A Slippery Slope: the future of Horse Pens 40

 So what had happened was…

Mike Shultz (owner of Horse Pens 40) gave me one of the strongest tongue lashings I have received since Kindergarten.  Did I deserve it? Probably.  Did we have a good time?  Most definitely.

With that being said, nestled within the creases of his one-sided argument were bits of wisdom and foresight into the climbing world that are profoundly significant and progressive; furthermore, his words are an undeniable cause/effect apocalyptic prediction and near certain outcome to the termination of climbing as we know it… or are they?

Horse Pens 40, the Fontainebleu of America.  Photo: HP40 website

“How much does that gym you go to down in Birmingham cost for a day pass?”  Mike’s demeanor is stern, and his shoulders are unbalanced forward, the posture of dominance, suggests he means for me to take this seriously (not my strongest asset).

“It’s fifteen dollars.”  I answer with my eyes in the dirt looking for my reflection in the sand.  The day prior, this area was a manmade reef of Dixie Cups and BBQ waste.  I probably should have designated the cleanup to some of the obstetric nurses that showed up… they’re used to messy situations.  I had correctly predicted the Shultz’s would handle it should the chaos not magically disappear otherwise, but this foresight was not without consequence, hence a “quick stop” to pick some things up turned into a four hour deliberation.

“That’s right.  Fifteen dollars.  A day-pass to climb here in my back yard is five dollars.  Is the gym better than Horse Pens?  And still I have folk complaining about prices.”  Mike was right.  HP40 is a recognized as one of the premier places on Earth for bouldering on slopers; it’s gentle sandstone features are said to have been carved primarily by wind, a feat that takes a longer time to accomplish than going across the galaxy at light speed.  Point being, perfection in rock is difficult to come by naturally, and like stars or an 80 year old scotch, we can’t just make more.  It takes real time, which each of us has limited amounts of, so consequently things that possess this characteristic have exceeding increasing value—that is unless you cloud the skies, leave the top off the scotch, and abuse the rock.

“Kids come here today and have zero respect for this land, and they want free access to it as well.  Well, someone pays taxes on this land I tell you.  Someone pays for the electricity, the water, and upkeep of the grounds.  That person is me, and I would do just as well to NOT HAVE CLIMBING HERE AT ALL.  Horse Pens doesn’t need it.”

The Schultz family.  When you boulder at HP40 you are in their backyard.  Photo: HP40 website

I have climbed at HP40 for more crisp days than I can count, and I went through the entire gumby purification process to climber maturity almost exclusively at Horse Pens.  I have educated more kids on proper brushing, scrubbing, and ways to gently increase friction than the Trojan Man, and now I felt like I may have jeopardized access to Birmingham’s local outdoor gym… I mean, gem. 

The thought provoking argument that ensued gave me mixed feelings for the future of this sport. 

“Either this season or next, I’m doubling the day fee to reduce the traffic in here, and I’m going to offer a monthly membership.  It’ll give climbers more ownership and pride in the land.”  Mike had been giving this notion some thought for years it seemed, and I was momentarily speechless hearing this plan and realizing what it meant for outdoor climbing areas.  The laws of supply-and-demand work here too: buy the access and build a toll booth.  It’ll happen one day.  Everything will be restricted like Hueco, only without the petro-glyphs and Native American nation having their backs. 

However….

I say, do it!  For a hundred reasons I don’t want to admit on here, I say, do it. Limit the use on high volume areas (could probably just make the grades really sandbagged nowadays).  Preserve the land.  And keep track of the traffic that ruffs up the rock.  I was climbing at the biggest gym in the country last week, and out of the 300+ people in there, all being climbers, I knew 4. And I am really glad that this plastic Jupiter exists, because that amount of traffic on any outdoor area would be devastating, but I feel that its gravity may diminish over time, and we may be looking at a climber bloom in the near future. 

The future?

Take Roadside at The Red River Gorge for example.  It has the easiest access of any crag in the area. Like the polar ice caps, The Red is more exposed (read: accessible) to our metaphorical manmade cosmic destruction (read: too much climbing) than most other climbing areas on Earth, and like the ice caps, over time and with continued abuse it will melt into the priority of conservation over climbing. Roadside is now closed (but I hear that day-passes and monthly memberships are in the works… well, after they read this).  Access is being restricted to other areas at the Red as well, and it will most certainly only get worse (BTW: don’t hesitate to throw a couple bucks in every donation box you find).

But wait!! That’s not all.

Our beloved Rocktown in North Georgia is also getting its very own toll booth this season.

The Stone Fort in Chattanooga, TN has one already.

Who’s next”
What’s next?
And is this what we want?

I think that the obvious answer is going to be belay tags and toll booths for high traffic areas including monthly memberships—just like indoor gyms.  As more people find this sport, they’re going to equate the outdoors to their local plastic paradise, and the people that have their hand on the faucet, like Mike Shultz, are going to go righty-tighty.  Personally, I’m looking forward to it.  (I’d kinda like to know what others think.  I realized my choice as I was writing this.)

The other way to limit use on areas is to increase supply, a.k.a. more routes, boulders, and trails.  This is where our summer fundraiser series comes into play.  We take the personal financial burden out of development, and we are really psyched to do that.

SLOPE N’ SLIDE!!! 

Click the image to watch the video report on Slope 'n Slide 2011.

Tyler and I are about the most resourceful kids on the playground, and we try and get these things done right.  This was our fifth event in the past three years to co-host, and as far as I can see, they will only get better.  Mr. Shultz didn’t like cleaning up after folk (rightly so), and he was really troubled by our Karaoke for what reason I am not sure; both of which are easily fixable, and he’s looking forward to working more with the community at large.  Just this year, we raised almost $3000; and all of this started with a bored summer moment.  Now, it has evolved into a two of the most successful non-competition fundraisers in the south, an ever deepening bolt fund (which needs a name), and is hopefully gaining a reputation for being the best place to be for two weekends of the summer months when the thermometer tips the 100 mark. 

I’m glad everyone enjoyed.

Brooks, Tyler, and the Birmingham Crew