"Pilgrims of the Vertical": Climbing Technology, Consumerism, and Nature

摘要SES 01-17993约瑟夫·E·泰勒三世，爱荷华州立大学历史系，《垂直的朝圣者：娱乐技术、消费主义和自然》这个项目通过约塞米蒂国家公园现代攀岩的历史来考察娱乐技术的创新、生产和使用。在20世纪，约塞米蒂山谷一直是发展攀岩技术和技巧的主要场所，当地人成为这项运动的领先创新者，以解决当地环境带来的挑战。登山者把重点放在避免永久锚、减轻重量和尽量减少侵蚀上，但这些要求并不一定相互兼容。设备设计师(从受过高等教育的塞拉俱乐部主席Dick Leonard和Cal-Tech工程师Charles Wilts到漂泊在外的铁匠John Salathea和Yvon Chouinard)使用了各种材料，从发现的物品(如建筑锚、铸铁炉腿和车轴)到尼龙、金属合金和太空时代材料(如芳纶)的最新突破。一些产品成为了标准的攀岩工具，另一些很快就被遗忘了，但所有这些产品都包含了既不预期也不想要的社会、文化和环境后果。约塞米蒂的攀岩历史将揭示现代社会中关于娱乐、消费主义和环保主义的关键教训。约塞米蒂山谷攀岩环境史项目的这一部分的研究战略重点是检查加利福尼亚州、俄勒冈州、华盛顿州和科罗拉多州的公共档案和私人收藏品。PI已经确定了许多重要的创新者，包括：Leonard、Raffi Bedayan、Salathe、Wilts、Frank Tarver、Chouinard、Tom Frost、William Feuerer、Edward Leeper、Steve Komito、Jim Bridwell、Jeffrey Lowe和Raymond Jardine。加州大学伯克利分校、斯坦福大学、加州理工学院、俄勒冈大学、西雅图华盛顿大学和科罗拉多大学博尔德分校都有这些人的相关档案记录。商人和登山者的重要商业和通信记录位于西部各州，一些文件的所有者将允许访问。这项研究将在2002年暑假期间进行。

Abstract SES 01-17993Joseph E. Taylor III, Department of History, Iowa State University "Pilgrims of the Vertical:" Recreational Technology, Consumerism, and NatureThis project examines the innovation, production, and uses of recreational technology through a history of modern rock climbing in Yosemite National Park. Yosemite Valley has been a principal site for developing climbing technology and techniques during the 20th century, and locals became leading innovators in the sport in order to solve challenges presented by the local environment. Climbers placed a premium on avoiding permanent anchors, reducing weight, and minimizing erosion, but these were not necessarily mutually compatible demands. Gear designers (ranging from highly educated individuals such as Sierra Club President Dick Leonard and Cal-Tech engineer Charles Wilts to vagabond blacksmiths such as John Salathea nd Yvon Chouinard) used a wide array of materials from found objects such as construction anchors, cast iron stove legs, and car axles, to the newest breakthroughs in nylon, metal alloys, and space-age materials such as Kevlar. Some products became standard climbing tools, others were soon forgotten, but all contained social, cultural, and environmental consequences that were neither expected nor desired. A history of rock climbing in Yosemite will reveal critical lessons about recreation, consumerism, and environmentalism in modern society. The research strategy for this portion of a larger project on the environmental history of Yosemite Valley rock climbing focuses on inspecting public archives and private collections in California, Oregon, Washington, and Colorado. The PI has already identified many important innovators, including: Leonard, Raffi Bedayan, Salathe, Wilts, Frank Tarver, Chouinard, Tom Frost, William Feuerer, Edward Leeper, Steve Komito, Jim Bridwell, Jeffrey Lowe, and Raymond Jardine. Relevant archival records for these people exist at the University of California, Berkeley; Stanford University; California Institute of Technology; the University of Oregon; the University of Washington, Seattle; and the University of Colorado, Boulder. Important business and correspondence records for merchants and climbers are located around the western states, and owners of some documents will allow access. The research is to be conducted during the summer 2002 break.