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          • Shit Happens – Or, Why You Need a Walkie Talkie
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          • MOVIE: People of Climbing:
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          • 20 World Destinations for Adventurous Climbing
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  • Photographers & Artists
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Rock Star Groupie


​By Stefani Dawn ​​
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.

  1. His first bolts usually do not require stick clipping;
  2. His subsequent bolts are close enough together that you aren’t going to deck (i.e. hit the ground) if you fall before clipping;
  3. 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;
  4. His ratings are not sand bagged;
  5. 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!)

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  • Common Climber
  • Writing
    • All Writings (List)
    • Editions >
      • Themed Editions >
        • Adaptive Climbing Edition >
          • Adaptive Climbing Photo Feature: Paradox Sports
          • Advocating for Deaf Climbers: Sonya Wilson
          • Amputations: Leg Prosthesis for Climbing
          • Blind Ambition Builds a World Class Climber: The Story of Jesse Dufton
          • Climbing with Type 1 Diabetes
          • First Paralyzed Ascents: Rand Abbott
          • Mixed Climbing: My Answer to KT Syndrome
          • Paraclimbing Competitions: Althlete Interviews
          • Rock!
          • The Unreasonable Man
        • Belaytionships Edition >
          • Featured Photographer: Charlie OlGrady-Kessner
          • Belaytionships: Drew-and-Sarah
          • Belaytionships: Jeantique and Natalie
          • Belaytionships: Maggie and Charlie Odette
          • I Am My Father's Son: Layton Bridwell
          • Book Review: Uncoiling the Ropes
          • Zac the Interloper
        • Big Wall Edition >
          • Book Review: Paul Preuss: Lord of the Abyss
          • Featured Photographer: Matt Spohn
          • Grading Commitment
          • Hanging with the Monkeys, and Getting the Monkey Off My Back
          • It Was His Time: Brad Gobright Interview May 2019
          • John Middendorf : A Big Man for a Big Stone
          • Sébastien Berthe Free Climbs the Nose From the Ground Up
          • Shit Happens – Or, Why You Need a Walkie Talkie
        • Developers and Guidebook Authors >
          • Developer - Mitch Lehman
          • Andrew Penny - A Blue Mountaineer
          • Kevin Powell
          • Rock Star Groupie
          • Tony Calderone
        • Exploring Our World >
          • AUSTRALIA - Photographer - Diego Perez
          • AUSTRALIA - Profile - Julie Anderson
          • Book Review - Climbing Rock
          • CHINA - From Yangshuo, to Getu, to Liming
          • FRANCE - Verdon in Winter
          • GREECE - Meteora
          • ITALY - Dolomites
          • MEXICO - La Huasteca
          • SPAIN - Artist - Karmelo Onate
          • UTAH - Maple Canyon: This One Makes You Taller
        • Honoring Diversity >
          • ARTIST: Shawn Lee
          • A Shift on Moonlight Buttress
          • Claiming a Space on the Mountain
          • Colorblind
          • Feature Photographer: Bryan Sillorequez
          • Is Diversity in America Diverse?
          • MOVIE: People of Climbing:
          • Profile - Favia Dubyk
          • The Lineage
        • Joshua Tree >
          • Bouldering: JTree Made Me Do It
          • Improv at JTree: Bad Bolts
          • JTree: Bolting Pressure Cooker
          • Joshua Tree: Heinous Approaches
        • Overcoming Boundaries >
          • Photographer - Brook Anderson
          • Profile - Louise Shepherd
          • Profile - Megan Banker
          • Profile - Shawn Axelrod
          • Rock Type 1
          • The Tape Job
        • Women's Edition >
          • Editorial - Women's Edition
          • Climbing is My Art
          • Mt. Logan Solo
          • Photographer - Michelle Ranee Johnson
          • Profile - Caitlin Schokker
      • Non-Themed Editions >
        • April 2020
        • May 2020
        • June 2020
        • August 2020 >
          • Online Auction
          • Editorial August 2020
        • September 2020
        • October 2020
        • November 2020
        • December 2020 >
          • Anthology 2020 Sponsors
        • January 2021
        • March 2021
    • Topics >
      • Adaptive Climbing >
        • Adaptive Climbing Edition
        • El Capitan: Enock Glidden
        • Quinn Brett Interview
        • My Journey to Adaptive Rock Climbing
        • Planning for Mt. Rainier: Adaptive Climbing
        • Resources - Adaptive Climbing
      • Alpine & Ice >
        • California Still Has Untouched Climbing Wilderness
        • Ice Solo
        • Mt. Ogden Spanking
        • Mt. Whitney Whipping
        • My Common Alpine Epic
      • CC Profile >
        • Profile - Shawn Axelrod
        • Profile - Megan Banker
        • Profile: Wendy Bruere - More Than It Hurts
        • Profile - Favia Dubyk
        • Profile - Debbie Fowler
        • Profile - Lindsey Hamm
        • Profile - Sabine Pratt Hunziker
        • PROFILE - Marisa Michael - Nutrition for Climbers
        • Profile - Caitlin Schokker
        • Profile - Louise Shepherd
      • CoVID and Climbing >
        • COVID Climbing Memes
        • CoVID-19 Remakes Our Lives
        • Dear Memory
        • From Couch to Lifting Couches
        • How to Climb and Avoid the Corona Virus
        • Train the Mind: Mental Toughness Tips for Quaratraining
        • The 5.10 Commandments
        • Trying to Send this Route
      • Equipment (writings) >
        • Aliens!
