.
I also know that Dano's rigging setup was reviewed by more than a couple
of technically competent people. I also know that he tested it multiple
times. I personally do not think that what Dan was doing (when done
properly as he had done on earlier jumps) was any more dangerous than
modern ice climbers doing hard thin ice routes (like in Maple Canyon and
elsewhere), in fact his setup was most likely safer in my personal
opinion. Dan's death was a tragedy and an accident.
Again, this summary is mine personally and not that of Black Diamond.
Chris Harmston (chrish@bdel.com).
Quality Assurance Manager. Materials Engineer BS, ME.
Black Diamond Equipment Ltd.
2084 East 3900 South, SLC, UT 84124 phone: 801-278-5552
DISCLAIMER: Unless otherwise indicated, this correspondence is personal
opinion and NOT an official statement of Black Diamond Equipment Ltd.

Climbing Videos

Here are some of the climbing videos that are on google videos..
there are lots many... just try searchin them..
click on the links provided to make the task easier...

Realization by Chris Sharma
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-200477265572892748&q=chris+sharma

The Mandala by Chris Sharma
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-6514098815227253698&q=chris+sharma

Nose of El Capitan: Yosemite valley by Dean Potter
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-4832527121139830698&q=rockclimbing

Petzl Roctrip Millau
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-1473448424228779099&q=rockclimbing

Rockclimbing in India

The following article is a courtsey of http://www.maps-india.com/


It is not quite easy to define rock climbing, but it is not difficult too. Anyone who claims to be a rock climber has his own version of the game. Rock climbing for some is to challenge their spirits and explore new heights, to give a fillip to their unbounded imaginations; for others, it is a way telling the world that he/she has finally arrived. For many of the professional rock climbers, it is not a sport. Can you call a mission to moon a sport or pastime? If not, then why should rock climbing be called a sports is the argument. For them, rock climbing is an adventure of the greatest magnitude; it is a fight against self, against the elements, and the ultimate goal is to reach the summit and return back alive.
Rock climbing is a test of strength, concentration and coordination as well as skill and technique. A climber learns from experience that the mountain must not be taken for granted. It can be rough and antagonistic to those who venture to come to grips with it. Nevertheless, as a sport, climbing continues to offer a thrill and challenge that is compulsive.In India, rock climbing, as most other adventure sports, is a relatively new sport. However, in a short span of time, it has become the most popular adventure sport. Because of the good distribution of great climbing rocks throughout India, coupled the element of excitement involved, rock climbing has become the sport to participate in for the young and the old alike.


Type
Rock climbing is a mountain-based adventure sports.Modern rock climbers generally use three different styles of climbing: free climbing, aid climbing and a combination of free and aid climbing. There is yet another type of climbing called face climbing, which involves climbing against the face of a rock.

Free Climbing
A free climber depends totally on his skills, self-confidence, and footwork to accomplish his target. He does not need the help of any technical instrument except for safety.

Aid Climbing
Aid climbing involves the use of instrument to reach the summit. Aid climbing was started when the need was felt to use equipments for climbing rocks that were too difficult to climb without any external help

Free and Aid Climbing
Most of the modern climbing revolves around this method. Pre-placing bolts and other protection is a part of this type of climbing process. Basic free climbing techniques are the precondition to advance climbing, and it is imperative for the beginners to have expertise in both free as well as aid climbing techniques

Levels of Difficulty

Free Climbing
Levels of difficulty in rock climbing have been graded by professional climbers who have scaled some of the toughest rocks in the world. When they climb a rock, which is relatively tougher than a previous rock, they grade it at a higher point. This is also to inform the next set of climbers about the difficulties involved in this rock. However, it is to be noted that all the grades are interweaving and, in most cases, do not apply for everybody. Also, two rocks of same grade at different altitude levels can have two different difficulty levels. Professionals world over have also used different grading systems and sometimes it become quite difficult to rationalize them. Therefore, there are two types of grading systems in the USA: one shows 5.15 as the toughest grade rock while for the other it is X. Major grading systems in the world are UIAA (Union Internationale des Associations d’Alpinisme), Germany; YDS (Yosemite Grading System), United States; Alpine (Europe), and many nation-based climbing grades like South African, French, Aussie, British, Saxon, Czech, Norwegian, and Swedish. Most of the experts in India prefer UIAA grading which starts at 1 for the easiest rocks to 11 for the toughest ones. Corresponding grades of YDS are also widely used beginning from Grade 5.2 to 5.15. As mentioned earlier, the grading systems are subjective and not absolute: they keep changing with each new climb.


