A

the problem yourself. -

DAVE TAYLOR

living ¢ on the edge

By DAVE TAYLOR
ABOUT HALFWAY up, I get sewing-machine leg.
It’s an involuntary twitch of the lower leg, kind of like when you scratch a dop’s belly, Only
I’m hanging off acliff and not lying safely on the living room carpet:
I shake it off and continue my ascent. My instructor had decided not
to give me any hints on where to'put my rookie fingers and toes, so F’m
on my own. Part of the fun, he insisted, was solving |

And he was right.

I didn’t think about deadlines, phone bills
or rent. J didn’t think about what [ was going
to have for dinner, Ail I could think about
was finding the next tiny crevice to jam my
toes or fingers into and prevent myself from
falling, Even though I’m tied safely into a
rope and harness, |’ d teally rather not
lest them.

Then suddenly I’m at the top - I’ve
climbed my first rock:

Elated, | rappell proudly back down the
cliff, smiling in the warmth of the late summer
sun and gazing oul at the incredible Skeena Valley.

At the bottom is Garnet Watson. At 34, his
youthful face is just starting to show signs of
maturing. Little lines at the corners of his mouth
proclaim that thisis a guy who smiles —a lot.

“You're a natural,” he says, beaming. “But
here, - ll show you some. tricks -to make it
easier.”

Suddenly Watson becomes Spiderman.

He crawls part way up the cliff and
leans out away from the rock. The
technique improves shoe grip on the
rock, he explains, but I’m barely listen-
ing - too busy looking for suction cups
on his toes, or anything to explain what
Pm seeing,

Watson knows what he’s doing. He’s
been climbing technically for 17 years,
including several years in Squamish — the
Canadian rock climbing Mecca.

But with climbing's recent popularity
explosion, Watson found -he actually had
to waitin line to climb same of the popular
spots near Squamish.

“E couldn’t believe il when 1 came to
Terrace in 1990,” he says. “There were
hardly any routes established up Copper,
To come ‘here from Squamish — it was
unbelievable.” ”

Garnet says Terrace is a great place to
climb. There are enough climbers here
now to have established some excellent
routes, but it’s never very crowded. Sites
like Copper Mountain, Schist Creek and
Tyee are all popular nearby climbing areas.

In fact, just last year the Schist Creek Climbing Crags near Onion Lake became a Forest
Recreation site, complete with designated camping areas, an outhouse and fire pils.

Watson says it was a great idea anda good indication of the growing popularity of the sport.

“The last two years have had the biggest increases I’ve ever seen,” he says. “It’s a neat feel-
ing to see people get the bite and watch them get haoked,””

Watson just completed teaching a climbing course through Terrace Parks and Recreation.
It’s a basic course, wilh an emphasis on safely and fun - and it shows that virtually anyone can
participate in the sport.

“It’s a fairly macho thing, and there’s lots of ego in it,” he says, “But there doesn’ t have to
be. It doesn’t need ta be competitive. You should do it for the pleasure, not to impress people.”

Watson also says climbers don’t have to be extremely fit and they cau be virtually any age.

“1 fully intend on doing this when I’m 80,” he says.

Finding an experienced partner or taking a class are good ways to learn how to climb, This i is
one sport where bud habits could have deadly consequences. :

But while Watson stresses safety, he also says climbers shouldn't he worried about their’ gear
while making an ascent —thcy should be enjoying the climb:

“Some of the best climbs are when you're not thinking at all,” he says. “You're totally
focussed — it’s a Zen thing.”

Watson also says it’s good to have a partner to climb with. Solo climbing is ok for experts,

a
M@ Learning from local heroes
LOCAL YOUTHS have been getting a chance to fearn valuable skills from
some of Terrace’s top hockey players during the past week at the annual Ter-

race Hockey School. Utah Grizzly Jeff Sharples, along with New York Islander
goalie Wade Flaherty and other local stars continue with their schoal this week.

an amazing record time of

_ 4:00:20. He was immediale- .