        • A Rack Retrospective
        • Cam Ranges (+ Big Bros)
        • Carabiner Strength Ratings
        • Climbing Shoes Fit
        • Guide Book Follies
        • Rope Buying 101
        • Shit Happens – Or, Why You Need a Walkie Talkie
        • The One Item to Stockpile
        • Which Way Should I Carry My Trad Rack?
        • Why GriGris Suck
        • 8 Reasons I Carry a Full Rack on Every Trad Climb
      • Facebook Feature >
        • FF: Big Walls
        • FF: Butt Shots
        • FF: Exploring Our World
        • FF: Overcoming Boundaries
        • FF: Trees & Climbing
        • FF: Welcome New Climbers
      • Grades, Styles, & Types >
        • Bouldering-Falling
        • Bouldering Grade Advancements
        • Grading Climbs at the Gym
        • It's a F-ing Chimney
        • Onsight vs Flash vs Etc...
        • Top 10: Increase the Climbing Grade When...
        • Trad Climbing is for Chicken Sh*#s
        • WTF 5.7?
        • 18 Climber Types: Which Are You?
      • Kids >
        • Family Stages
        • The Guidebook
      • Legends >
        • B - Joe Brown
        • G - Brad Gobright
        • G - Todd Gordon
        • H - Hugh Herr
        • H - Thomas Huber - In Another World - A Personal Climbing Journey
        • J - Saxon Johns
        • M - Tim Macartney-Snape: ​A Legend from Sea to Summit
        • M - John Middendorf
      • Mental-Physical >
        • Climbing Training Series >
          • Improving Hip Mobility
          • Rock Climber Mobility
          • Train the Mind: Mental Toughness Tips for Quaratraining
        • A Climb Worth Fighting For
        • Achilles
        • Everyone Around Me Is Better Than I Am
        • Fear, Pride, and Exploration
        • How Auto-Immune Disease Affected My Climbing
        • Mastering Joy on Easy Street
        • Mind, Body, and Soul
        • My Demon Has a Name
        • New Year's Resolutions
        • Of Cartoons and Quickdraws
        • Push and Pull
        • Sorcerer and the Kidney Stone
        • Take Risks - You'll Remember Them Later
        • The Art of Climbing Without Rock
        • The Devil's Game
        • The Taste of Climbing
        • 12-Weeks to Onsighting a 5.8
      • Other/Misc >
        • Assault on Schurman Rock
        • Book Club
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        • Climbing Drinking Games
        • Climbing Gyms: The Gateway Drug
        • Climbing Hands
        • Climbing in the Bare Essentials
        • Climbing Resolutions
        • Demented Dirtbag
        • Don't Take Granite for Granite
        • Dorothy, We Aren't on Havana Anymore
        • Guatemalan Worry Dolls Go Climbing
        • No Health Insurance Changed How I Climb
        • Snakes and Ladders
        • Starting Over
        • The Adventure of A Lifetime - So Far
        • The Bane of Northwest Climbing
        • The Pink Tricam
        • Things of Stone and Wood
        • Zac the Interloper
      • Places & Climbs >
        • Climbs >
          • Consolation Prize
          • Flakes and Shakes: Flake Crack Revisited
          • From Yorkshire to Eternity
          • Tiptoeing Through Some Bungles
          • Tombstone Territory
          • Yosemite - What We Came For
        • Location Reviews
        • My Home Crag >
          • Climbing in the Upper Cumberland Valley, Kentucky
          • Drytooling in the Rain - Wayne's World, WA
          • My Home Crag: Nowra, NSW, Australia
        • Travel Stories >
          • Blue Mountains - Bliss: Climbing in the Blueys
          • Buenos Aires, Argentina Crag
          • Colorado - Calling Pat Ament
          • Coolum Cave - Sendfest 8
          • Ecuador - A Nation of Four Worlds
          • El Potrero Chico - Riding the Dirty Dog
          • Yosemite: Growing Up
          • Lover's Leap - Zone of Craptitude
          • Rio de Janeiro - Classic Climbs Sampler
          • Taghia, Morocco - Hardly Failing
          • Tasmania - Legend of the ‘Unclimbable Cliff’
          • Thailand - Lost and Found: A Mini-Epic in Paradise
          • Vedauwoo, WY
          • Yosemite - What We Came For
          • 20 World Destinations for Adventurous Climbing
        • 2020 U.S. Rock Climbing Festivals
      • Poetry/Prose >
        • Anti-Social Climbers
        • Sojourn at Dyuritte