Aid Climbing
A different set of grading is accepted for aid climbing due to changes in the methods of climbing and associated process. A1: All placements are rock solid and easy. A2: Most of the placements are rock solid and easy, but some of them can prove to be difficult to place A3: Many placements are difficult, but there is the occasional bomber piece.A4: There are several placements in a row that will hold nothing more than body weight.A5: 20 meters (60 ft) or more of body placements in a row.This should be kept in mind that there can as much types interpretations for this rating as much there are climbers


NECESSARY EQUIPMENT
The major equipments that are required for climbing are ascenders (devices that help in ascending, like jummars), climbing rope, helmets, karabiner, chalk, chest harness, harness seat, nut, cliffhanger, climbing shoes, tape slings, and friends. You can find the equipments for rock climbing at most of the major cities in India. Names and addresses of some of the equipment providers in India are given below.

Avi Industries13/352, Shriji Sadan, Veer Chandavarkar Road,Matunga (E), MumbaiPhone: 00 91 22 4143810

Ibex Equipment B/7, 5090, Vasant Kunj,New DelhiPhone: 00 91 11 6891367

Outdoor SchoolNaraina Vihar, New Delhi 110 028Phone: 00 91 11 5797913Fax: 00 91 11 5798004

Wildcraft12, 8th Main, 3rd Block, Jayanagar,Bangalore 560 011Phone: 00 91 80 6647036



MAJOR DESTINATIONS
The best thing about this sport is the almost equal distribution of rock climbing destinations in India. The availability of the good climbing rocks not too far from the city gives greater access and participation from the professionals as well as from the amateurs alike. Given below are the names of some of the major destinations for rock climbing in India to give you a better idea for the places where you can engage in this game

Southern India
Badami, a five-hour drive from Bangalore, is a good place for rock climbing. Bangalore is in the center of a number of rock-climbing destinations like Ramanagaram (the setting for the Hindi blockbuster Sholay), Savandurga, Thuralli, Kabbal, Raogodhu, and others. Kambakkam at a distance of around 100 km from Chennai provides good climbing in many grades while Hampi in Karnataka has some of the best granite rocks in India providing the climbers ample opportunities to test their skills

Eastern India
In a 300-km radius adjoining Calcutta, there are some good rock-climbing destinations like Purulia, Matha Bura, Jai Chandi, and Susunia Hills. The Himalayan Mountaineering Institute provides some courses in Mountaineering at Gobu and Tenzing Norgay Rocks

Western India
There are several good rock-climbing destinations near Mumbai like Kanheri Caves in the Borivili National Park, Mumbra Boulders, and Manori Rocks. In Gujarat, Pavagadh is a favorite rock-climbing destination. In Rajasthan, the region around Mount Abu like State Mountaineering Institute’s training area, Golden Horn Spire, and Adhar Devi Slabs are the best rock-climbing destinations.

Northern India
North India offers some of the best and toughest challenges in rock climbing both for amateurs as well as for the professionals. The might of Himalayan rocks have always been the inspiration for many professional climbers. New Delhi and the region around it provide some very good options in rock-climbing arena. Lado Sarai in Delhi, Dhauj (55 km from Delhi), and Dam Dama Lake (around 65 km off Delhi) are some of the best-known rock-climbing destinations in this part of the country. In Himachal Pradesh, Manali and Dharamshala and the adjoining region provide some of the toughest and most exciting rock climbing options in the world. Professional climbers from all over the world come here to negotiate the rocks and to find new challenges.
Besides these, there are many artificial climbing walls in Delhi, Calcutta, Mumbai, Bangalore, Darjeeling, Manali, Uttarkashi, Bikaner, and at Mathura Road near Badarpur border in Haryana.


