It has been said that Indian Rock is the spiritual home of the "eliminate." Climbers have come to Indian Rock for over 100 years. All of the obvious lines were climbed at least 50 years ago. Development of climbing routes, or bouldering problems, continued by eliminating handholds used on previously climbed sections of rock to define distinct ways to climb those pieces of rock. These then are eliminate problems. Such eliminate problems have been developed to the point that distinct problems are now defined as specific sequences of moves, using specific holds, up given sections of rock. The best estimate of the number of such problems is that there are over 1500 distinct problems, sometimes dozens up the same section of rock, spread around the various boulders that make up Indian Rock and Mortar Rock parks.
This is not intended to be a guide. There are guides available that will get you to the various sections of rock and suggest where different problems might be located. And a video guide is simply not practical. You are not likely to carry it out to the rock! The only way to learn the problems that have already been established is to find a friendly local to pass on the oral tradition. That is in fact the way I learned the classic problems of Indian Rock. This project is simply an attempt to document some of these classic problems. I have included maps and text descriptions, but these are also intended as documentation, even though I could not resist some additional comments particularly about safety.
Clearly, there is no attempt to be comprehensive. I have chosen to start by documenting what I learned as the traditional classics. Most have been known for over 25 years, although I have included a few more modern classics. They range in difficulty from dead easy to way hard. I have not attempted to include ratings since I am lousy at ratings and I don't think there is a good consensus despite the hundreds of climbers who have done most of them. Oh, a word about names. I have used the names that I learned. I realize that others, even other old timers, have different names for things. And some problems have more modern names. These variations are to be expected in a history that is largely passed by word of mouth.
Of course I am solely responsible for the contents of this project. You are welcome to disagree with any or all of it. I engaged in this project largely for my own interest, with little intent beyond that. Hopefully this project will continue to document more problems in the future, extending to lesser known and newer classics.
Enjoy the rock.
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