G35 1285

ROCK CLIMBING’S popularity has skyrocketed in recent years and Terrace is a.
great piace for those with the urge to climb. On the left, Garnet Watson tackles a‘
tough route on Bufialo Boulder. Above, Watson shows some moves on the crack |
at the Copper Mountain bluffs In Thomhill.

Getting started

THE BEST type of climbing for beginners is top-
roping. That’s when a rope system is set up at the top
of a cliff, and one climber (who’s tied on) ascends
while another person acts as belayer, staying at the bat-
tom and taking up the slack from the climber’s rope.

“Some of the best
climbs are when
you're not thinking at

all. You're totally The belayer is essentially the brake for the climber,
focussed — it’s a Zen ~ |-and should never, ever take his or. her hands off the
thing’”’ . Tope. . .

«Garnet Watson- To get started in this fast-growing sport you'll

eventually need some equipment (you can only sponge
off other climbers for so long).

Here’s some of the basic stuff needed for top-roping:

Harness — $60 — $100

Hamesses come in different sizes and styles, Comfort
is important here.

Rope — $150

Rope comes in several different thicknesses for dif-
ferent applications, This is not the yellow junk you buy
at the hardware store,

Rockshoes — $100 —- $175

These are like tight rubber slippers that greatly im-
prove grip on the rock. Buy rock shoes a couple of
sizes smialicy than regular shoes,

Webbing — $2 per foot

Part of your rope-sysiem, used in conjunction with
carabiners,

Carabiners — $10 — $15 each

You'll need several of these strong metal clips to
secure your rope system and harness.

When bnying any gear, it’s best to consult with an
experienced climber. These are just some of the basics
for top-roping. More advanced free-climbing and aid-
climbing require more gear.

Challenge met in record time

PERFECT CONDITIONS
helped riders race to record
limes a1 the annual Skeona
River Challenge two
weekends ago.

The weather was warm
and the course grueling, as
usual, running along the
Skeena River all the way
from Prince Rupert to Ter-
race,

Dozens of competitors
from all over the northwest
wound their way up the vai a
ley for several hours, jock-

but Watson points out that some of the fun of climbing is.
the shared experience and talking about it later.

Climbing walls are good. for beginners too. And
Watson says he hopes Terrace gets one in the future.

“I's a great training medium. You can expose yourself
to exhillerating situations in a totally safe environment,”
he says. “An indoor wail would be great to have here. We
definitely get our share of rain and snow,”

Still, nothing beats the real thing for Watson, who says

- experiencing the great outdoors is part of the sport’ $ draw
for him.

. And today it’s easy to understand why. The rock is
warm to the touch and the view is beautiful.

Watson Spidermans his way back down from the cliff
and pats the warm rock lovingly. “Good rock,” he says.
“Good climb.”

He smiles and tells me it’s my lurn.

My leg starts to twitch. ;

eying for position.
In the end, it was 28-year-
old Peter Krause of

Smithers taking the win in

3:59:50.

Not far behind was Ter-
race’s 17-year-old Adam
Spensley, who finished at

ly followed by - David
Shearer, Bernd Guderjalan
arid James Smids at a tight
4:00:23.

The top female competitor
of the day was Tertace’s erie te eee ee ne oo SS \
Cheryl : —_— :

woman of steel,

Stecle, who finished well ATHLETES LINE up to draft each other along a lonely stretch of Highway 16. ;
ahead of the pack at Dozens of bikers competed In this year’s Prince Rupert ta Terrace race, :
4:45:00. ‘

5:33:03, _Ished Grst at 4:46:45, with _ Terrace’s Bob and Debbie:

Meanwhile, on the tandem ‘Mike and Gwen Long of Peacock finished third in the:
bikes, John and Robert Kitimat finishing second at ‘andem-bicycle categoty at:
‘Sambo of Prince Rupert fin- 5:01:44, . 7:35:18, :

Some. 17 minutes later,
Mary Stewart crossed the
line at 5:01:55, She was fol-
lowed ‘by Tams Kerr at