Tuesday, May 13, 2008

The Robbers Roost

Whit Richardson downclimbing in the MindbenderAmerican Canyoneering Association (ACA) certified Rob Cobb is a funny guy, and very, very good at solving riddles. Deductive reasoning is his forte. He is also a master at canyoneering- a sport that seems to slowly be growing throughout the United States, and that is already a popular activity in Europe.

Early Saturday morning, Rob, photog & fellow canyon explorer Whit Richardson, Tor Anderson and I headed out from Moab, Utah to the Robbers Roost, near Green River, UT, to explore two beautiful canyons in the area- Mindbender and the Not Mindbender. Each canyon would take a day to explore and climb. Rob was on his 146th and 147th canyon adventure, respectively. There is an art to this sport, and multiple systems, mechanisms and approaches to style and safety. Rob has incredible, extensive knowledge in this arena, acquired from time spent in canyons all over the world- both wet and dry, as well as from courses taken to receive his ACA certification.

See photos below- they capture a few of the highlights better than words:

Whit in the Not MindbenderRob in the Not Mindbender












Whit in the Mindbender slotTor on the first Mindbender rappel














Whit in the Not MindbenderTor bouldering in the Not Mindbender













Tor & Whit meandering in the Not MindbenderWhit prepping in the Mindbender
















After very different types of experiences in each canyon on Saturday and Sunday, the following are just a few of the considerations if you are undertaking a more adventurous canyon:
Rappeling, and hanging rappels
Knots- Munter, Bolen, Overhand, and Eights
Webbing, Static Line, Harnesses, Belay Devices
GPS AND/or excellent map & compass skills
Some basic climbing/scrambling skills- up to perhaps 5.4 or 5.5 with some comfort with exposure
Be prepared for some super jerry rigging- off rocks, packs, and deadmans etc- and to be able to pull the systems
Clothes & a pack that can withstand shredding, and some good sneakers, Wetsuit

Like the sport of rock climbing, there are differing opinions on bolting, anchors etc. Be prepared to take care of yourself if none of the aforementioned options are available..And for more details, links, and guidebook info on routes near your area-check out some of the sites below:

Rob's video site http://www.canyoningvideos.com/

Rob's canyoning photos site http://imageevent.com/robertcobb

The Yahoo canyons group http://groups.yahoo.com/group/canyons/

For some beautiful canyon stock photography:
http://www.whitrichardson.com/


And for excellent General Utah Info: http://www.climb-utah.com/ You have to pay to be in the “circle of friends” for the beta, and for general US info: http://www.canyoneering.net/content/

2 comments

posted by Kim Havell @ 8:38 AM

2 Comments:

Blogger powstash said...

looks stellar Kim! I've heard a lot about that canyon and wanted to check it out for some time.

What were the air temps outside and inside the canyon when you went? Just trying to get an idea on the difference this time of the year.

5/13/2008 4:29 PM

 
Blogger Kim Havell said...

hi there- temps were close to ideal and did not vary too much. It was cooler at times in the slots but we popped in and out of the sun a lot. It was quite warm, however, by my mtn standards, on the hikes out of the canyon and the final exit on the Moki step. So maybe high 60s in the slots and high 70s/low 80s hiking out. Breeze makes all the difference.

5/15/2008 8:55 AM

 

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