Winter Mecca

Rock climbing

It may sound like an inauspicious name for a rock climbing area, but when frost starts appearing on the windshield and snow blankets the mountains, eastern Idaho climbers head for Massacre Rocks.

Hidden in the desert south of American Falls, the dark gray basalt cliffs and sheltered draws create a solar oven that makes climbing possible on sunny days even in mid-winter. So while others in Idaho are waxing skis and tuning snowmobiles, climbers can enjoy some of the best climbing in the state.

It’s also some of the most abundant. Since climbers began actively exploring routes in the early ‘90s, the number of climbs has grown to nearly 600. Most of the cliffs are shorter than 100 feet.

While it’s a mecca for the climbing die-hard, Massacre Rocks offers little for the novice climber or the non-climber. Most of the cliffs are dead vertical to slightly overhanging, and the handholds are often depressingly small.

The area doesn’t lend itself to top-roping - a climbing technique where the rope system designed to catch the climber is set up beforehand, reducing the risk significantly. The rule at Massacre Rocks is: Go if you are experienced, or find an experienced, trustworthy climber who can lead you through the day.

The scenery there is also not that compelling, unless you feel a powerful attraction to scrubby junipers, sand and sagebrush. The area is named after an incident in 1862 in which 10 settlers were killed after Shoshone Indians attacked two wagon trains, and the pioneers then tried to retaliate the next day, said Massacre Rocks State Park manager Max Newlin.

Though some climbers camp there overnight, the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, which owns most of the land, discourages it. Increased climbing traffic has begun to take a toll on the area, particularly with some littering and a proliferation of trails, said Pam Brown at the bureau’s Burley office.