Best Time
Rock climbing can be undertaken throughout the year. India is a vast country and different parts of the country have different climatic conditions. Although you can practice rock climbing in most parts of the country, the fact remains that the Himalayan region provides the best rock-climbing challenges to the professional. The ideal months to practice this sport in the Himalayas are from April to June. In Delhi, however, the winter months are better than the rest of the year because this is the time when you can combine rock climbing with the pleasure of sightseeing. The weather in South India is ideal for rock climbing throughout the year


The Process
Once you have decided to go for rock climbing, the first thing to do is to identify the level you can climb. If rock climbing is a passion for you and you have already participated in this sport, then you have nothing to worry-you just need to choose your destination. However, for the amateurs, it is better to let some professional teach you the basics. You also need to decide whether you want to go for high- or low-altitude rock climbing. High-altitude rock climbing may need more efforts than low-altitude rock climbing. An instructor will teach you all about the nature of the rocks, the holds (like foothold, toehold), ropes and rope knots, how to use different instruments, and several other techniques. Remember that your first climbing may end in a disaster and that you are not be the first person to do this nor would you be the last. First, you will be required to be roped with a climbing rope. There would be one belayer at the top trying to give you as much safety as possible. Finding the first hold and taking the first step up is the most important part of the rock-climbing process. If you can do that in the first or second instance, you have already won half the challenge. Try to look for the climbing routes in the rock (route in a rock denotes a gradually increasing series of holds that goes up to the summit). A professional will look for challenging and more difficult routes, but for a beginner it is good to follow the easier routes. Do not extend your foot too high to go up. The thumb rule is to find the foothold for your right leg and toehold for your right hand in the beginning. Put pressure on your toehold and move your body weight up. Try to find a new foothold for your left foot and push up. Never stretch your leg too much and never put your body weight on your back. The best way to go up is to be straight and move up. As modern climbing revolve around sophisticated equipments, giving you enough aid to cross even the toughest of rocks, you will need to know how to use the nuts, jummars, and many more such gadgets.When you reach the final hold, push up yourself by putting pressure on your hands as you do on a parallel bar. The process described above is just a briefing and gives you a basic idea of what you are going to encounter. Strategies change according to the nature of the rock though standard technicalities remain the same


The Resources

Institutes
The Himalayan Mountaineering Institute was established in 1954 at Darjeeling. It was followed by the Western Institute of Mountaineering (called Directorate of Mountaineering and Allied Sports) at Manali. A third institute, the Nehru Institute of Mountaineering (NIM), was founded in 1965 at Uttarkashi and, sometimes later, the Jawahar Institute of Mountaineering at Tringla Batote (Jammu and Kashmir). These institutes are doing very useful work in opening up hitherto unknown areas and giving scientific training in the theory and practice of mountain climbing. All of these institutes have their own artificial climbing walls and offer comprehensive training in rock climbing.Indian Rock and Sport Climbing Federation is the apex body for rock climbing in India. You may contact it for further information: Indian Rock and Sport Climbing FederationF-6, Naraina Vihar, New Delhi 110 028Phone: 00 91 11 5794367Fax: 00 91 11 5798004


Permits and Government Agencies
There is no restriction on rock climbing in India except for the places included in the restricted area list. You can apply for permits through the Indian Embassy/Consulate/High Commission in your country or contact the offices of foreigners’ regional registration offices in the major cities of India. The district administration of the concerned areas can also issue such permits.


PRECAUTIONS
1. Decide what type of rock do you want to negotiate. It will depend on you skills, your status as a climber, and your physical fitness. 2. Consult the doctor to determine your physical condition and take proper medical precautions as per the doctor’s advice.3. High-altitude sickness or high-altitude madness is a common phenomenon among the trekkers and mountaineers. If you are participating in the high-altitude rock climbing, make yourself aware of the symptoms and methods to deal with this problem. Proper mountaineering guidelines, high-altitude survival techniques, and first-aid techniques should be known to most of the members.

