Rocky Johnson
Edgeworks Member since 2004

Rocky has been a member of the climbing community in large for a long, loooong time. His countless climbing achievements include being the very first Edgeworks member and also putting up the classic “Rogers Corner” at Index.

How did you start climbing?
Rocky: I started climbing in the 1950s. No really sure of the date: time really didn’t matter to a kid. Started scrambling (bouldering) on some rocks near my home in Denver. My scout troop had an advisor that was a great climber: Joe Stettner. He took us rock climbing on Longs Peak.

Why do you climb at Edgeworks?
Rocky: Edgeworks provides a wonderful, fun community of like minded people who value vertical movement, Grace and Power. It is a place where I can connect to my love of climbing and in a remote way to the mountains.

Where is your favorite place to climb outside?
Rocky: In alpine areas. Beautiful alpine peaks, rock and ice. There is nothing like immersing yourself in the alpine world and moving freely over sublime terrain. Rock peaks, glaciers, ridges, meadows and forest all have great appeal.

What do you do when you’re not climbing?
Rocky: Not sure where all the time goes.

What are some interesting facts that you’d like to share with the Edgeworks community?
Rocky: Climbed with Fred Beckey and Lief N. Patterson in the early 1970s, I met Gaston Rebuffat, Henry Barber, Royal Robbins, Yvon Chouinard, Don Jensn, Mugs Stump, Jim Bridwell and countless other people with whom I share a bond: the bond of the rope.

Cycling – like climbing but not as vertical and a little faster. Jayson got so excited about his new helmet that we’ve decided to host a free ride for our members* around the North End of T-Town on Wednesday nights. It’s not really a climbing event, but more of an opportunity to get together, meet other members, and spend some time outside the gym.

*All members, future members, potential members, friends, family and people with bicycles are invited; the more the merrier – but expect to hear about our Corporate Specials if you are not already involved.

We’ll leave from the gym parking lot at 7pm and head out for a ride around the North End. Then, after about an hour of riding, we’ll stop at the HUB for 10% OFF dinner ; heading back to the gym around 9:30pm via North 11th.

Don’t forget to bring a helmet, bike lights, bike lock, money and ID!  We look forward to seeing you there.

EVERY WEDNESDAY EVENING IN AUGUST!
Next Ride: October 8, 2014

Bullet Point Itinerary: (For those who prefer lists.)

6:00 pm – Pull Plastic in the Gym
7:00 pm – Leave Edgeworks and head out for a ride around the North End.
8:15 pm – Arrive at the HUB, for 10%OFF dinner
9:30 pm – Return to Edgeworks

“Oh, climbing is too hard for me, I could never do that”, “I bet climbing takes alot of arm strength”, “I’m too overweight to climb.”  Working at a climbing gym, I hear these words all the time. My personal favorite is “I’ve got to get in shape BEFORE I rock climb.” 

In short, none of these things are true. These common misconceptions are created by a lack of understanding of rock climbing and encouraged by sensational media. Climbing is about using your legs to push you up the wall and using your arms for balance. When you see someone doing pull-ups on a climbing wall, they are either doing it wrong or doing some kind of specialized training that is unlikely to improve their climbing. If you use your legs to walk around, you have the strength it takes to rock climb!

The truth is anyone who can climb a flight of stairs can climb to the top of our wall. Our goal is to make sure everyone experiences success at Edgeworks. Give us an hour of your time and your confidence will be soaring – you’ll be shocked by what you achieve and by how engaged you are – mentally, physically and emotionally – while climbing. Even if you are afraid of heights, we’ve got a wall for you!

We’ve had every age between 3 and 83 climbing in our gym and every weight between 20 pounds and 350 pounds. We’ve had people who haven’t done anything “active” in 30 years get to the top of a route first try. We’ve had kids on our climbing team who had been told their whole life that they were uncoordinated (because they weren’t good at ball sports) compete at national climbing competitions.

By the way, on the opposite end of the spectrum, we have some routes that are hard enough that only a few people in Washington can climb them. 

That’s what makes climbing so great. Everyone can seek their own challenge that matches their current ability. Parents can have fun climbing with their kids, instead of being stuck on the sidelines watching. That’s why some of our members have been climbing for over 40 years!

