Hey, You, Get Off of My CLIFF

Folio: The Magazine for Magazine Management, July 1, 2003

Byline: Susan Thea Posnock

Bolts are the big issue in the rock-climbing world. At least, that's what The Wall Street Journal says.

In a front-page story on June 11, The Journal reported that the climbing community is in an uproar over the fight between traditional rock climbers, who favor temporary climbing tools, and those who have come to rely more and more on the use of permanent "fixed anchors," or bolts, which are often drilled in and used to secure ropes. According to The Journal's piece, the issue is coming to a head, with activists on both sides warring over whether to bolt or not to bolt.

But ask the climbing lifers - otherwise known as the editors at climbing bibles Rock & Ice and Climbing - and the prestigious Journal was in over its head tackling their issue. "I have yet to see any mainstream media illuminate the subject properly, or in context," says Tyler Stableford, editor of Carbondale, Colorado-based Rock & Ice.

The article centers on Jonathan Thesenga, the former editor of Climbing, who removed bolts that had been placed on a climbing route in Aspen, Colorado. Thesenga - whose actions are described in the story but who was not interviewed for it (he says reporter Dean Starkman had tried to reach him, but that he was out of the country) - comes off as anti-bolt. Not so, he maintains. "I'm completely indifferent to both sides. If a climb needs bolts, that's fine. If it doesn't need bolts, it doesn't," he says. The incident described was the first time Thesenga had ever removed bolts. "It was completely poor judgment in placing them in that spot," he explains.

Those familiar with the topic say all of this is old news. "Bolting is an age-old issue, going back to the days of [renowned environmentalist] David Brower's first climb in 1938," says Stableford. In fact, he notes that Brower, who placed one of the very first bolts, "was one of the consultants on the Wilderness Act of 1964, and he knew that fixed anchors were a vital part of wilderness climbing and exploration."

Stableford's competitor, who works across the street in Carbondale, agrees. "It's certainly an issue that always merits discussion and always will," says Matt Stanley, senior editor at Climbing. "But it's certainly not coming to a head."

Starkman knew the piece would cause a reaction. "Climbers are really passionate about their sport," he says. While some disagree, he says the blow-up over Thesenga and the prospect of government involvement, indicate the sport has reached a crossroads. "The news is the federal government is regulating something that hasn't been regulated before," he says.

Thesenga and his climbing cohorts say The Journal story is just another example of how mainstream media takes a topic it doesn't really understand and distorts it for a mass audience. "They're trying to tackle an extremely complex, multilayered issue. In a 1,200-word article, it's just not possible," Thesenga says. It's not unlike the 1996 tragedy on Everest. "All of a sudden that was a big topic and people were writing about mountaineering and risks involved," he says.

Of course, everything is niche to someone. And whether it's rock climbing or rock collecting, mainstream publications wouldn't have anything to write about if they kept off the turf of the little guys. And thanks to The Journal, those of us whose idea of extreme climbing is a set of stairs, now know a bolt from a cam. (A retractable wedge used by climbers.)