Rockclimbing in India

The following article is courtesy of http://www.chooseindia.com/

INDIAN ROCK TOUR
Rock climbing in India can be a culturally enriching experience quite apart from the exhilarating experience of climbing on virgin solid granite.The climber moves up, the run out is now ten meters, pinching tiny quartz crystal while the belayer pays out the rope. Nearby a shepherd passes by with his sheep. The climber is now almost near the top. A few more hard moves and then its all over as another new route is completed.Rock climbing in India, as in the other parts the world, started off as training for mountaineering. As a sport it took off only about 15 years ago. As the climbing standards reached greater heights in the rest of the world.India too was introduced to sticky rubber, chalk, lycra modern protection and redpointing and higher climbing standards and development of many superb climbing areas by local climbers. Some of the areas are superb and can easily be compared to some world class climbing areas. The climbing areas usually being close to interesting historical sites and unique monuments can provide a pleasant distraction.Bangalore is situated in South India. Within a radius of 60 Kilometers there is possibly the biggest concentration of granite in the country. The rocks range from two kilometer long boulder fields to rock domes rising 300 meters.The bigger domes are similar to the slab climbs of Tuolomne meadows, steep slab climbs with sparse protection. There are smaller towers 60 meters to 100 meters which perfect cracklines from finger to off width. The granite can at times have loose flakes and cleaning the rock on new routes becomes essential. Savandurga is the biggest dome near Bangalore which has been developed. The main dome is 300 metres high and has eight routes on it. The routes generally follow cracklines with some long run out slab sections. The most exciting classic climb is "Bangalore Bill" which sports a 90 meter crux pitch on thin protection but the moves never get harder than French 5c (5.70).There have been some exciting climbs added recently which are primarily face climbs with protection from bolts plced while leading. Double ropes are highly recommended while attempting these routes. The descent is usually made down the less steep side of the dome. Apart from the main dome there are numerous smaller pillars ranging from 60 meters to 90 meters with good crack and face routes on them and are ideal for dodging the sun on a hot day.Ramanagram is another very popular climbing area situated 50 kilometers from Bangalore on the road to the historical city of Mysore. The concentration of rock here is amazing. There are two main climbing areas here, the Ibraham farm area and the Ramgiri pillar area. The Ibrahim farm area lies on the west side of the railway station and is very extensive. The farmhouse canbe a useful and convenient base to climb from. The climbs range four pitch French 4b (504) to French 7a (5.11).The massive face of Handi Gundi (Elephant's head) is still unclimbed though the first pitch has eight bolts and is a popular climb. The Ramgiri pillar area has seven 100 meter high pillars leaning against each other, seven routes exists to the top of the pillar. The climbs follow cracklines some of which are horrendous offwidths. There are two good face climbs protected by bolts at 6b (French grade) 5.10-5.11 The main attraction of climbing in Bangalore, apart from the big domes, is the excellent boulders. The awesome boulder fields are two kilometers to three kilometers long, with boulders ranging from five to 20 meters in height and requiring a lot of time to explore. Turalli, 10 kilometers south of Bangalore, and Raogudlu - 20 kilometers on the same road - are good places to work on problems. The granite is perfect though the rock can be rough and the skin doen not last more than a couple of hours. The problems usually involve hard crystal pinching and balancing moves on sharp flakes.Hampi "City of Rocks" 350 kilometers north of Bangalore is another very interesting place. The capital of the 14th Century Vijayanagar empire it is now a paradise for climbers. There are an endless number of boulders strewn ranging from four meters to 60 meters as far as the eye can see. The interesting ruins of this ancient capital city are spread over an area of 14 sq. km. One can spend days exploring this labyrinth of rocks. Amazing boulder problems can be attempted, on sharp aretes and thin crimping horros seem to be the hall mark of a true problem in Hampi. The landings can be difficult and lot of the interesting problems are top roped. There are some good crack lines which have been done and also bolt protected hard overhanging face climbs at french 6a to 8a + (5.8 to 5.13b). The flakes are sharp and positive on very steep faces. There is an endless potential for new routes at all grades.There are some other interesting areas to climb in India such as Dhauj, situated 50 kilometers South west of Delhi. The rock is steep quartzite with 250 routes from 4a (French grade) 5.3 to 7b 5.12). It's a worthwhile stop for visiting climbers. The Climbs at Dhauj are generally one pitch and take good protection. Few of the climbs have fixed protection apart from a few pegs on the harder routes. This is strictly a traditional climbing area with the no bolt ethics strictly adhered to.Other areas with great climbs are at Mt. Abu (Rajasthan), Pachmarhi in Central India. Th Gangotri Gorge 400 km. north of Delhi has immense possibilities of big wall climbing on walls ranging from 200 meters to 1,000 meters in a mountain environment. The town of Badami and its environs north of Hampi is another beautiful area with potential for new routing on the overhanging sandstone.

