A Bold Idea Becomes Reality

In 2006, the Maple Avenue Bridge opened in Redmond. The 60-foot, concrete, three-arch bridge spans the Dry Canyon and allows cars to travel east and west across the three mile wide canyon. While the award-winning structure allows commuters to travel easily across town, local climber Ian Caldwell has a different idea for it; a climbing wall.

“From the first time I saw the arches I thought it would make a great climbing area,” said Caldwell, grants and community programs representative with Oregon Parks and Recreation Department. “I am always looking for climbable rock throughout Oregon, especially vertical and overhanging walls.”

After taking the idea to Annie McVay at Redmond Parks, then presenting it to the Redmond Parks Commission and gaining approval from the Redmond City Council, the Maple Bridge Arches Climbing area was ready to take shape.

There are twelve potential climbing routes on the bridge. Four of them lie above the main hiking trail. Caldwell, along with belay help from his wife and an occasional climber friend, are nearing completion of the first route. There will be a ribbon cutting to celebrate the accomplishment 4 p.m. on August 26.

The cost of the first route was $2500, while the entire project cost is estimated at $20,000. All of the money comes from fundraising, with no city contributions whatsoever.

Caldwell is no stranger to volunteering as he is a member of the Deschutes County Search and Rescue team and assists with rescues at Smith Rock State Park. He also works directly with the 23-year-old Smith Rock Group, which mainly focuses on trail work within the park. To see the climbing wall vision come to fruition, Caldwell and McVay will work with another nonprofit, the Redmond Parks Foundation.

In addition to gaining city approval and raising funds, the final piece of the puzzle is the labor. Caldwell first scanned the bridge for rebar. Then, he completed the high-angle work of installing anchors and handholds. For this installation, he had to hang upside down in a harness for hours at a time. The first route took a couple of months to complete.

For non-climbers, the idea of hanging upside down under a bridge may seem terrifyingly unsafe. But Caldwell insists the opposite is true.

“Overhanging climbing, like what the bridge has to offer, is one of the safest types of climbing because when you fall, you fall into space with nothing to hit,” explained Caldwell.

The difficulty of the route, along with the need for specialized equipment creates a natural barrier ensuring kids and non-climbers can’t start the route.

The climbing equipment manufactured for this sport is over-engineered for maximum safety. The bolts that hold the ropes are rated between 7,000 and 8,000 pounds, or enough to hold a full-sized pickup truck. The gear is tested everyday in Smith Rock State Park by climbers from around the world. Bend-based climbing equipment manufacturers Metolious and Entre-Prises donated the first set of climbing holds.

“The bridge is a unique opportunity for sport climbing,” said McVay. “This will allow the City of Redmond to link up with Smith Rock and bring a new audience to our parks system.”

Caldwell agrees, as do the many climbers who live in Redmond. All of whom, as local support through emails and donations has proved, are excited for another uniquely world-class climbing area. And, once educated about the project, including the safety precautions, local businesses have been interested in the unique project as a way to bring in more tourists.

“One of the elements of my job is looking at how our State Parks can benefit local economies,” explained

Caldwell. “Smith Rock pulls climbers in from all over the world. Many of these climbers will take a day or two out of their climbing trip to check out the bridge, which hopefully results in stopping at a coffee shop or eating dinner in town. It also demonstrates that it is a climber friendly town, which hopefully results in more economic impact for hotels, stores, restaurants and other services.”

You can follow The Maple Bridge Arches Climbing area’s progress at www.climbmaplebridge.com.