White Rastafarian’s fall zone boulder moved.

It was a bit disappointing to me that it was moved in the first place, then I ultimately decided I really didn't care (partially because John Long didn't care).

The decision to move it back by the park service seems totally bizarre to me. If some climbers moved it back, that would not surprise me at all, and I would partially applaud their convictions. But I gotta wonder what rationale the park service is thinking on this one.

Chris treggE wrote:It was a bit disappointing to me that it was moved in the first place, then I ultimately decided I really didn't care (partially because John Long didn't care). The decision to move it back by the park service seems totally bizarre to me. If some climbers moved it back, that would not surprise me at all, and I would partially applaud their convictions. But I gotta wonder what rationale the park service is thinking on this one.

I find it kinda weird too. Not sure what their motives are. Maybe they feel that if they don't move it back they will appear as if they don't care that it got moved in the first place which might make it appear as if they don't care if this kind of action occurs in the park.

Tim Lutz wrote:Hurraayyy!! V3 danger points restored!

Isn't it beautiful. Now I can stop loosing sleep. We should go punch some laps before it gets moved again and indefinitely closed to climbing. I guess its good there are so many problems out there that the danger cannot be removed from.:)

I think it's best if the NPS never knows about anything climbers do. Going and complaining to a LEO/TOOL will only make things worse.
Come on, think this stuff through...

Mike Brady wrote: Huh? What does John Gill have to do with this?

Goatboy will tell you!!

Guy Keesee wrote:I think it's best if the NPS never knows about anything climbers do. Going and complaining to a LEO/TOOL will only make things worse. Come on, think this stuff through...

Umm.you guys are a few days late. The NPS knew about the issue and if you think that we can hide-out and not be noticed....

Russ Walling wrote:The Park Service is no longer moving it back. A chuckwalla was found under the boulders new location, and now there needs to be a EIR and a bunch of other studies. This will take some time. For now, WR remains as safe landing 10.C boulder problem right in the middle of a NPS Study Area of Critical Concern.

Sweet! The problem is way better now anyways. :)

Adam Burch wrote: Goatboy will tell you!!

I'm sure he will

Mike Brady wrote: I'm sure he will

When THC levels are high - wisdom and hilarity flow. It's cyclical.

This is an excellent but a dangerous climb! Especially that scary boulder. Therefore, I added a bolt just before the crux and a bolted anchor so you guys can climb this problem safely! Enjoy my friends!

Best,
Rich

In solidarity I am cutting out my seat-belt and taking the anti lock breaks off my car. My grandmother used to send that drive to the store every day with these risks. These are the traditional responsibilities of the standard route to the supermarket, something this gym noob crowd will never understand. The modern day gym noob crowd likes to cheat this experience and make it more safe by using anti lock breaks and seat-belts, you cowards! You are ruining this experience for others! You should have to drive to the store just like my Grandma used to, anything else is a disrespect to tradition!

If you stand by me, and stand by tradition, let us make a vow:

We will cut the seat belts and anti lock breaks from our car, this will make for a more traditional and legitimate driving experience, will put us in touch with our ancestors and the nature, and thus will make us real drivers who can look at ourselves in the mirror and be proud.

Can I get an Amen!

J Q wrote:In solidarity I am cutting out my seat-belt and taking the anti lock breaks off my car. My grandmother used to send that drive to the store every day with these risks. These are the traditional responsibilities of the standard route to the supermarket, something this gym noob crowd will never understand. The modern day gym noob crowd likes to cheat this experience and make it more safe by using anti lock breaks and seat-belts, you cowards! You are ruining this experience for others! You should have to drive to the store just like my Grandma used to, anything else is a disrespect to tradition! If you stand by me, and stand by tradition, let us make a vow: We will cut the seat belts and anti lock breaks from our car, this will make for a more traditional and legitimate driving experience, will put us in touch with our ancestors and the nature, and thus will make us real drivers who can look at ourselves in the mirror and be proud. Can I get an Amen!

Yeah....thats totally the same. I'm sure you have never climbed anything that could have be made safer.

