MELANGE-Summer 2019

PROSE JACLYN LANAE // IMAGE LUKE ROSS
ROCK
CLIMBING
Rock Climbing in the Black Hills
of South Dakota has a long
history—though certainly
nowhere near as long as the
fingers of granite upon which
the sport was built here. For
the last four decades, climbing
has slowly gained momentum,
becoming more and more
mainstream, earning fans and fanatics slowly but
surely all around the world.
And from around the world they come—to harness up
and hang off the stunning geographic features that
set the Black Hills apart. But it isn’t just to satiate a
need for tempting fate, or to earn bragging rights,
though it may have started out that way. Over the
decades climbing has become so much more. “It’s
changed from ‘I’m going to freak myself out today,’
to a more gymnastic effort,” Mike Cronin of the Black
Hills Climbing Coalition quips. It’s become a workout,
a meditative experience, a mental exercise, a way to
see and connect to nature in a way that almost no
other sport provides. “I like the physical nature of
it,” Mike muses, “problem-solving at every level, the
mind control, challenging yourself” to ever higher
heights and ever more challenging routes.
that tells you you’re too tired, or too far aloft, or too
weak—and then suffocating those messages and
empowering yourself with thoughts of strength and
ability as you achieve that which you thought you
couldn’t… Gazing down from a height you’d gazed up
to, just minutes or hours ago… Feeling your muscles
pulse with the exertion and knowing you are now
stronger than you were before… these are among
reasons people climb. And climbers flock to the Black
Hills of South Dakota.
Between the pocketed limestone—suitable for
working your fingers into a wedge—and jugged
granite where holds are more like wrapping your
hand around a protruding bulge, our little corner
of paradise is idyllic for climbers. Coupled with
relatively low trail-traffic, short hikes to the routes,
and incredible views from the top—once you get
there—climbing in the Black Hills of South Dakota is an
unmatched experience for many in the sport.
As climbing gyms become more readily available, the
demographics of the climbing community continues
to expand, embracing youth and newbies, offering
a new way to get out and play. Organizations from
surrounding states often bring groups of young
people to the Hills to whet their adventure appetites.
Working your way up the face of a
majestic rock, fingers clinging to
the flakes of stone, legs shaking
with the effort, is an experience
rarely paralleled. Battling a mind
But for locals, the sport, the experience, the
community are just a few more reasons to love our
lives here.
22 melangeblackhills.com | SUMMER 2019
MÉLANGE | a mix of Adventure fun 23