Climbing in Tucson
Climbing gear as it lay. Mt. Lemmon, Ariz. April 2009.
Photos and Writing by Daniel Woolfolk
Some people aren’t satisfied with just any sport. Many Tucsonans challenge themselves by climbing a cliff, grabbing onto morsels of rock, bit by bit, dozens of feet off the ground.
“It’s a great city for climbers,” said Stefanie Cafferel, 24, a Pima Community College student and a staff member at Rocks and Ropes climbing
gym.
When she’s not working , Cafferel is either honing on her skills in the gym or climbing outdoors, in and around Tucson.
“You’re right on the hub,” she said, explaining that Tucson is close to great climbing areas such as Cochise Stronghold near Tombstone, Hueco Tanks east of El Paso, California and Colorado. “Plus, you have Mount Lemmon in your backyard.”
Mount Lemmon offers different types of climbing, from roped climbing to bouldering, which doesn’t require ropes because the climber is typically less than 15 feet from the ground and is protected by mats and, usually, by others spotting from below.
Climbers enjoy a wide range of climbs from the base to the top of Mount Lemmon.
“You can boulder in the hot sun and drive half an hour and be in pine trees,” said Patrick Rees, 21, a University of Arizona fisheries management junior.
Tucsonans don’t need to go as far as Mount Lemmon to get a climb in. Many people even climb during their lunch hours at Rocks and Ropes, which is located downtown. It has 55 35-foot high ropes set up in addition to a freestanding boulder and a bouldering area that don’t require ropes
For roped climbing, a partner is needed to belay, serving as an anchor and pulling slack from the rope as the climber ascends. The ropes at the gym are set up in such a way that a large difference in weight between partners is not an issue.
“An 80-pound kid can belay his dad, no problem,” said Rocks and Ropes Manager Jon Mavko, 25.
Fear of heights is something that 38-year-old gym owner Jason Mullins and staff deal with regularly.
“You don’t have to go to the top,” Mullins said.
Mullins sees that happen in the kids’ program and said he provides gym-goers with a non-intimidating environment. One day a fledgling climber may go up part way to gain confidence. By the end of the week, the new climber is
Published: April 21, 2009. Aztec Press, Tucson.
ringing the cowbell at the top of the route.
One kid climber went from climbing at Rocks and Ropes to becoming a world-class climber.
Eric Scully, 25, got his start climbing at the rock gym on his 10th birthday. As a 13-year-old, he became the youngest American to ascend a rock with the rating of 5.14, the highest rating given to climbs at the time.
After a bout with cancer, Scully became the first American to climb that rating after surviving cancer, according to Scully’s biography on rocksandropes.com. He has been a sponsored athlete and competed in the United States and abroad.
These days, aside from being a business major at UA, Scully coaches the youth team at Rocks and Ropes. He is there many days a week, motivating kids in the sport he loves so much.
“It’s just a great way to give back to the community that gave me so much,” he said. “They get training from a pro athlete who’s competed all over the world.”
Scully said he hasn’t competed much in the past year but has plans to in the future. He is especially interested in the world cup circuit.
Rocks and Ropes is open seven days a week. First-time goers ages 12 and older can climb, get an initial lesson and rent equipment for $30. Day passes cost $12, and memberships are available. Students are charged a discounted rate.
Make sure to bring a friend so that you can use each other in the belay instruction.
FYI
Rocks and Ropes climbing gym
Location: 330 S. Toole Ave.
Phone: 882-5924
Web site: www.rocksandropes.com
