Does anyone remember that sweet mag Urban Climber? Well, the way I acquired my copy of Friction Addition – Black Hills Gold was through my subscription. Originally intended as the first installment of series that never got off the ground. So, journey with me back to 2003 and see a classic.
In the Black Hills of South Dakota, there lies numerous and seemingly never-ending stretches of granite spires and boulders of the Needles. Sometimes smooth, sometimes conglomerate, sometimes solid, and sometimes chossy, there was never a lack of adventure. Bennett Scott pays proper homage to John Gill by sitting down with him and talking about his exploits in the 50’s and 60’s and then showing climbers on these early bouldering ascents. Perhaps the most iconic line is The Thimble, a 35+ foot behemoth in one of the parking lots and we get to witness Chuck Fryberger take a nasty fall from about 25 feet up and trying to eat his own knee on the landing.
We also get to witness the development of Old Baldy, a region of boulders just north of Mt Rushmore. A small dedicated crew has been cleaning a ton of prime boulders all waiting for first ascents. Seeing as this was 13 years ago, they probably have all been done, but the region is dense and maybe you can add your own variation this spring. Sherman gets in on the action and shows us how to properly get ready for a day of establishing boulders; beer for breakfast. It reminds us of another time when climbing was fun, especially with the short segment on rest activities complete with pancakes, cliff jumping, and an old west shootout show.
One of the two things that made this DVD great were the short climber bios available in the extras menu. The other was a clickable topo of the areas that were visited in the film so that you could go back and find what you thought to be inspiring. Since the film is actually so short (less than an hour), this adds quite bit of knowledge to the procession. If you enjoy sick electronic beats, trippy scene fades, references to Homestar Runner (nostalgia!), and some really impressive camera work, then is this a fun film all around.
VERDICT
See it – There are some great names and terrific talent in this piece, but the idea of a series fell through so there was only the one film. Still, it’s fun to see the interviews with the legendary John Gill about his adventures in making bouldering a legitimate sport. In fact, this is who they chose to dedicate the production.
Filmed By: Tendon Productions
Availability: Buy It Here
THE WHO (alphabetically)
Elaina Arenz-Smith
Mike Cronin
Chuck Fryberger
John Gill
Heather Heyman
Curt Love
Sarah Marvez
Jeremy Schaar
Bennett Scott
John “Verm” Sherman
Kurt Smith
Amanda Taglioli
Blake Workman
THE WHAT
Super Pin, 5.10a
Iron Lingerie, 5.12a
Left Yellow Wall, V4
Center Yellow Wall, V4
Free Aerial, V4
Outlet Boulder, V6
The Thimble, 5.12+/V5
The Scab, V7
Seul Avec Dieu, V7
Gas For My Ass, V5
Black Roughy, V8
Knife in a Gunfight, V8
Gross Tonage Dyno, V7
Kiss the Groove, V6
Four on Six, V6
Sports Action, V5
Classic Arete, V5
Torgdor, V6
Sugar Plum, V4
FLESHwound, V8
Hydracrack, V3
Ladyfinger, V4
Strongslab, V5
Criminal Element, V5
Jumper, V5
Strongbad, V7
Orange Roughy, V6
Greasy Grimy Gopher Guts, V6
Dirt Burglar, V3
The Prow, V11
Gill & I, V9/10
Homestar, V11
Tylor Streett, has climbing films too, but most of them are just old and no one has heard of them unless you have been climbing for more than 10 years. Justin is slowly get him updated with a new collection.