        • Finding Poetry
        • Ice is Nice
        • The Space Between
      • Safety and Skills >
        • Bolting and Ground-Fall Potential
        • Euro-Death Knot is NOT
        • Multi-Pitch Tips: Two ATCs
        • Sketchy Anchor Bolts
        • Sliding-X Anchor
        • Three Ways to Use a Stick Clip
        • Top 10: Climbing Best Practices
      • Science Fiction >
        • Red Curtain: Prologue
      • Social, Social Media, & Social Issues >
        • Chossy Trio Renegades
        • Climbing into the Fold
        • Diversity in Climbing is Not a Bandwagon
        • Fuck "Gumbies" and "Noobs"
        • Montana, My Home: Claire Larson
        • My Husband Climbs Stronger than Me
        • Navajo Rising
        • Social Network Rescue
  • Marketplace
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  • Reviews
    • Books >
      • Advanced Rock Climbing Book Review
      • Adventures at the Edge of the World
      • Climbing Rock: Vertical Explorations Across North America
      • Hangdog Days Book Review
      • HOOKING UP: The Ultimate Big Wall and Aid Climbing Manual
      • Paul Preuss: Lord of the Abyss
      • The Sharp End of Life: A Mother's Story - Book Review
    • Equipment/Gear Reviews >
      • Belay Device Review >
        • Edelrid Mega Jul
      • Harnesses >
        • ArcTeryx-FL-365
        • Misty Mountain Cadillac
      • Packs and Bags >
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        • Trango Crag Pack
      • Personal Anchor Systems >
        • Camp-Daisy-Twist
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      • Other >
        • Dr. Piton's Review of the D4 Delta2P Portaledge
    • Location Reviews >
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          • Kangaroo Point Photos and Beta
          • Kangaroo Point Review
        • New South Wales Australia >
          • Blue Mountains >
            • Blue Mountains Photos and Beta
            • Blue Mountains Review
          • Nowra >
            • Nowra Review >
              • Nowra Photos and Beta
      • Mexico >
        • Potrero Chico Photos and Beta
        • Potrero Chico Review
      • United States >
        • Climbing Area Check List - U.S. >
          • Climbing Area Check List Part 1: Alabama to California
          • Climbing Area Checklist Part 2: Colorado to Michigan
          • Climbing Area Checklist Part 3: Minnesota to New Mexico
          • Climbing Area Checklist Part 4: New York to Wyoming
        • Arizona >
          • Queen Creek Canyon
        • California >
          • Joshua Tree >
            • Joshua Tree Tips
          • Mount Whitney >
            • Mount Whitney Photos and Beta
        • Idaho >
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            • City of Rocks Photos and Beta
            • City of Rocks Review
        • Oregon >
          • Smith Rock >
            • Smith Rock - Photos and Beta
            • Smith Rock Review
          • Spring Mountain >
            • Spring Mountain Review
            • Spring Mountain - Photos and Beta
          • Trout Creek >
            • Trout Creek Photos and Beta
            • Trout Creek Review
        • Nevada >
          • Gun Club
          • Keyhole Canyon
          • Mt. Charleston, Nevada
          • Red Rock Canyon >
            • Red Rock Canyon Review - Yeahs and Neahs
            • Red Rocks Photos and Beta
        • New Hampshire >
          • North Conway, NH
          • Rumney, NH
        • New York >
          • Gunks Review
        • Utah >
          • Echo Canyon
          • Ferguson Canyon >
            • Ferguson Canyon Photos and Beta
            • Ferguson Canyon Review
          • Ibex >
            • Ibex Photos and Beta
            • Ibex Review
          • Maple Canyon >
            • Maple Canyon, Utah Photos and Beta
            • Maple Canyon Review
          • Moab >
            • Moab - Main - Photos and Beta
            • Moab -Main - Review
          • St. George >
            • St. George - Prophesy Wall- Photos and Beta
            • St. George - Prophesy Wall - Review
        • West Virginia >
          • Seneca Rocks
        • Wyoming >
          • Ten Sleep
  • Photographers & Artists
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