ABSTRACT
During the early years of the 1960’s, Layton Kor had become expert at sophisticated direct aid, but a number of his early climbs also included difficult, and sometimes poorly protected, free climbing. In 1962, Kor, accompanied by Huntley Ingalls, climbed a difficult mixed route called Psycho. Kor was the dominant influence on Colorado rock climbing during the early years of the 1960’s and was central in determining acceptable style. Most other climbers of the day followed his example and used a mixture of free and direct aid techniques as situations seemed to require. Prior to the development of free climbing during the 1960’s, competition was a relatively minor factor in rock climbing and was only occasionally expressed in the bagging of new routes. David Rearick had picked up his notions on free climbing at Taquitz and Yosemite, in the company of Robbins and Pratt. During the mid-sixties, Larry Dalke began to show his phenomenal rock climbing skill.