This has been HIGHLY entertaining!!! The comments back and forth have been very interesting and both sides make great points.

History and Ethics in JTree have always been paramount to the community that considers the park "home". With that, the minimalist approach to landscaping must be respected. Anything that can be moved by a single person with their bare hands is fair game, minus the uprooting of plants or anything that would otherwise kill any part of the surrounding ecosystem. Anything else is off limits. Additionally, anything that impacts historical context of the surrounding area must also be taken into account i.e. no moving cheatstones, no climbing/establishing within 100 feet of historical landmarks or artifacts, etc.

With that, moving that boulder away from the fallzone violates two relatively unwritten but accepted "rules" of the JTree climbing community. In simple terms, someone came in and violated local ethics. We widely consider this a big No-No in the climbing world. For example, when Sharma called "Biographie" --> "Realization". After discovering the local climbing ethics on renaming extensions of existing routes, he publicly acknowledged it and hence referred to "Realization" as "Biographie" or whatever it was called originally.

On an attempt of WF some years back, I slipped off the crux and landed on that pesky little boulder, chin/left arm/chest first, then bounced backward onto the pads. Sent me to the ER for 5 hours and left me with a bit of permanent damage to my sternum. Came back a week later and simply padded the boulder up. Fell on the boulder from the crux AGAIN (this time on my back w/ my feet hitting the ground first)...and wouldn't you know it, it felt fine.

Now...Did I want to move that boulder upon returning from injury? F*ck yeah I did! Did I move that boulder? No. What did I do? Simple: reassessed and mitigated my risk...then sac'ed up and sent.

Points being:
1. If you're visiting a crag or if you consider the crag your home, know the local ethics and live by them. Equally as much, don't take those same standards to other crags as they may be completely different.

I would gladly move massive boulders out of the way at some other crag if that was an acceptable practice AT THAT CRAG. This is not an acceptable practice in Joshua Tree, so it shouldn't happen there. Tic marks are a great example of what's not acceptable at JTree, Tram and other SoCal crags (by ethics and by law) but seems perfectly acceptable in Bishop (as they are EVERYF*CKINWHERE LOL~)

2. Learn to properly mitigate your risk with absolutely minimal impact.

Whoever moved the boulder should have simply moved it back when they were done. No harm no foul as no one would have been the wiser, and they equally as much would have made the effort to restore the environment, bringing their impact down to, at or near zero. Either that or just pad it up like I did~

3. Climb w/ Confidence.

If you don't feel confident about it for whatever reason, move on. Be mindful of your environment and assess risk properly. But if you want to test yourself, then test yourself, and do so with courage and confidence. You know you're strong enough, and you know you're good enough.

All that said, if that boulder isn't moved back by the NPS in the next couple of months, I'm positive that the community will move it back as it's kind of our unwritten responsibility anyway! In fact, some friends and I were thinking about moving it **CLOSER** so you cowardly wanky gym pussies shit in your little lace thong panties when you can't even pull the 5.7 start moves!!!

RtM -- In 20 years, you can write a story in the guide about how the community and locals went back and forth moving the White Rastafarian fallzone boulder due to some cowardly pussy gym rats who couldn't hang. Kinda like the story of how y'all moved the Pumping Monzonite cheatstone! hahahahahaahhaahh!!!

