Matthew Curtis-Source Analysis

Works Cited

"Brandon Prince." Personal interview. 21 Feb. 2011.

For this interview, which I have not conducted yet, but will do very soon, I will be speaking with someone I’ve known for about 15 years. Mr. Prince is well known in Boise area climbing groups not only as an excellent climber and trusted companion, but also as a person who is concerned with the environmental issues that face his community. He currently works at Urban Ascent Climbing Gym here in Boise, as an instructor and climbing route setter.

Freeman, Martin S., Leo H. McAvoy, and David W. Lime. "Characteristics, Perceptions, and Management Preferences of Rock Climbers at Mount Rushmore National Memorial." Cooperative Park Studies Unit, University of Minnesota 8 (May 1997): 1-8. Print.

This was a research summary done by the University of Minnesota College of Natural Resources. They went around to campsites and popular climbing spots and conducted interviews and asked questions ranging from where the climber was from, age/gender, climbing techniques used, and how they felt about how the areas in Mount Rushmore National Memorial were managed. The statistics they came up with were fascinating, and I hope to follow a similar pattern during my own research. While I’m not concerned as much with age and gender, I am curious about where the people I’ll be interviewing do most of their climbing, and how they feel the land is managed. I’ll also try to look at how far the people I interview travel for their sport.

Jones, Chris. Climbing in North America. Berkeley: Published for the American Alpine Club by the University of California, 1976. Print.

This book is mainly a history of rock climbing, starting with the early explorers who were looking for a path to the Pacific. It details a few methods and tools used by those early explorers and subsequent climbing parties. I picked this book out because it shows that even though the history of climbing mountains and cliffs dates back to the early 1800’s, the sport as it is known today is still relatively new. I thought that a history of the community I’m studying would give me a little bit of insight into the climbing culture.

Makley, Matthew S., and Michael J. Makley. Cave Rock: Climbers, Courts, and a Washoe Indian Sacred Place. Reno: University of Nevada, 2010. Print.

This book details the fight between the Washoe Indians of Nevada with climbing groups and the federal government. The site, Cave Rock, was held by the Washoe tribe as a spiritually significant place, and by climbers as one of the best spots in Nevada to climb. The court battle eventually ended when the chief of the National Park that Cave Rock was located on ruled that the site was spiritually significant to the Washoe, and that climbers were no longer welcome to climb. This decision was made after many studies were done by parties representing both sides, and while it was a triumph for the Washoe Tribe, it showed how easily land that is thought to be public can change to private hands rather quickly. I chose this because land use issues is something that is of concern to a majority of climbers, but there are entities within the federal and state system that try to prevent them from using certain areas due to fears of environmental or other damage.

Martin, Reese. "Reducing the Visual Impact of Bolt Hangers and Other Fixed Gear?" The American Safe Climbing Association. N.D. Web. 21 Feb. 2011.

This article describes how a climber should disguise climbing routes by painting the gear they use that are permanently embedded in the rock. It is not telling people that it is okay to climb in areas where climbing is illegal, but rather tell climbers how to reduce the visual impact of the gear they use after they leave. Some environmentalists argue that fixed anchors are damaging to the environment both physically and esthetically; but that painting your gear to match the rock face is one way to reduce what some say is the visual damage left behind by rock climbers.

Stewart, Tom. "Environmental Criticisms of Rock Climbing - by Tom Stewart - Helium." Helium - Where Knowledge Rules. 17 May 2009. Web. 19 Feb. 2011.

This article acknowledges that there can be environmental damage cause by rock climbers, but offers suggestions on ways to make the sport less damaging to the areas where they climb. I chose this because it gave me many questions I can use while conducting my own interviews and observations.