In high school I jammed to heavy metal – AC/DC, Metallica, Black Sabbath – going to as many live shows as possible. I donned tight Levi jeans, a black cut-up t-shirt bearing the name of the band, spritzed a little hairspray in my dark, wavy hair, and placed black liner around my eyes.
Anyone who has ever been to a rock concert knows that the front row seats are often filled with groupies - girls screaming and flashing their cleavage in the hopes they would get picked to go backstage. I bought front-row seats so I could gawk, but I was about as far from a groupie as you could get. I was not interested in seeing the hunks on stage, much less meeting them, I only wanted to see the chords and riffs played on their guitars.
“Did I get it right?” I wondered as I watched closely, mentally following along on my imaginary guitar neck. I had learned to play their songs by ear and wanted to see how it was really done. If I caught a pick during the show, icing.
Being a groupie for any type of endeavor in which I have engaged has never been in my blood. But, recently, I’ll be damned if some latent groupie-esque tendencies are blossoming with rock climbing. I have actually found myself following, perhaps even seeking out, a particular climber.
Is it free-solo extraordinaire Alex Honold? Nope.
How about hunky hot shot Chris Sharma? Nope.
Or the young mega-strong sweetheart, Alex Megos (who is just a few years older than my son)? Nope, again.
It is Kevin Pogue.
You may wonder, who the heck is Kevin Pogue?
Kevin Pogue is a prolific route developer who has hit many areas in the West and Pacific North West, including” City of Rocks/Castle Rocks, Idaho; Spring Mountain, OR; Vantage/Frenchman’s Coulee, WA; and even Smith Rock, OR. I have never met, or even seen a photo of, Kevin, but I really dig him - or at least his route development.
When I went to the website that lists his routes, he has a quote that I fell in love with:
"I climb as hard as anyone on earth, I just do it on easier routes" -- "Mad Dog", via rec.climbing.
And, how I do love his routes? Let me count the ways.
Although I have been climbing for many years, it has only been in the past few years that I started paying closer attention to route development specifics, like who developed a route or the year it was established. Valuable predictive information about a climb can be obtained from this information.
For example, climbs that were bolted after approximately 1990 are typically more in line with modern day climbing grades, and, generally (but not always) do not have dangerous, run-out bolting. When I thumb through a guidebook and spot a 5.8 traditional climb first ascended by Fred Becky, I mentally add a grade or two to the rating. I can almost always rest assured it ain’t no “typical” 5.8.
Becky was putting up climbs in the “good ole’ days” of rock climbing, when climbers, and particularly route developers, were in a whole different realm of bad-ass. Many climbs were adventure first ascents and literally free-soloed in their hiking boots. In the Becky days, circa 1950s to 1970s, the highest grade given was a 5.9 (thus everything above a 5.8 was lumped under the grade 5.9). This means if you climb in an “old school” area, like Joshua Tree, hopping on a “5.9” could end up being a pretty dangerous 5.11 or worse.
Not only are “old school” climbs comparatively unpredictable in the grades, they tend to be R and X-rated, with high first bolts and long run-out. Back then route development was contentious and born from a different ethos. Safety was not necessarily in the forefront of a developer’s mind. Rather, the ethic was to climb the rock with as little marring as possible, placing bolts or pitons VERY sparingly, if at all. The attitude was, if you can’t climb the route essentially free-solo, then tough shit, you shouldn’t be on it.
Route developers that veered from that original philosophy were heavily chastised by their peers. The disagreements resulted in an era of “bolt wars,” where people actively “chopped” (removed) bolts that had been placed on the rock. A “battle” involved one person placing a bolt in a particular spot, another person who disagreed chopped it off (ironically, often leaving another ugly scar of metal stuck inside of a hole in the rock.) Although bolt chopping still occurs, it is far less frequent as sport climbing, safety, and access have become the predominant values.
Certainly many people, including modern-day climbers, still carry some old-school perspectives, favoring fewer bolts and run-out. But there are also many that prefer closer bolting. This is where getting to know who developed what route comes in handy. My current favorite route setter, Mr. Pogue, tends to bolt generously. Other route setters still run it out. Generally, a developer is going to develop a route to match his or her philosophy, as well as climbing style. This is why it is useful to make notes about the bolting, grade, and style/type after completing a climb (I also make notes about items I wish the guide book had included).
With consistent note-taking, over time you might begin to notice you have starred climbs of certain developers. Then, eventually, you might find yourself seeking out climbs by certain developers. If so, welcome to the rock-star groupie group (men are welcome too – no cleavage necessary!)
