Arches National Park. The park experienced its busiest year both in tourist visitation and climbing activity. A number of new routes were established on its relatively dense Entrada Sandstone walls. The park continues to encourage climbing (although a free permit is requested) and keeps an up-to-date loose-leaf notebook of new climbs at the visitor center. Three Penguins. Although it was originally climbed by Michael Kennedy and Molly Higgins in 1976, eleven years transpired before the second ascent was made in June 1987 by Tony Valdes and Sonja Paspal. Argon Tower had its first free ascent on October 12 by Tim Coates and Bret Ruckman (5.11). Weapons of Love. This 140-foot route climbs the Sand Bag before traversing left 250 feet and ascending to rappel anchors. The first ascent was made by Valdes and Kirk Miller. (5. 10d, A2.) Hall of Flame was put up by Kyle Copeland and Alison Sheets. It is on the left side of the Candalabrum and climbs to the summit in three pitches. The only aid is on the final moves. (I, 5.11c, A2.) Fledgling was climbed on the 100-Yard Wall in January by Terre Lashier and Steve Swanke. It is located two landforms left of the popular Doil route on the 100-Yard Wall. Chris Begue and Scott Carsson made three new routes on the Park Avenue West area of the park: Sand of a Beach (I, 5.10a), Black Celebration (I, 5.10c), and Many Miles Away (I, 5.11a). Copeland and Sheets climbed Hamburger Hell on Headquarters Hill on December 1 (I, 5.11). This aesthetic route is 100 yards left of the Libbus Maximus route. The Pickle is a 150-foot spire between mile-markers 130 and 131, north of Moab, on US 191. Benny Bach, Cameron Burns and Ethan Putterman made the first ascent from May 19 to 21 (I, 5.9, Al). Owl Rock, first climbed solo by Ron Olevsky solo in February 1978, remains the most popular tower climb in the Arches. In March 1987 Italians Marco Ferrari and Patrizia Spadon climbed Ala Sinistra (Italian for “Left Wing”; I, 5.11, A0). This difficult route is on the west face of the tower, 20 feet left of the original ascent line. The same Italian pair also made a new route on Off Balanced Rock. Camino is at the right side of the chimney formed by the stout pillar-like structure on the north face (I, 5.10+). The first-ascent line follows the crack system left of the pillar. Jim Beyer, solo, established a fourth route on March 12 and 13 up the imposing walls of The Organ. The northwest buttress ascends to the summit in seven pitches (IV, 5.10, A3+). Beached Whale-Whale of a Time was climbed by Chris Begue and Alf Randell in April (I, 5.11a, A0). The route is south of the Eye of the Whale formation in the Herdina Park region. In the remote Klondike Bluffs four new routes were made in 1987. False Start was done by West Germans Franz Nebbe and Renate Stockburger in the Marching Men area (I, 5.8, A2+). They also climbed two new routes on Bouquet Tower (I, 5.7 and I, 5,9). Sand Hearse was put up by Charlie Fowler and Jack Roberts on the northeast face of the landform four towers south of North Marcher (I, A2).

Eric Bjørnstad