Celebrating Bouldering at the Fall High Ball
November 2007Kevin Jorgeson climbs Flight of the Bumble Bee, on the Eastside of the Sierra.
The Sierra Nevada Section had a successful gathering on November 3 and 4 in Bishop for our second annual Fall "High Ball." The Eastside gave us perfect weather for the area's superb bouldering and cragging. About 50 climbers joined the party Saturday evening at Mill Creek Station, Roger Derryberry's shrine to Warren Harding and a very cool venue for our event. Thanks Roger! (See Roger's article about his first ascent of the East Ridge of Mt. Huntington in Alpinist 20.) Jerry Dodrill and Kevin Jorgeson presented an electrifying multimedia show, "Synergistic Visions," featuring insights into their creative collaboration and still photography and video from their diverse climbing experiences, including Zion big walls, expeditions to Bolivia and the border of Kyrgyzstan and China, and, of course, wicked high-ball boulder problems from the Bishop area. See some samples on Jerry's website. In fact, Kevin had shots of a brand-new problem he had put up that very day! The gear raffle was a big success, thanks to the generous support of sponsors who donated the schwag: Dave Talsky of Mammoth Mountaineering Supply, Backcountry.com, James Wilson of Wilson's Eastside Sports, and Gary Bard of Ortovox USA.
On Sunday, a number of us joined local BLM ranger and climber Scott Justham, along with Pit Campground host Maria and BLM archaeologist Greg, for free climbers' coffee at the Happy Boulders trailhead, followed by a work session to repair the trail into the Happies and collect trash. The explosion in the popularity of bouldering obviously comes with consequences for the surrounding environment, and it's our responsibility to preserve that environment.
Consistent with the AAC's conservation focus on human-waste management, we are exploring ways to help manage the problem on the Eastside, with the highest priority being the Buttermilk. While our efforts to educate climbers about using poop bags, like the Restop bags we gave away at our Saturday evening party, are an important step, knowledgeable locals agree that a permanent toilet facility is needed in the Buttermilk. We hope to work with allied groups like Friends of the Inyo, the Access Fund, and the Eastern Sierra Climbers Coalition to make this happen. Please contact Dave Riggs if you can help, either financially or with your time.
—Dave Riggs