Today, more than 80 years later, and thousands of miles from the top of the world, lower Kenai Peninsula climbers still search for that same altitude adjustment.
In the winter, they pickax their way up ice falls near Ninilchik and the Homer Bluffs.
And in the summer around Homer, they head to a place lovingly dubbed the “Kachemak Crack.”
“The area is unique,” said Homer climber Bill McKenna. “It’s on a beautiful beach, the waves lapping on the shore. And you get great evening sun.”
Some area climbers are inclined to want to keep the location of this small, rare piece of smooth rock a secret. Most of the steep rock faces around the bay consist of a sharp, crumbling rock, called “Kenai Crud” that can sometimes cut climbing ropes.
But over the years the word has gotten out. The white-gray rock face overlooking the popular camping spot of Rusty’s Lagoon near Halibut Cove is the best spot for outdoor rock climbing near Homer.
McKenna said Jim Sweeney completed the original ascent of the Kachemak Crack back in 1986. Since then, he has worked hard each spring and summer to clean up the deadfall trees in the area and create a micro-mecca for local climbers.
There are four different routes there now, with two that can be top-roped and do not require loads of traditional climbing gear.
Most of the routes are relatively easy, and are good for beginners. But one, called the “Salty Dawg” on the right is a little more tricky, McKenna said.
So far, the spot is rarely crowded.
The climbing community in Alaska is still relatively small, and the Crack is accessible only by boat. The dirt in the holds and the deadfall trees need to be cleaned each spring, as well, McKenna said.
“You only get to go over there two or three times a year,” he said. “People want to climb and not clean the rock. I don’t blame them.”
But as the sport grows, more people will likely head to the Crack or search out new places to climb in the area, McKenna said.
Besides the Crack, there is a well-known boulder in Anchor Point that climbers visit regularly, and McKenna has been scouting several promising looking rocks in the Woznesenka River Valley on the south side of Kachemak Bay.
“I think that’s where the future of climbing will be,” he said.
As the glacier recedes, new, smooth rock formations are being revealed all the time, he said.
Until then, climbers can hone their skills on indoor rock climbing walls at Homer High School through Community Schools or sign up for classes at the Bay Club.
Fuzzy Mench, the instructor for the Community Schools climbing classes, said about 25 kids and adults went through the program last year.
“It’s really nice that they have the wall at the school,” Mench said. “It’s a neat feature. Gives the kids something to do, challenges them. Climbing works you both mentally and physically. The neat thing is you really see your improvement or lack of improvement,”
Classes run during the school year and cost $3 per visit.
At the Bay Club, the 38-foot climbing wall is available for members and nonmembers as well, said instructor Brittiny Williams.
Day passes are available, and a wide array of classes for kids and adults are available. The next program begins in August.
Gear can be purchased from the Bay Club or online at popular outdoor outlets. REI and Alaska Mountaineering and Hiking in Anchorage are the closest stores for climbing gear.
Ben Stuart can be reached at ben.stuart@homer news.com.
He summed up his sport by his famous short response, “Because it’s there.”
“If we had the number of climbers as California and Colorado we’d have a lot more climbs,” he said. “New routes are going up in Anchorage and the Valley all the time.”
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