Green River Area, The Warlock, Free Ascent. This area is outside of Canyonlands National Park but approached via the Horsethief Trail road. In October, 1997, Marco Cornacchione and Bret Ruckman climbed the first free ascent of Dude, That’s Not Funny on the Warlock, just north of and outside the Park in Hell Roaring Canyon. The crux involved a 5.12a offwidth. With the permission of the first ascensionists, Ruckman and Cornacchione drilled a fixed piton to allow careful removal of the loose blocks at the end of the second pitch and thus make this pitch safer, both for leading and for the hapless belayer underneath.

Eric Bjørnstadt