Good from afar, far from good
“[T]he vast majority [of routes in the Rockies] are piles of crap that have few, if any, redeeming features.” – Sean Dougherty, Selected Alpine Climbs You’d think I’d have learned my lesson by now. After all, I’ve been climbing in the Chossies for over twenty years. And yet a few times every year I manage to convince myself that, somehow, this buttress or that face will be different. I envision clean corners soaring upward, splitting acres of solid limestone. In my fantasies I’m not scared, pulling on loose rock above questionable gear, but merely pleasantly challenged. Unfortunately reality rarely bears much resemblance to such optimistic dreams. Most of the time that reality is loose rock, bad protection and shitty climbing. But there’s one thing I find up there every single time: adventure. By the time August rolled around I’d done nothing but clip bolts for over two months. Sport climbing is addictive: it’s fun, athletic, and the occasional success keeps you perse...