Routes and How they Got their Names

This is something I've been wondering about since I first started climbing and realized that the different ways people go up these rocks have names--how did these names come into being?

If you know an interesting story behind how a route got it's name in your area, or any area, let's hear it! There's gotta be some really interesting stories out there.

-rob

I wrote a guest blog about the history of some route names in our area, including Rifle and the Crystal River Valley. Here it is

Hmmm... I always tried to name routes after things that were running through my head while climbing them, or something descriptive of the route, or sometimes just a song that was stuck in my head. But now and then something happens on a route that kind of names it for you. Some classic examples:

A Route called 'Margin Of Error.' The complete story is posted here:
mountainproject.com/v/tenne…

'Banana Split' at 'Sakkara' in the Flatirons was named after a gruesome finger injury on the F.A.

'Reckless Abandoned,' 'Rift Of Consciousness' and others in Eldo have stories posted too.

psychoprophylaxis
n. use of relaxation techniques, etc. to avoid or lessen pain in childbirth.

This is a route at Seneca, WV I did 32+ years ago 2 weeks before the birth of my first child. I was in a lot of mental anguish while leading the route because back then, you climbed from ground up without inspection. The upper half of the route was covered in lichen which I cleaned while leading.

I had the privilege of working with Dan Hare, a prolific first ascensionist and asked him the same question on how he named some of his routes. His response was something like
"If there was something significant about the rock and the area, it's good. If you can make it creative by relating it to the rock and maybe the crux or memorable movement, it's even better. And if you can find a name that relates to the rock, movements, and also something unique and funny, it's best.
Some of my (Dan Hare's) routes that would be examples are from Midnight Rock in Dream Canyon. The rock is called Midnight and of course, Dream Canyon has some funny things going on inside. So during the FA of The Stroke of Midnight, there were 2 guys below by the creek and.....similar story for Midnight Cowboy and Midnight Express."

Funny stuff.

and my personal favorite route name ever in Owen's River Gorge, just a half hour downhill from the female deprived Mammoth Ski hill:

Ugly, Fat, Mean, Come to Mammoth, Be a Queen

"Magical Chrome Plated Semi-Automatic Enema Syringe"?

"Pandoras Pebble Pinching Party Palace"?

WTF?!?

I've heard that Amputee Love on The Whales Tail in Eldo got its name from Hugh Herr stealing Harrison Deckers girlfriend.

"Sail Away" in Josh FA Chick Holtkamp, Chick said he named it after a song he was listening too (not "come sail away").

"Show us your tips" FA Chick Holtkamp Indian Creek, Chick put this one up last year. Named for the finger tip crack and for the ladies :)

Candy’s Impossible Crack - Interstate Park. Minnesota & Wisconsin
Named after a coworker waitress at Victoria Station Restaurant

Lions and Chipmunks and Bears, Oh My – Devils Head, Colorado
Named the day after the first ascentionist was almost eaten by a cougar.

I have established about 20 climbs in my local area in the Columbia River Gorge. I was being lowered off a new route I bolted and led. I wanted to call it “Mean Street” due to being a Van Halen fan. I was informed by my belayer that there was already a route with this name at Smith Rock…..so…..I thought about it for a while. At the same time there was about 15 of us there that day, with 4 dogs. My friend’s wife was sitting down leaning against this climb I just established eating a huge bag of chopped up carrots. All the dogs where huddled around her trying to get her to give them the carrots. At the same time it seems all the adults were also asking for a carrot or two. Just then my friends wife said “Damn, I guess its carrots for everyone” due to everyone crowding around her. I yelled “That’s it. That is the name of this route.”

“Carrots for everyone” 5.10a was born in that moment. We all had a good laugh.

Chickenshit Armchair Environmentalist's in Boulder Canyon, although I haven't climbed it yet, is another fun route name. If you've ever been to Boulder and seen the Trustafarian's, it makes perfect sense.

My one and only FA was put up during my last spring break and named after our favorite SB activity, Shotgun.
Beta for the route:

My own .02, but I've always enjoyed word play on existing route names so they play off each other to create a cohesive area. An example might be Dog's Breath, 3-dog night, hang dog, howler, etc. Eventually it's known informally as Dog Wall or some such. It shows a bit of creativity and acknowledges the prior parties' initial contribution(s) to the area. I think of it as a guideline more than a rule. I agree with everyone else with new route names, and certainly agree some route names are true non-sequetours (spell check didn't help with that word), which opens the field a bit.

jfox wrote:"Magical Chrome Plated Semi-Automatic Enema Syringe"?

From the right angle, this one makes perfect sense. The right angle is about halfway up the fourth pitch, IIRC, looks like an enormous ass. It's a great route.

Larry DeAngelo and I put up a route in Red Rock calley Pukeymon. Against better judgement, I drank about a quart of whiskey the night before we climbed the route. So on 4 hours of sleep, we started heading up this route.

About 4 pitches up, the flu Larry's daughter gave him kicks in big time (which we unaware he had contracted until this point). About this time I realize that the water I'd been drinking and the only water we had is fully contimated with flu germs. I had no choice but to keep drinking the water to try win the battle with my raging hangover. Larry is completely famished at this point and thinks he can make it to the top if I lead the rest of the climb, all 10 of them. After significant effort, we made it off the route.

I never did get sick from drinking the water, so either a)the whiskey killed it or b) Larry pulled a veteran move by faking being sick, then punishing me by making me lead all the pitches for drinking too much.

Mike McHugh wrote:"2 girls 1 cup"

Watching that was one of the worst decisions of my life...

Yeah, I did this one "tower" I called it A Sqwirll's Dick, because it was so small. Doh.

John J. Glime wrote:Yeah, I did this one "tower" I called it A Sqwirll's Dick, because it was so small. Doh.

Your mom told me it was 8 pitches,with lots of "hard" free climbing.

Ryan,

Chickenshit Armchair Environmentalist was an intentional jab at the Boulder overprotectionists that would close down all climbing so that they could sit in Starbucks and look out the window at the pristine wilderness. Trustafarian Panhandler is also a jab at another obvious Boulder condition. Those route names sure struck a nerve with some in Boulder!

Tod

Open Field Beauty
Steve Petro, aka The Demon, was once an all American linebacker. Skinner and I decided to name routes after him for a while. There was a quote from his school paper that read " We needed a stop and thats when The Demon came in and made an open field beauty of a tackle.
So the name.

I like route names that pertain to the route and use PUNS.
IE:
Black Dyke.