High Drama: The Rise, Fall, and Rebirth of American Competition Climbing

High Drama: The Rise, Fall, and Rebirth of American Competition Climbing
ISBN-10
1641254092
ISBN-13
9781641254090
Category
Sports & Recreation
Pages
256
Language
English
Published
2020-03-03
Publisher
Triumph Books
Authors
John Burgman, Kynan Waggoner

Description

One afternoon in 1987, two renegade climbers in Berkeley, California, hatched an ambitious plan: under the cover of darkness, they would rappel down from a carefully scouted highway on-ramp, gluing artificial handholds onto the load-bearing concrete pillars underneath. Equipped with ingenuity, strong adhesive, and an urban guerilla attitude, Jim Thornburg and Scott Frye created a serviceable climbing wall. But what they were part of was a greater development: the expansion and reimagining of a sport now slated for a highly anticipated Olympic debut in 2020. High Drama explores rock climbing's transformation from a pursuit of select anti-establishment vagabonds to a sport embraced by competitors of all ages, social classes, and backgrounds. Climbing magazine's John Burgman weaves a multi-layered story of traditionalists and opportunists, grassroots organizers and business-minded developers, free-spirited rebels and rigorously coached athletes.

Other editions

Similar books