Happy Derby Day! TLDR: Scary is now open! And save the date May 20th for a trail day.
❌ Nixon Head – CLOSED ✅ Scary Canyon – OPEN ✅ East Car Body – OPEN ✅ Highway Face – OPEN ✅ Face Canyon – OPEN
Scary Canyon is now open!
Our awesome raptor intern alerted us today that Scary can now safely open, but Nixon is to remain closed. We really appreciate all the active monitoring this season, and all the climbers who have helped educate and chose to climb elsewhere.
Black Cliffs Trail Day
This wet winter is showing on the trails. May 20th , earlier in the day, come with your own snacks, water, gloves, and tools if you have them. This is not an official adopt-a-crag, and with more hands the work can get done faster. Exact time to be determined closer to the date, because weather depending.
When: Thursday Dec. 8, 2022 @ 7PM Where: The Commons Climbing Gym (W West Emerald Street Boise, ID 83706)
This event’s tickets are donation based (suggested donation of $10 per ticket).
Flyer for the event.
The BCA thanks our sponsors Idaho First Bank and The Commons Climbing Gym for bringing Ray Brooks to Boise.
Ray grew up in the Wood River Valley, and after receiving an afternoon of instruction on roped climbing in 1969, eagerly embraced the sport. From 1970 to 1981 he was involved in achieving a bunch of new climbing routes in the Sawtooths (including an AAJ published description of his route Pachydermial Pleasantries on Elephant’s Perch in 1977) and even some first ascents of remote pinnacles.
Tom Lopez, author of Idaho: A Climbing Guide, calls Ray a “climbing force in the Sawtooths in the 1970s” who has “contributed outstanding articles on his climbing experience in the Sawtooths.”
Lopez continues, “Ray ran an outdoor shop in Moscow (ID) from 1973-1983 and, during those years, he climbed a number of new routes on Lightning Dome on the South Fork Clearwater River and at a rarely-visited area near Manning bridge, 13 miles upstream from Riggins.” [Ray] notes: ‘There were various other Idaho climbing adventures during those years, including 3 new, boltless routes on Slickrock near McCall.’”
Ray enjoyed a long climbing career, finally retiring after 50 years of roped climbing in 2020. Although the pace of his climbing had slowed after 1990, he kept visiting the Sawtooths and was part of a 2007 first ascent party on a remote pinnacle above Baron Lakes. In 2010 Ray started climbing more and more difficult routes at The City of Rocks. His old friend, climbing legend Jim Donini, would visit & climb with Ray and his wife Dorita every summer for a week.
Spring is starting to creep in! So are nests, so we need to give them space and reduce noise.
❌ Nixon Head ❌ Scary Canyon, and anything upriver/east of Scary (sometimes known as Wailing Wall) all the way to Discovery/Lucky Peak. ❌ East Car Body Canyon remains closed.
This is a crucial time for nests, so any noise disruptions can cause disturbances. We cannot control the noise from the highway, but we can control our actions as climbers.
Face is currently open, and with the access trail being so close to the closures in East Car Body, please be cognizant of not disturbing the area (ex: dogs, loud disturbances, music, etc.)
Thank you for your cooperation and please help educate your climbing friends! Climb on!
