State

«I/ IIOIIMtT L. \\ IIJJAUS Storting up reck. J#H While (obo*c) mokci cei- lom rhol hi» rope 1» properly otioched lo the corobmer» Some climber», like Phil Pierce ol Clemmon». prefer •o weer the cro»h helmet о» port of their protective oeor The conteen <» »itol to the climber in hot —tether (photo» by Bobert l Will, от») Rock climbing as a sport came to the South very recently, and its arrival in North Carolina can he calculated al¬ most in terms of months rather than years. But suddenly it seems as if this most challenging of all Tar Heel out¬ door activities has the most devoted following of all sports. While numbers are as yet relatively small, the enthusiasm is gigantic. The favorite spot in the Tar Heel state for rock climbing is Stone Mountain State Park, just a lew miles off the Blue Ridge Parkway near Roaring Gap. and the spot is well chosen. Slone Moun¬ tain has superb scenery, wildlife study, nature trails, fishing, camping, hiking, backpacking, picnicking, and spec¬ tator sports. But it is the rock climbing that brings the crowds out every weekend when the weather is permis¬ sible. Rock climbing at Stone Mountain, is predominantly what is termed "fric¬ tion climbing." a form of the sport in which virtually smooth granite cliffs are challenged, and the climbers use the tiny cracks and cupouts in the rock for precarious toeholds, and the palms of the hands arc flattened out almost like a suction cup against the stone. 13 Ascent Routes The climbing area itself is a 300- million year old monad nock lhat soars roughly the equivalent of a 60-story building above the adjacent heights, and that granite outcropping is broken only by a sporadic bit of growth at rare intervals, a glacial crease, the much- sought cupouts. and now and then a hump that will permit a five-minute re¬ spite from the climb. Veteran climbers insist that Stone Mountain has the best rock climbing east of the Mississippi, and the num¬ ber» flocking to the rock seem to bear out the claims. Mike Fitzpatrick, who has been climbing for years in New England and all over the East, argues that Stone Mountain has the greatest variety, the purest climbing surfaces, and the finest ascent routes in this part of the nation. Scott Daughtry, who is the park su¬ perintendent. points out that in 1976 when the rock was first opener) gener¬ ally to climbers, three hundred hardy souls challenged the mountain. In 1978 the figure had leaped to 4.251. and in 1979 the number is destined to climb even higher. There are thirteen ascent routes, all poetically labeled with such titles as "No Alternative." "Rainy Day." "Electric Boobs." "Great White Way." and other figurative descrip¬ tions. The routes are ranked in terms of difficulty from very easy to highly competitive, so there is a place for climbers of virtually every level of skill and conditioning. They Like an Audience During good weather, when the crowds gather at the meadow from w hich the spectators have a marvelous view of the climbers, the sheer granite Stone Mountain vs The Climbers Л eliiilleiige rnlt‘tl l»y vt‘U‘ranN ns (lie best in Ivasterii Ainerieji. THE STATE. AUOUST 1979 8