The Rumble 2019

On February 16, Chimney Rock’s Rumbling Bald Parking lot held over 300 participants eager to begin Carolina Climber’s Coalitions’ (CCC’s) annual climbing competition. After a night of rain thoroughly dampened the boulder field and cliff faces, conditions for climbing were not ideal. To off-set the difficult task of competing on wet rock, CCC gave climbers one additional hour to complete their routes. Between 10am and 5pm, participants slid, grunted, and scrambled on slick quartz crystals and gneiss slab. Much chalk was used, and many stick brushes (brushes taped to the end of a stick and used to dry out high hand holds) were shared between friendly competitors.
 
CCC announced the Rumble 2019 winners during the competition’s afterparty at Lake Lure Town Center.  Winners can be viewed online at https://carolinaclimbers.org/rumble
 
On Sunday, February 17, climbers gave back to Chimney Rock State Park by participating in a trail day. 12 volunteers put in a total of 72 hours of much needed trail maintenance on the park’s river walk, saving the park almost $700 in labor.
 
Chimney Rock State Park is grateful to have a climbing community that continues to give back to our park by cultivating strong values in land stewardship. We are looking forward to the next year’s Rumble 2020.
 
Article written by: Mary Williams