Origins of Red Rocks’ Most Classic Rock Climbs

Jorge Urioste was a priest from Chile. Joanne had strong-headed ideals, and was determined to be independent—pitting herself against death-defying situations through climbing in order to prove it. They were climbing together constantly, and then one thing led to another, and they were kissing in a bivy cave in the Gunks.

Their marriage and lifelong commitment to climbing would produce some of the most notable multi-pitch classics of Red Rock, including Epinephrine, Prince of Darkness, and Levitation 29, among many others.

They broke a lot of climbing’s rules at the time—including bolting, but also publishing a guidebook on the “sandstone junk” that others perceived Red Rock climbing to be. This is their story, a long overdue tribute to their legacy in climbing.

Red Rocks Origins