Bob Murray’s Notebook

by Frank Abell –

I first met Bob at Campbell cliffs, the local Tucson top roping area. I believe it was around 1980 and I had been climbing a few short years. From abortive mountaineering trips to the Sierras to being dropped by belayers (sometimes with protection placed over my head!) I was somewhat lost as to a direction forward with climbing. Bob presented an alternative to traditional climbing and my inability to lead anywhere close to my ability to climb. I’ve seen various opinions as the weather bouldering existed in southern Arizona prior to Bob’s arrival and I can say that as a fact, it did not. Everything with or without a rope was regarded as practice for ‘real’ climbing. Bob turned me onto Master of Rock about John Gill whom Bob had met and climbed with. It became my bible. I immediately quit any attempt at trying to pursue any form of traditional climbing and was swept up into following the way of Gill and Murray. Bob had a voracious appetite for new problems and seldom repeated his first ascents. He added dozens of new problems shoehorned between standards at Campbell cliffs, an area considered picked clean for years.

Bob would often disappear by himself for weeks at a time to explore and developed new areas. I can safely say he is unmatched in finding and exploiting new areas with hundreds of first ascents. His base camp was an old Toyota Corolla that we took all the seats out of except the drivers seat. When it turned over 300,000 miles we dropped in a new used engine. Bob made discoveries of new areas and first ascents on Mt. Lemmon, Tucson Mts., Dragoon Mts., Chiricahuas, City of Rocks N.M. and Hueco Tanks in the time we climbed together. Before and after my time with him was prolific as well. Bobs style was very deliberate and smooth even while perched upon the most precarious holds. His preference was for thin overhanging face, all the better if a dynamic lunge was included. He had an abhorrence for crack climbing (too repetitious). Of course his prejudices became mine. My personal goal became trying to struggle up as many of his problems as possible. One must remember that this was before mats and many of these ascents were made in EBs. Bobs climbing in bare feet was due to his attraction to radically overhung problems. After the invention of sticky rubber ala Fires, he became even more cynical of ratings. Several of his guides include diatribes against them even though he would include the B system of ratings. A boulderers height, the latest technological development, etc. would all render ratings b.s. I marvel that modern ratings are subdivided so exactingly and I think Bob is typically cynical as well. A major controversy in Tucson climbing during the 80s was whether to chalk or not. We both viewed this as preposterous. To quote Pat Ament citing the sign at the University of Colorado gymnasium, “Please chalk before using the apparatus “. Another ‘fad’ showing it’s face was the advent of bouldering contests. We both viewed this as a type of sacrilege. Would John Gill be caught dead at a bouldering contest?

Most people found Bob to be quiet, not me. Never to be accused of being shy or withdrawn, perhaps I brought out a more loquacious side of Bob however we both shared a cynical/skeptical view of the world. Bob financed what I believe was the first purpose built climbing wall in my backyard (Dec. 1985 Climbing magazine). I’ve read comments from the uninitiated that perhaps Bob enjoyed the mysterious notoriety surrounding him. This comment couldn’t be more wrong, and although we only talk once or twice a year, we remain friends and he probably won’t be pleased that I’ve embarked on this crusade to put his various bouldering guides into circulation. I’ve been fortunate in my life to be on the company of several true geniuses in the various pursuits I’ve followed. Bob more than fills that bill.