The Long Road to the Candy Store
Articles - BV Outdoors

BrianSequence72by: Dustin Heron Urban

Approaching the foothills west of Buena Vista, snow began to drift across the road ahead. The wind was whipping out of the north that night. We had no problem floating through the first bands of snow in our path. But soon the drifts blended together, and spread before us was a sea of white. So far the snow hadn’t been deep; Jed gathered speed. We hit the drift and the car began to swim and swerve, slowing as its undercarriage dragged. We stopped. Stepping outside, blowing snow stung my cheeks and drove tears from my eyes across my temples. I looked at the car and then at Jed as the harsh reality set in: we wouldn’t make it to the climbing gym that night.

The Adventure Unlimited (A/U)rockgym_gallery climbing gym is a godsend for BVers like Jed and me. We are hooked on climbing, but winter weather makes getting on real rock challenging this time of year. Like so many other rock climbers across the state, we spend the winter months pulling plastic holds indoors to stay in shape for warmer weather. Only six miles from downtown BV, the A/U climbing gym draws climbers from across the Arkansas Valley on Tuesday and Thursday evenings when it is open to the public.

The A/U climbing gym occupies a building with southern windows thirty feet tall. Approaching it at night on the winding roads of A/U’s property, its light shines through the trees. Through the windows, the wall’s 35 foot overhanging buttress comes into view. This sightBrianGym72 never fails excite me. You know that proverbial “kid in the candy store” we always talk about? Think about how he feels while Mom’s pulling up and parking. You get the picture.

When Jed and I got stuck that night, it was as if Mom had put the minivan in the ditch on the way to the candy store. I think we were more upset that we wouldn’t get to climb than we were concerned about being stranded in gale force winds that could eventually make our car just another bump in that sea of snow.

After 45 minutes of pushing and digging and false starts, we weregym2 finally able to push Jed’s car back onto dry pavement. In that exact moment, headlights cut through the night to the west. It was a dual-rear-wheel Ford with chains on its back tires. It lowered its plow like a bull charging horns-first and rammed the drift from the opposite side. Bobby Lewis, a veteran climber and A/U’s former ranch director, had come to the rescue. After easily clearing the drifts from the road, he invited us to come climb. We only had 45 minutes before the road would again be impassible, but the candy was once again within reach.

We did a whirlwind tour of the gym that night. We worked problems on the bouldering wall, a twelve foot overhung face where pads rather than ropes break your fall. We threw on our harnesses and clipped into the auto-belay systems, spring-loaded devices which take up slack as you climb and catch you if you fall, allowing you to climb without a partner belaying you. We scaled routes up the overhung buttress and tried our hand on the more vertical faces. Although we only stayed for 30 minutes, Jed and I had gotten the fix we needed.

With its world-class construction, the A/U climbing wall ads yet another dimension to the truly endless recreational opportunities in and around Buena Vista. By the time we left, the snow drifts were already several inches deep. We plowed through them and set out for home, buzzing like two kids who had finally made it to the candy store.


**The A/U climbing gym is open from the end of October through the end of March on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 5:30 pm to 10 pm. Admission is $7 - equipment rental is available upon request. Please call ahead before 5 pm to confirm the gym will be open. Click here for a map to the gym.

Photos by Alex Telthorst and John Abdelnour

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