INDIAN ROCK TOUR
Rock climbing in India can be a culturally enriching experience quite apart from the exhilarating experience of climbing on virgin solid granite.The climber moves up, the run out is now ten meters, pinching tiny quartz crystal while the belayer pays out the rope. Nearby a shepherd passes by with his sheep. The climber is now almost near the top. A few more hard moves and then its all over as another new route is completed.Rock climbing in India, as in the other parts the world, started off as training for mountaineering. As a sport it took off only about 15 years ago. As the climbing standards reached greater heights in the rest of the world.India too was introduced to sticky rubber, chalk, lycra modern protection and redpointing and higher climbing standards and development of many superb climbing areas by local climbers. Some of the areas are superb and can easily be compared to some world class climbing areas. The climbing areas usually being close to interesting historical sites and unique monuments can provide a pleasant distraction.Bangalore is situated in South India. Within a radius of 60 Kilometers there is possibly the biggest concentration of granite in the country. The rocks range from two kilometer long boulder fields to rock domes rising 300 meters.The bigger domes are similar to the slab climbs of Tuolomne meadows, steep slab climbs with sparse protection. There are smaller towers 60 meters to 100 meters which perfect cracklines from finger to off width. The granite can at times have loose flakes and cleaning the rock on new routes becomes essential. Savandurga is the biggest dome near Bangalore which has been developed. The main dome is 300 metres high and has eight routes on it. The routes generally follow cracklines with some long run out slab sections. The most exciting classic climb is "Bangalore Bill" which sports a 90 meter crux pitch on thin protection but the moves never get harder than French 5c (5.70).There have been some exciting climbs added recently which are primarily face climbs with protection from bolts plced while leading. Double ropes are highly recommended while attempting these routes. The descent is usually made down the less steep side of the dome. Apart from the main dome there are numerous smaller pillars ranging from 60 meters to 90 meters with good crack and face routes on them and are ideal for dodging the sun on a hot day.Ramanagram is another very popular climbing area situated 50 kilometers from Bangalore on the road to the historical city of Mysore. The concentration of rock here is amazing. There are two main climbing areas here, the Ibraham farm area and the Ramgiri pillar area. The Ibrahim farm area lies on the west side of the railway station and is very extensive. The farmhouse canbe a useful and convenient base to climb from. The climbs range four pitch French 4b (504) to French 7a (5.11).The massive face of Handi Gundi (Elephant's head) is still unclimbed though the first pitch has eight bolts and is a popular climb. The Ramgiri pillar area has seven 100 meter high pillars leaning against each other, seven routes exists to the top of the pillar. The climbs follow cracklines some of which are horrendous offwidths. There are two good face climbs protected by bolts at 6b (French grade) 5.10-5.11 The main attraction of climbing in Bangalore, apart from the big domes, is the excellent boulders. The awesome boulder fields are two kilometers to three kilometers long, with boulders ranging from five to 20 meters in height and requiring a lot of time to explore. Turalli, 10 kilometers south of Bangalore, and Raogudlu - 20 kilometers on the same road - are good places to work on problems. The granite is perfect though the rock can be rough and the skin doen not last more than a couple of hours. The problems usually involve hard crystal pinching and balancing moves on sharp flakes.Hampi "City of Rocks" 350 kilometers north of Bangalore is another very interesting place. The capital of the 14th Century Vijayanagar empire it is now a paradise for climbers. There are an endless number of boulders strewn ranging from four meters to 60 meters as far as the eye can see. The interesting ruins of this ancient capital city are spread over an area of 14 sq. km. One can spend days exploring this labyrinth of rocks. Amazing boulder problems can be attempted, on sharp aretes and thin crimping horros seem to be the hall mark of a true problem in Hampi. The landings can be difficult and lot of the interesting problems are top roped. There are some good crack lines which have been done and also bolt protected hard overhanging face climbs at french 6a to 8a + (5.8 to 5.13b). The flakes are sharp and positive on very steep faces. There is an endless potential for new routes at all grades.There are some other interesting areas to climb in India such as Dhauj, situated 50 kilometers South west of Delhi. The rock is steep quartzite with 250 routes from 4a (French grade) 5.3 to 7b 5.12). It's a worthwhile stop for visiting climbers. The Climbs at Dhauj are generally one pitch and take good protection. Few of the climbs have fixed protection apart from a few pegs on the harder routes. This is strictly a traditional climbing area with the no bolt ethics strictly adhered to.Other areas with great climbs are at Mt. Abu (Rajasthan), Pachmarhi in Central India. Th Gangotri Gorge 400 km. north of Delhi has immense possibilities of big wall climbing on walls ranging from 200 meters to 1,000 meters in a mountain environment. The town of Badami and its environs north of Hampi is another beautiful area with potential for new routing on the overhanging sandstone.