At Edgeworks, we help people of any ability develop skills for a lifetime of fitness and recreation through climbing.

So next time you see that bank commercial with the couple standing on a cliff at dizzying heights or Tom Cruise dangling from an overhang with no ropes by one finger, remember, that’s NOT what we do here. Our goals are focused on fun, education and community building. Then we sneak in some exercise so you don’t notice that it’s a workout until the next day!

Team Edgeworks would like to invite climbers and their families who are interested in joining Team to our preseason potluck dinner. We’re meeting at Edgeworks at 4pm to climb, and then heading to Titlow Park for dinner and to talk about the coming season. This is a great chance to meet and ask questions of the whole team family. Current parents, competitors and coaches will all be there and we’d love to see you too! If you have any questions please get in touch with Jon at the gym.

-August 25th
-04:00PM @ Edgeworks Climbing Gym then on to Titlow Park for the potluck.
-More information email Jayson: jayson@edgeworksclimbing.com

Looking to go out climbing? Let us take you out to some of the best climbing areas in Washington.  We just recently expanded our website to include a guiding section, complete with all the info you need to schedule a guiding trip with Edgeworks!  Whether you’re a brand new climber looking to have the experts show you the ropes, or a seasoned veteran wanting to go out with a group, we’ve got guides ready to take you climbing.

We’ve got pages for both single and multi-pitch climbs, laying out the climbing areas by skill level (beginner/novice, intermediate, advanced).  If you’re interested in taking an outdoor climbing course from Edgeworks, we’ve also got a list of all our outdoor courses.  As always, Edgeworks members receive 15% off all

If you’re not familiar with climbing areas around the PNW, we’ve given a little description of the areas where we guide.  And if you want to get to know our guides a little better, check out the Guides page to read a bit about our highly trained guides!

Want to schedule a trip?  Great!  Take a look at our rates page if you’d like to find out how much your guiding trip will cost.  All prices include the gear you’ll need (helmet, shoes, & harness). If you’re ready to schedule, call us at 253-564-4899 to find out available dates for your trip!

Justin and Ken woke up as we crested the final hill on Great Basin highway and coasted down towards the city. An ocean of gleaming lights spread out across the lowlands for miles in every direction, and at its heart, an unmistakable shimmering neon core – the Las Vegas Strip.

image by  stevendepolo 

When I told people I was planning to spend 10 days in Las Vegas they would knit their brows and look at me with a mixture of confusion and distaste.  “Really?” they said, “Why?”  I guess the idea of me in a suit, martini in one hand, dice in the other, against a backdrop of glamour and sin doesn’t click for most people.  As it happens, it doesn’t click for me either.  10 days in Las Vegas and I didn’t gamble, never saw a cocktail, avoided the strip, missed all the shows, and failed to stay up past 10pm.  I slept in the dirt.

Just before we hit the city, we took an abrupt right.  Most cities have soft edges, becoming less and less dense, more and more spread out, until eventually they fade away into the rural areas that surround them.  Not Las Vegas.  It has edges so sharp it looks like a maniacal urban planner cut the heart out of some other city and dumped it in the middle of the desert.  We skirted the city’s edge, riding the dividing line between civilization and wasteland all the way to the west side where we turned right again, putting the lights of Las Vegas in the rearview mirror.  By the time we pulled over, the lights had disappeared around a bend in the road and the only evidence that Las Vegas, the world capital of whatever it is Las Vegas is the world capital of, was just over the hill was a single pillar of light from the tip of that casino that looks like a pyramid.

The campground was black, but you could make out the cliff walls where their edges blocked out the stars.  We had arrived.  We were just outside Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area.  We had made it to my Las Vegas.

We quickly fell into a routine.  Wake up just after sunrise, climb until just after sunset, eat, sleep, repeat.  The 3 of us climbed for 8 days straight, making 150 attempts on 40 separate routes at 10 different crags and we barely scratched the surface of what Red Rock has to offer.  Sport test pieces, trad epics, and boulder nightmares are everywhere.  Steep or slabby, long or short, easy or hard.  There’s something for everyone and you owe it to yourself to make it there someday.  These are the pictures from my Las Vegas.