Anyone who has ever been to a rock concert knows that the front row seats are often filled with groupies - girls screaming and flashing their cleavage in the hopes they would get picked to go backstage. I bought front-row seats so I could gawk, but I was about as far from a groupie as you could get. I was not interested in seeing the hunks on stage, much less meeting them, I only wanted to see the chords and riffs played on their guitars.
“Did I get it right?” I wondered as I watched closely, mentally following along on my imaginary guitar neck. I had learned to play their songs by ear and wanted to see how it was really done. If I caught a pick during the show, icing.
Being a groupie for any type of endeavor in which I have engaged has never been in my blood. But, recently, I’ll be damned if some latent groupie-esque tendencies are blossoming with rock climbing. I have actually found myself following, perhaps even seeking out, a particular climber.
Is it free-solo extraordinaire Alex Honold? Nope.
How about hunky hot shot Chris Sharma? Nope.
Or the young mega-strong sweetheart, Alex Megos (who is just a few years older than my son)? Nope, again.
It is Kevin Pogue.
You may wonder, who the heck is Kevin Pogue?
Kevin Pogue is a prolific route developer who has hit many areas in the West and Pacific North West, including” City of Rocks/Castle Rocks, Idaho; Spring Mountain, OR; Vantage/Frenchman’s Coulee, WA; and even Smith Rock, OR. I have never met, or even seen a photo of, Kevin, but I really dig him - or at least his route development.
When I went to the website that lists his routes, he has a quote that I fell in love with:
"I climb as hard as anyone on earth, I just do it on easier routes" -- "Mad Dog", via rec.climbing.
And, how I do love his routes? Let me count the ways.
- His first bolts usually do not require stick clipping;
- His subsequent bolts are close enough together that you aren’t going to deck (i.e. hit the ground) if you fall before clipping;
- The rest of the bolts are close enough such that if I’m sketch in a spot, I feel safe pushing through it. Each next bolt serves as a nice motivator rather than an “oh, shit, that next bolt is really far” psych-destroyer. That goes an especially long way on slabby cheese-grater climbs found at places like City of Rocks;
- His ratings are not sand bagged;
- He sets up climbs for the common climber – most are below 5.11.
Although I have been climbing for many years, it has only been in the past few years that I started paying closer attention to route development specifics, like who developed a route or the year it was established. Valuable predictive information about a climb can be obtained from this information.
For example, climbs that were bolted after approximately 1990 are typically more in line with modern day climbing grades, and, generally (but not always) do not have dangerous, run-out bolting. When I thumb through a guidebook and spot a 5.8 traditional climb first ascended by Fred Becky, I mentally add a grade or two to the rating. I can almost always rest assured it ain’t no “typical” 5.8.
Becky was putting up climbs in the “good ole’ days” of rock climbing, when climbers, and particularly route developers, were in a whole different realm of bad-ass. Many climbs were adventure first ascents and literally free-soloed in their hiking boots. In the Becky days, circa 1950s to 1970s, the highest grade given was a 5.9 (thus everything above a 5.8 was lumped under the grade 5.9). This means if you climb in an “old school” area, like Joshua Tree, hopping on a “5.9” could end up being a pretty dangerous 5.11 or worse.
Not only are “old school” climbs comparatively unpredictable in the grades, they tend to be R and X-rated, with high first bolts and long run-out. Back then route development was contentious and born from a different ethos. Safety was not necessarily in the forefront of a developer’s mind. Rather, the ethic was to climb the rock with as little marring as possible, placing bolts or pitons VERY sparingly, if at all. The attitude was, if you can’t climb the route essentially free-solo, then tough shit, you shouldn’t be on it.
Route developers that veered from that original philosophy were heavily chastised by their peers. The disagreements resulted in an era of “bolt wars,” where people actively “chopped” (removed) bolts that had been placed on the rock. A “battle” involved one person placing a bolt in a particular spot, another person who disagreed chopped it off (ironically, often leaving another ugly scar of metal stuck inside of a hole in the rock.) Although bolt chopping still occurs, it is far less frequent as sport climbing, safety, and access have become the predominant values.
Certainly many people, including modern-day climbers, still carry some old-school perspectives, favoring fewer bolts and run-out. But there are also many that prefer closer bolting. This is where getting to know who developed what route comes in handy. My current favorite route setter, Mr. Pogue, tends to bolt generously. Other route setters still run it out. Generally, a developer is going to develop a route to match his or her philosophy, as well as climbing style. This is why it is useful to make notes about the bolting, grade, and style/type after completing a climb (I also make notes about items I wish the guide book had included).
With consistent note-taking, over time you might begin to notice you have starred climbs of certain developers. Then, eventually, you might find yourself seeking out climbs by certain developers. If so, welcome to the rock-star groupie group (men are welcome too – no cleavage necessary!)