TRAVEL

Bangalore and the climbing areas in the south can be approached by air, bus or train from the nearest international airports which are located at Mumbai, Delhi and Chennai. The distance from Mumbai to Bangalore is 1,000 kilometers and involves a full days travel. It is advisable to stay longer periods of time at each crag before travelling to next area; though the distance of 60 kilometers especially in the Bangalore area. The best time to visit the Bangalore area is from September to January and June can also be a pleasant month. The ideal time to visit areas in the rest of the country is between October and February the temperature can go down to 3 degrees Celsius at night in the winter months. Normally there are only short spells of rain during the winter months. It must be noted that it still can be very warm during the day time, and dodging the sun on the climbs will have to be perfected of an art to avoid sunburns and heat strokes!!

FOOD AND ACCOMMODATION

The food is generally cheap and good. Most of the climbing areas have a chai (tea) shop which provides snacks and tea. The small restaurants in the villages closest to the rocks have good South Indian dishes. Arrack (local liquor) is strong and cheap and can destroy the mind faster that you think. In case you want to cook yourself, most things are available at the shop in town. The accommodation is generally in the village nearest to the rocks or at a bungalow in the nearest town. Camping is another good possibility. There are a wide range of hotels in Delhi, Mumbai and Bangalore, in addition to Youth Hostels.


CLIMBING CONTACTS

It is useful to have a contact to guide you to the various climbing areas and show the climbs since the climbing areas are difficult to get to on your own. The absence of guide books makes it even more exciting and adventurous though it could also mean spending more time. Local climbers are helpful and friendly and enjoy showing the climbs. There are two agencies offering their services to guide and arrange the travel of visiting climbers. Both have very experienced climbers who have extensive knowledge of the various areas and the best routes also provide climbing equipment. They can be contacted for their itineraries.
The addresses are as given below. OUTDOOR SCHOOL F-6, NARAINA VIHAR NEW DELHI - 110028 EASY RIDER TOURS H-35 JANGPURA EXTN. NEW DELHI - 110014 WILDCRAFT 121 8TH MAIN 3RD BLOCK, JAYANAGAR BANGALORE - 560011.

Girivihar rockclimbing and Bouldering Competetion

Girivihar will be conducting a rockclimbing competetion and bouldering competetion at CBD Belapur hills from 26th of January.
Those Interested can download application form from this link..
http://girivihar.org/downloads/competition_form_2007.pdf

for more information visit..www.girivihar.org

competetion entry fee will be rs 600/-

contact:
Abhijit Burman: 09869615166
Gaurang Swarge: 09819384732
Franco Linhares: 022-24450601
Vaibhav Mehta: 09820593358

The details of the competetion can be found @ http://girivihar.org/downloads/competition_form_2007.pdf