heretic.climbing wrote:This has been HIGHLY entertaining!!! The comments back and forth have been very interesting and both sides make great points. History and Ethics in JTree have always been paramount to the community that considers the park "home". With that, the minimalist approach to landscaping must be respected. Anything that can be moved by a single person with their bare hands is fair game, minus the uprooting of plants or anything that would otherwise kill any part of the surrounding ecosystem. Anything else is off limits. Additionally, anything that impacts historical context of the surrounding area must also be taken into account i.e. no moving cheatstones, no climbing/establishing within 100 feet of historical landmarks or artifacts, etc. With that, moving that boulder away from the fallzone violates two relatively unwritten but accepted "rules" of the JTree climbing community. In simple terms, someone came in and violated local ethics. We widely consider this a big No-No in the climbing world. For example, when Sharma called "Biographie" --> "Realization". After discovering the local climbing ethics on renaming extensions of existing routes, he publicly acknowledged it and hence referred to "Realization" as "Biographie" or whatever it was called originally. On an attempt of WF some years back, I slipped off the crux and landed on that pesky little boulder, chin/left arm/chest first, then bounced backward onto the pads. Sent me to the ER for 5 hours and left me with a bit of permanent damage to my sternum. Came back a week later and simply padded the boulder up. Fell on the boulder from the crux AGAIN (this time on my back w/ my feet hitting the ground first)...and wouldn't you know it, it felt fine. Now...Did I want to move that boulder upon returning from injury? F*ck yeah I did! Did I move that boulder? No. What did I do? Simple: reassessed and mitigated my risk...then sac'ed up and sent. Points being: 1. If you're visiting a crag or if you consider the crag your home, know the local ethics and live by them. Equally as much, don't take those same standards to other crags as they may be completely different. I would gladly move massive boulders out of the way at some other crag if that was an acceptable practice AT THAT CRAG. This is not an acceptable practice in Joshua Tree, so it shouldn't happen there. Tic marks are a great example of what's not acceptable at JTree, Tram and other SoCal crags (by ethics and by law) but seems perfectly acceptable in Bishop (as they are EVERYF*CKINWHERE LOL~) 2. Learn to properly mitigate your risk with absolutely minimal impact. Whoever moved the boulder should have simply moved it back when they were done. No harm no foul as no one would have been the wiser, and they equally as much would have made the effort to restore the environment, bringing their impact down to, at or near zero. Either that or just pad it up like I did~ 3. Climb w/ Confidence. If you don't feel confident about it for whatever reason, move on. Be mindful of your environment and assess risk properly. But if you want to test yourself, then test yourself, and do so with courage and confidence. You know you're strong enough, and you know you're good enough. All that said, if that boulder isn't moved back by the NPS in the next couple of months, I'm positive that the community will move it back as it's kind of our unwritten responsibility anyway! In fact, some friends and I were thinking about moving it **CLOSER** so you cowardly wanky gym pussies shit in your little lace thong panties when you can't even pull the 5.7 start moves!!! RtM -- In 20 years, you can write a story in the guide about how the community and locals went back and forth moving the White Rastafarian fallzone boulder due to some cowardly pussy gym rats who couldn't hang. Kinda like the story of how y'all moved the Pumping Monzonite cheatstone! hahahahahaahhaahh!!!

TLDR

youtu.be/LIq_eeVbl2w?t=37s

M Sprague wrote:http://youtu.be/LIq_eeVbl2w?t=37s

I've done a few of those in my career...

Figured somebody else would've have posted this by now. The boulder got put back 2 weekends ago. NPS provided the rockbars, the climbing community provided the muscle. Thanks to everyone who helped out.

BRegan wrote:Figured somebody else would've have posted this by now. The boulder got put back 2 weekends ago. NPS provided the rockbars, the climbing community provided the muscle. Thanks to everyone who helped out.

Thanks for the heads up! Glad to hear it~ I'll be out there tomorrow, so I'll check it out as well~

+1 for the Climbing Community!!!

Tim Lutz wrote:So do I have a case against the Park Service if I am injured falling on this (Now) manufactured hazard? Should I have a lawyer spot me?

Hahaha~ I actually had a discussion with a lawyer friend about this very topic except in regards to that one assClown in NYC who went climbing in Central Park, jacked up his ankle, then proceeded to sue the city for essentially not putting up signs to say "No Climbing" on the statues or whatever he was on...

The legal term is "Assumed Risk" ... so if you're gonna climb in JTree of your own free will, you "assume the risk", and thus the National Park has no liability whatsoever~

Tim Lutz wrote:So do I have a case against the Park Service if I am injured falling on this (Now) manufactured hazard? Should I have a lawyer spot me?

lol, i do believe the ranger should have stayed out of it.

I still cant believe people take the pebbles so seriously these days.