Friday, December 7th, 2012
Last surise run in Kentucky before heading to Argentina
See ya horse buddies. I?m off to Argentina!
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Many of you may wonder what the Petzl Roctrip is about.? I was wondering the same thing.? Being as this was my first RocTrip I was eager to find out.? Having been down Piedra Parada to do route development this last spring I knew what to expect in terms of the area and climbing.? The difference this time was that there would be around 1600 people in this extremely isolated location.? From my observation and attendance the RocTrip is in essence is a celebration of climbing.? The event is dedicated to adventure, exploring and cultural exchange.? Every year for the past 10 years a destination is selected and a multi-day gathering of avid climbers from all around the world descend on the newly developed climbing spot.? The RocTrip literally puts places on the map in a global sense for sport climbing and outdoor recreation, and it did exactly that with Piedra Parada.? ?It was a total success in terms of bringing climbers from different countries and cultures together by way of a shared love for the outdoors and of course climbing.
I know from talking with many of the attendees/climbers that they were extremely excited to have a highly concentrated sport climbing destination which I learned did not previously exist in Argentina.? During the bolting aspect of the trip back in March, the team contributed 100+ routes.? It is easy to take it for granted that in the USA we have amazing destinations like Rifle, The Red River Gorge, etc, that exist as our developed playgrounds.? As a result of the media exposure associated with the RocTrips people from all around the globe travel to climb at the new area.? Word of mouth travels and the new spot ends up being a destination for years to come.? ??This increase in visitors stimulates local economic activity and growth.
In fact, I can say from visiting the Red River Gorge over the years that a huge increase in climbers has occurred since the RocTrip there which allows for more local small business success.? Many small businesses in the area now thrive due to increase in climbers coming to climb year round.? Some of these nomads even end up going to college and working at these places of business in order to live in and enjoy the incredible climbing Kentucky has to offer. It is a pretty interesting phenomenon. Nice job, rock climbing!? Now The Piedra Parada has a campground, boasts a title of an outdoor recreation site and also serves as a destination for South Americans to enjoy.? The place has sprung from the dust of the Patagonian desert onto the map and seems to be a much appreciated addition. The sky is the limit!
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Jon Cardwell and I taking in the scenery form our double decker bus while on our 26 hour bus ride across the country. A country wide protest cancelled our plane ticket and forced us to travel by bus.
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Lago Nahuel Huapi y Los Andes! Very beautiful!
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The Andes mountains, Lake Nahuel Huapi, pine trees, and Retanas Flores ? The yellow flowers at the bottom of the picture. ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? Amazing Landscape!
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Bus ride from Esquel to Piedra Parada.
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Arrival! The layout of the event with nice chalk art.
Hanging out and climbing as soon as we set up camp
Jon Cardwell checking out a super fun roof climb.
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Moonrise next to the Piedra
Stunning evening by the river
Hiking out with Dave, Enzo, Jon, and Etienne.
Hanging out at our pro climber demonstration for the Roctrip with Dave, Yan, and Jon. It was pretty windy that day.
Marcos on his way to the river! ?The river by camp is perfect on warm days.
Audrey was attacked by a vicious desert stick. I hope it heals quick.
A traditional Argentina BBQ! The cooks/dudes by the fire spent all day making this meat feast for the final party. The people of Argentina do not mess around when it comes to the eating and cooking of meat.
On a personal note I really enjoyed the people I met while visiting Argentina .? They were overall very friendly, genuine, and easy going.? ?The stark landscape and beautiful night sky will not be forgotten.? For those who read my blog and visit Piedra Parada, please wear a helmet as the rock is a bit loose and routes are brand new!
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Back in San Carlos Bariloche after the RocTrip. I might need to shave?
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Crazy volcanic rock in Bariloche area that climbs sort of like limestone. ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?9a projects at this wall!
The ?choking dog birds? as I referred to them. They kind of looked like parrots but made the weirdest sounds?
Santi walking out of the awesome hostel where we stayed a night in Bariloche.
I look forward to exploring more of the stunning landscapes of Argentina and South America, and who knows ? maybe I will even eat a little more pan blanco! ?Huge thanks to Petzl for being such a cool company! ?It was awesome being included in such a fun event that gives back to climbing and helps it grow throughout the world.? ?Since I was away for Thanksgiving I hope everybody had a yummy feast and a great time!? ??Big thanks to my other great sponsors: Gramicci, Elete, Scarpa, Bob?s Red Mill, Organic, and TruFit for all your great support!
I want to see more of South America!
Category : Uncategorized
Tags: Argentina, Bob's Red Mill, elete Electrolytes, Gramicci, Jon Cardwell, Organic climbing, Patagonia, Petzl, Piedra Parada, RocTrip 2012, Scarpa, Trufit
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Source: http://nickduttleclimbing.com/?p=485
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