Craig Hill: Smith Rock rope swings take huge leap of faith

A pair of geese honked as they soared over Smith Rock State Park in Central Oregon.

Above them, Kylie Hahn stood on the edge of a rock outcrop known as the Springboard. A precarious drop was just inches beyond her toes.

Nervously, she looked down. “I might poop myself,” she said. Behind her, a countdown started: 5-4-3-2-1. Then she stepped into the sky.

A gathering of about 20 hikers and climbers whooped as Hahn plummeted downward. After falling about 100 feet the ropes harnessed to her waist went taut and she was suddenly riding an enormous swing.

“I’ve jumped out of a plane before. I’ve never bungee jumped,” Hahn said moments later. “It’s the anticipation that kills you, because I know it’s going to be OK. … It’s just taking that step and doing it.”

She placed her hand on her chest as if to calm her pounding heart. “It’s the fall that is the intense part,” the Bend, Oregon, resident said. “Then once you catch. That swing is awesome.”

Hahn was riding what’s known as the Monkey Swing, ropes bolted to a 350-foot rock spire known as Monkey Face. It’s set up only about six or seven times per year, said Alex Stewart, the guide who rigged it for his friends Feb. 22.

Stewart ran the swing, which he rigs with a backup rope, for about eight hours, giving about 25 people a chance to jump.

“It really does take something to go off that ledge,” he said.

After people jump and the swinging ends, they are left dangling from Monkey Face, arguably the Northwest’s most iconic rock-climbing feature. They then must rappel to the ground and hike back to the jump zone near the primary trail on Misery Ridge.

The swing is legal, but it’s not a commercial, insured activity. Stewart says he notifies the park when he rigs the swing, but it’s not sanctioned by the park. The park considers the swing a climbing-related activity and at Smith Rock climbing is a self-policed recreational activity, said park manager Scott Brown.

Essentially, it’s a small collection of skilled rock climbers having a good time. And if somebody happens along who wants to give it a try, they’re happy to harness them in for a “jump at your own risk” experience they aren’t likely to ever forget.

“We’ve never charged,” said Stewart, who’d like to someday set up a commercial swing. He’s not allowed to charge. “Once we asked for donations for a new rope, but that (making money) is not why we are out here.”

WHAT SWINGING IS NOT

It takes immense skill to rig the swing from a feature called “the ear” on Monkey Face. Stewart then rigs a high line spanning about 30 feet between the spire and the ridge so he can easily scoot between the features.

But jumping doesn’t require rock-climbing skills. The only prerequisite: a huge set of nerves.

“The only thing it has in common with rock climbing is a harness and a rope,” said David Potter, owner of Smith Rock Climbing Guides.

If it inspires rookie jumpers to get into rock climbing, Smith Rock regulars haven’t noticed. It’s also not really the point.

The park’s stunning sheer rock faces need no help inspiring those inclined to try climbing.

Rock climbing, as scary as it may look, is a sport Potter says almost anybody can do. “If you can climb a ladder, there’s a route you can climb at Smith,” he said.

“Rock climbing is kind of like scuba diving,” Potter said. “It’s not as hard as you might think, but you can mess it up. … Like any high-risk activity, it is good to learn from somebody who really knows what they are doing.”

Potter says no experience is needed to go on a guided climbing trip. Often, within a couple days he can teach ambitious clients enough so they can climb safely on their own.

But climbing well enough to rig a swing, that’s something for the ultra-experienced.

“It can be dangerous if it’s set up wrong,” Potter said.

SAFETY CONCERNS

It’s a rare occasion when a swing is set up at Smith Rock. They are rigged in several areas, but Monkey Face is the most dramatic, Brown said. If you’re lucky enough to visit on a day when a swing is up and you ask a park official if you should do it, Brown says you’ll hear “Absolutely not. We would never recommend it.”

In 2011, one of the Monkey Swing ropes inadvertently hit a pair of climbers, sending them tumbling. According to the Bend Bulletin, a 28-year-old woman from Oakland broke her collarbone, two ribs, several teeth and lacerated her liver. She spent 20 hours in the ICU and six days in the hospital. The other climber suffered minor injuries.

According to the Bulletin article, a respected local climber was so concerned about the swing he removed the bolts.

But there are currently four bolts on the Monkey for the swing, Stewart said. Who set them? Stewart says “it’s a mystery.”

It’s tradition, Stewart says, to swing when there’s a full moon. He’s been rigging the swing for the past three years and swinging even longer and he says he has the rigging dialed in. He estimates there’s been about 1,200 swingers “with a 100 percent success. That’s a pretty good sample size.”

He does want to see improvements in the landing area where the rocky pitch can be challenging to negotiate for inexperienced climbers. “That’s way more dangerous than the swing,” Stewart said. “The swing is a straight-forward thing.”

People have been injured on the swing, Brown said. They’ve also been injured doing everything from hiking to rock climbing. The most common issue, he says, is heatstroke.

IF ALL YOUR FRIENDS JUMPED OFF A CLIFF …

Stewart sets up the Monkey Swing because he enjoys giving people a potentially transformational experience.

“The first time I did it I was pretty damn scared,” Stewart said. “The last thing I thought when I went off the edge was these guys better not be messing with me. It was so much fun and I really want to give people the same experience I had. … I like helping people open doors they have inside themselves.”

Micah Rushing of Bend didn’t plan to ride the Monkey Swing when he arrived at Smith Rock. Still, he found himself harnessed up.

“My friends peer-pressured me into it,” Rushing said, “and, you know, adrenaline is awesome.”

After his first jump, he was ready to go again.

“It’s pretty terrifying until the rope gets taut,” Rushing said. “And then it’s a lot better.”

Dan Butters of Bend was smiling after his first ride of the day. He’d taken the plunge before and loved the experience.

He paused during his hike back up Misery Ridge to watch another jumper. As he watched the jumper muster the courage, Butters said some people jump right away. Others sit on the edge for quite some time. But they rarely back out.

“It was ridiculous the first time,” Butters said. “It was one of the most amazing things I’ve ever done.”

This story was originally published March 4, 2016 at 5:23 AM with the headline "Craig Hill: Smith Rock rope swings take huge leap of faith."