Page 184 - Rappelling

About the Author

Bob Gaines began rock climbing and rap-
pelling in the 1970s. Since then he has pio-
neered more than 500 first ascents at Joshua
Tree National Park, Tahquitz and Suicide
Rocks in Southern California, and in Yosem-
ite Valley. Bob began his career as a profes-
sional rock climbing guide in 1983 when he
founded Vertical Adventures Rock Climbing
School, which offers climbing and rappelling
instruction at Joshua Tree. In 2008 Vertical
Adventures was voted the number one
rock climbing school in America by Outside
magazine.
Bob has worked extensively in the film
business as a climbing stunt coordinator. He
has coordinated more than forty television
commercials and films, and he was Sylvester
Stallone’s climbing instructor for the movie
Cliffhanger. Bob doubled for William Shatner
in the movie Star Trek V, as Captain Kirk free-
soloing on El Capitan in Yosemite.
Bob is an AMGA Certified Rock Climbing Instructor and currently teaches
the AMGA Single Pitch Instructor Course at Joshua Tree. He has worked
extensively training US military special forces, including the elite US Navy
SEAL Team 6, and is known for his technical expertise in anchoring and rescue
techniques.
Bob is also the author of Best Climbs Joshua Tree National Park, Best Climbs
Tahquitz and Suicide Rocks, and Toproping and the coauthor of Climbing Anchors
(with John Long). Bob splits his time between his residences in Irvine and
Joshua Tree, California.

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