RRC Archives

Does anyone ever climb The Big South Fork, and are there any climbing guides for it?

yup, nope

Dixie Cragger's Atlas has some stuff.

one time i was waiting at the railroad bridge while my buddy ran shuttle and watched these people try to build a rappel anchor for a good hour. I don't think they ever figured it out.

Climbing might be possible there, i always find my self looking up to the walls through the "canyon" section of the river.

yes, and yes. There are several developed routes there. Easy access, and the FS is pretty cool with it.

PM me your email and I'll send you a guide and some verbal rules from the FS.

Anybody know a local expert on BSF? Mountain Proj. and Rock Climbing.com indicate a lifetime worth of climbing at BSF. Mountain proj. makes the statement quote below (isn't this a description the mecca of the old days that the Red used to be?):
♦ "The Big South Fork National River and Recreation Area is one of the south's last climbing frontiers. It's a stunningly vast system of river gorges stretching from northeastern Tennessee into Kentucky; word is that there's more rock here than in any other part of the southeast. Though there's been climbing in the BSF for at least 20 years, the potential for route development has barely been tapped.
â™  Documentation of the history of climbing in the BSF is sparse, but it's known that Bob Wheeley and Phil Barkesdale began establishing routes there in the mid 1980s after Wheeley started a rafting service in the gorge. Their first ascents include routes like the Original Route on the O&W Wall. A few years later, Jeff Noffsinger and partners began pioneering new lines in the Main Gorge and elsewhere; Noffsinger continues to be a prolific author of first ascents to this day. Others responsible for route development include Jeff Dopp, Frank Jackson, Ian McAlexander and Kelly Brown.
♣ If you plan on climbing at the BSF, don't expect things to be easy or comfortable. Trails are not well marked or are non-existent; information from guidebooks is sparse; wildlife like rattlesnakes, bears and biting insects are plentiful; and rockfall is a serious concern. The BSF is a truly wild and remote area, so be prepared."

another statement regarding the vast untapped climbing resource of BSF:
http://www.trailsrus.com/rockclimbing/bsf.html

If you happen to find a set of keys.....

Eric Cox wrote:If you happen to find a set of keys.....

Bwa ha ha ha ha ha ha ha....ehhhhh!

Bwa ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!

dipsi wrote:

Eric Cox wrote:If you happen to find a set of keys.....

Bwa ha ha ha ha ha ha ha....ehhhhh!
Bwa ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!

Err . . . I guess you need to pm dipsi for your keys.