Bob Murray Project
For those of us who choose to spend our free time roaming the Sonoran Desert in search of climbable boulders, we are usually following in the footsteps of the legendary and enigmatic Bob Murray. During his time in Tucson, Murray was possibly the strongest boulderer in the country, putting up difficult and improbable lines up around Tucson that even today see few repeats. There are at least a few of his problems that have yet to see a second ascent. Murray (along with a cadre of other strong Tucson boulderers) explored extensively throughout the southwest, leaving his mark in Arizona, Southern Colorado, New Mexico, and of course, Hueco Tanks.
Despite his impressive legacy as a boulderer, his problems and contributions to the sport seem to be fading from the consciousness of the climbing community. I had a simple idea to try and track down and document as may of the classic Murray problems as I could. As I began to think about his idea, more and more questions began to spring up in my mind, with no good source for answers. Slowly this simple idea evolved into a plan to make a documentary film on the legacy of Bob Murray in the southwest and his impact on the development of bouldering in the United States. I hope to touch on some broader themes in the film as well, trying to use the bouldering exploits of Bob Murray to dig into some of the deeper questions we ask as rock climbers. I hope the finished film will be a lasting record of the classic boulder problems Murray established in the southwest, and an insightful, entertaining portrait of Bob Murray and the Tucson climbing community that was pushing the climbing standards of the day thirty years ago.
To get this done, I will need some help! First, if anyone feels they have unique insight or perspective into the legacy of Bob Murray, the history of bouldering in the USA, the history of bouldering in Southern Arizona, or just random, general thoughts on why climbing is important to you, I would love to hear from you. We can speak on camera or off, but I would love to hear from a wide swath of the climbing community.
Secondly, I am going to need lots of exciting climbing footage to showcase the problems and the beautiful setting of the Sonoran Desert and Mt. Lemmon. If you would be interested in climbing some classic Murray problems on film, let me know. I hope to document a ton of classic old school problems throughout the grade range, and will be looking for lots of people willing to be filmed.
Thanks for your continuing support of this website, it is definitely one of the factors that makes me think there will be an audience for this film!
Have fun out there!
Joe
joe@boulderingtucson.com
Despite his impressive legacy as a boulderer, his problems and contributions to the sport seem to be fading from the consciousness of the climbing community. I had a simple idea to try and track down and document as may of the classic Murray problems as I could. As I began to think about his idea, more and more questions began to spring up in my mind, with no good source for answers. Slowly this simple idea evolved into a plan to make a documentary film on the legacy of Bob Murray in the southwest and his impact on the development of bouldering in the United States. I hope to touch on some broader themes in the film as well, trying to use the bouldering exploits of Bob Murray to dig into some of the deeper questions we ask as rock climbers. I hope the finished film will be a lasting record of the classic boulder problems Murray established in the southwest, and an insightful, entertaining portrait of Bob Murray and the Tucson climbing community that was pushing the climbing standards of the day thirty years ago.
To get this done, I will need some help! First, if anyone feels they have unique insight or perspective into the legacy of Bob Murray, the history of bouldering in the USA, the history of bouldering in Southern Arizona, or just random, general thoughts on why climbing is important to you, I would love to hear from you. We can speak on camera or off, but I would love to hear from a wide swath of the climbing community.
Secondly, I am going to need lots of exciting climbing footage to showcase the problems and the beautiful setting of the Sonoran Desert and Mt. Lemmon. If you would be interested in climbing some classic Murray problems on film, let me know. I hope to document a ton of classic old school problems throughout the grade range, and will be looking for lots of people willing to be filmed.
Thanks for your continuing support of this website, it is definitely one of the factors that makes me think there will be an audience for this film!
Have fun out there!
Joe
joe@boulderingtucson.com
