3. History of Climbing at Red River Gorge
• 1950’s - 1st Climbing routes established by
local cavers.
• 1960-70’s - climbing continued to gain
attention with avid climbers D.Britz and Ron
Stoley establishing more and more routes.
• 1975 - 1st publication on a guide book
dedicated to the RRG, Red River Gorge
Climber’s Guide.
4. History of Climbing at Red River Gorge
(continued)
• 1980’s- Climbing routes more than doubled
• 1990’s- 2nd Climbing guide book published,
Stones of Years ,with follow-up editions
showing a total of over 400 climbing routes
• 2000’s- saw an explosion of climbing routes
with the exploration of new areas of the
gorge. 1st Publication of the guide book Red
River Gorge Rock Climbs, containing 1311
climbing routes.
5. History of Climbing at Red River Gorge
(continued)
• 2000’s (continued)- Parking expanded to meet
demand as the RRG saw climbers from all over
the United States.
• 2010’s- Private land acquisitions, such as Muir
Valley, Pendergrass-Murray Recreational
Preserve, and Torrent Falls, be come common
place
6. Types of Land
Private Land
• Muir Valley
• Pendergrass-Murray
Recreational Preserve
• Torrent Falls
• Roadside Crag
Federal Lands
• U.S. Forest Service (RRG
National Geologic Area)
• Clifty Wilderness Area
• U.S. Army Corps of
Engineers
7.
8. Types of Climbing
Traditional
• Climbers ascend the rock or
wall placing equipment in
the rock that will prevent
falls that is removed when
the climb is finished. This
type of climbing is far more
costly than Sport climbing
because the investment in
equipment is more
expensive.
Sport
• Climbers use permanent
fixed points in the rock that
were installed by previous
climbers, this type of
climbing is less costly than
Traditional because the
investment in equipment is
less.
11. In Review
• Climbing at Red River Gorge dates back to the 1950s.
• There are two kinds of land: Private and Federal.
• There are two main kinds of climbing at Red River
Gorge: Traditional and Sport.
• Today, new route development is occurring at an
exponential rate.
• The growth of the climber user base is expanding
quickly, due to the popularity of climbing gyms in
nearby large cities.
12. Works Cited
• Black Diamond Cams. Digital image. Looking Glass Outfitters.
Web. 30 Apr. 2013.
• Black Diamond Hexs. Digital image. TBN. Web. 30 Apr. 2013.
• Black Diamond Nuts. Digital image. REI. Web. 30 Apr. 2013.
• Black Diamond Quickdraws. Digital image. TBN. Web. 30 Apr.
2013.
• Ellington, Ray. The Red River Gorge: Rock Climbs. Silt, CO:
Wolverine Pub., 2007. Print.
• Fixe Anchor. Digital image. PhotoBucket. Web. 30 Apr. 2013.
• Muir Valley Sign. Digital image. Muir Valley. Web. 30 Apr. 2013.
• Red River Gorge Climbing Map. Digital image. Berea Chemistry
Department. Web. 30 Apr. 2013.
• Red River Gorge Map. Digital image. Red River Saga. Web. 30 Apr.
2013.
