April 2011 - Parks & Recreation - 20

Who, What, Where & how Around the Parks

T H E O U T D OOR S

Climbing the Walls

I

"

t was like a bunch of ants at
a picnic. " That's how Steve Ashworth, director of parks and
recreation in the town of Jackson, Wyoming, describes the
opening day of the town's Teton Boulder
Park, which opened in October 2010.
" You'll see people out there even when
it's snow-covered. "
Climbing, perhaps the ultimate outdoor sport, was largely adopted by park
and recreation agencies as an indoor
activity. Now things are moving back
outside with the opening of two large,
free, public, outdoor climbing facilities
in Jackson and Columbus, Ohio.
" It's been interesting to see, primarily because of the scale of those
walls, " Chris Danielson, a consultant
with THREAD Climbing Wall Consultation, says. " They're closer to the scale
of a commercial facility in terms of the
amount of terrain. "
Boulders are shorter climbing
structures that do not require ropes.
Danielson says these facilities are more
youth-oriented than geared to the rugged outdoorsman. Teton Boulder Park
features a " Kids' Rock " and the world's
largest artificial boulder, a ship-shaped,
boxcar-sized rock nicknamed the " S.S.
Badass. " Its 12-foot height was determined by the limits of the impact-resilient surfacing in the park. Ashworth says
the boulder park is not supervised and is
managed much like a playground. Fundraising is underway for a third structure,
to be called " Pioneers' Boulder. "

Mountains within Mountains
Why build artificial boulders in a town
surrounded by mountains? " We've been
asked that question, " Ashworth chuckles.

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Parks & Recreation

Apr i l 2 0 1 1

Teton Boulder Park

It can be hard to get out into the back
country, and quality natural structures
are not accessible to multiple skill levels, he explains. " Here we have a multiskill-set, multigenerational environment
where young and old can help each other,
where beginning and advanced can work
together side by side, " he explains.
The park was conceived by a group
of five passionate climbers, and over the
course of a year it evolved from plans for
a single tiny boulder to an entire climbing
complex located in Phil Baux Park at the
foot of Snow King Mountain, Ashworth says.
Christian Beckwith, one of the citizens involved with the project, says, " We worked
closely with the Teton County Parks and
Recreation Department from conception
onward. The private/public model allowed

www.NRPA .ORG

climbers to dictate elements essential to
their needs....We came up with the vision;
they managed the execution. As a result,
we have a park that is considered absolutely authentic by its primary user group,
that adheres to all recreation guidelines,
and that serves as a paradigm of public/
private ventures going forward. "
Besides the boulders, the park features a playground, amphitheater style
seating, and a planned retaining wall
that will describe some of the most significant climbing achievements in the
Tetons. Echoing a mysterious Native
American structure called the Enclosure near the summit of Grand Teton, a
circular arrangement of 21 stone slabs
memorializes those climbers who have
been lost to the mountains.
" One of the things that is really strong
in this community and a real foundation
is the climbing heritage, " Ashworth explains. " What a great thing to be able to
tell that story and to get people involved
in climbing. "
According to Danielson, public recreation facilities are traditionally where
many people have been introduced to
climbing. However, just as outside climbers may seek new challenges in new destinations, even indoor public climbing walls
can lure return climbers through route rotation. Commercial facilities change their
routes every eight to 12 weeks, but Danielson says this schedule should be based
on usage. A smaller facility with only two
or three top ropes and heavy usage may
want to change their routes every three
months, but larger facilities or those with
lighter usage should consider route setting every four to six months.
The sport's growth recently hit a stumbling block with the recall of a popular

teton photos courtesy of David swift / Scioto audubon photo courtesy of marshall reese

Finding routes to lure climbers
April 2011 - Parks & Recreation

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of April 2011 - Parks & Recreation
