Potter Climbs Delicate Arch

[olyclimber]

ya, anarchy! everybodies doing it!

[Dechristo]

ya, an archy! everybodies doing it!

 

how indelicate

[olyclimber]

you're going to burn in hell for that one. seriously. she presides.

[EWolfe]

If climbing is banned, then only outlaws will climb

 

IF THIS THREAD IS LOCKED, THEN EVERYONE WILL MOVE ON!

(Whoops, did I forget to log on as ALLCAPS again? Silly me)

[dmuja]

If climbing is banned, then only outlaws will climb

 

 

Or.., if climbing is banned then the national parks lose an important demigraphic of support and are maybe that much closer to becoming a golf coarse or condo spread. Stupid actions beget stupid reactions, and in the age of instant karma we need to be smarter than Potter.

 

Its,, its!!! Its almost like everything is conected to everything else! And, and that everyones actions effect everyone else!! Whoa dudes... I can see everything happening all at once!! Yeeeaaaaiiii!!!

 

BTW the last 'badass' is Becky so everyone else should give up the posing, they just look silly anyway.

[olyclimber]

there a still a few badasses out there. you don't have to be the first one to climb something to be the badass (not that i'm saying beckey isn't one)

 

i can say this because definitively, if spray were summits, I would be badass.

[Dechristo]

ya, an archy! everybodies doing it!

how indelicate

you're going to burn in hell for that one. seriously. she presides.

 

you wrote it.

you da one gonna get burnt.

oh, the inhumanity.

[G-spotter]

log it, burn it, pave it, then boulder it. End of story.

[olyclimber]

she knows i would never

[Dechristo]

sounds like pleading

[EWolfe]

she knows i would never

 

what? damage her delicate arch?

 

[olyclimber]

there is a little of that in every post on this board

[EWolfe]

This is so headed for Spray

[Dechristo]

that's bleating

[larrythellama]

I love how mistere tries to be the ethics police, yet he has rap bolted routes, which is equal to shitty ethics.

[kevbone]

Rap bolting is not shitty ethics, instead its the sign if a smart climber, most climbs that require bolts that were put up on lead are poorly protected. Rapping is the only way to be sure the bolt goes in the right place, the best route are TR first.

[Dechristo]

Rap-bolting remains an issue of personal & situational ethics. Personally, I've placed bolts on rappell after onsighting routes and deciding if and where a bolt should be placed; any other way, I don't understand how best placement can be decided in route development.

[gravitylover]

It's awesome to see some people talk about something other than Dean causing us access problems. The one's that are causing us access problems is the Park Rangers that are anti-climber ...I give Dean a thumbs up .

 

I want to see some video of his climb. That looks awesome!

[billcoe]

It's awesome to see some people talk about something other than Dean causing us access problems. The one's that are causing us access problems is the Park Rangers that are anti-climber ...I give Dean a thumbs up .

 

I want to see some video of his climb. That looks awesome!

 

Controlling rangers

 

Dean, who normally rules: for this one

 

 

[EWolfe]

I love how mistere tries to be the ethics police, yet he has rap bolted routes, which is equal to shitty ethics.

 

[marylou]

They are going to do a news story on this on All Things Considered (NPR) in about five minutes.

[Mike_Gauthier]

All Things Considered , June 2, 2006 ·

 

They have a picture of damage rock, here's the story. Outside did a more extensive write up, I'll post that next.

 

 

The Delicate Arch, a fixture of Utah's Arches National Park, may have suffered irreparable damage in a recent climb, park officials say. Climber Dean Potter, who admits to climbing the arch, says he is not the first to do so. But park officials -- and Potter's sponsor -- are concerned.

 

Karen McKinlay-Jones, the Arches park's acting chief ranger, told Outside magazine that they are monitoring Delicate Arch for any harm done to it, with "a priority over everything except life and limb." The park's superintendent, Joss, added, "If there is damage to Delicate Arch, that is of grave concern to us."

 

Although there were no explicit regulations banning climbers from taking on the arch when Potter made his attempt, officials say it was an unwritten rule. Visitor guidebooks often suggest that climbers should avoid unique structures that have been named.

 

The issue is complicated by other concerns, as well. The first is "clean climbing," an ethic that has grown along with the sport. Its adherents do their best not to damage the rocks they climb, by hammering in pitons or other tools. But on eroded sandstone, even ropes can leave gouges if they're tight enough.

 

After Potter's climb, Outside sent a photographer and reporter to the scene in an attempt to get to the bottom of the story. And the Patagonia outdoor-wear company, one of Potter's main sponsors, has added its voice to the discussion, urging Potter to apologize.

 

A company spokesman told Outside magazine it opposes acts that damage any natural setting, and it will likely reevaluate its relationship with Potter if it turns out his climb damaged the formation.

 

Potter says he took all precautions to ensure no damage was done. Melissa Block talks with Potter.

[Mike_Gauthier]

It's an interesting read... more details...

 

http://outside.away.com/outside/features/200606/dean-potter-delicate-arch-climb-1.html

[chris]

Yo moderators - can we break this into a new thread from post #577823 (Mike's first post about the new article).

[Nick]

Good grief, doesn't anyone else think this whole fuss is absurd and bizarre. Coal companies are grinding up entire mountain ranges. Glaciers are rapidly melting away. Forests are being felled around the world. Meanwhile you're all freaked out about how someone touched a particular rock in a certain way. The planet is being overwhelmed by insane and superstitious ape-locusts. Good grief.