Meet the Local: Jim Lawyer
(Image) Jim Lawyer on Kachoong, Arapiles, Australia
If you’ve climbed in the Adirondacks, you have probably come across Jim Lawyer’s two volume guidebook “Adirondack Rock.” That’s how I first encountered him, through the pages of his encyclopedic tome to one of the biggest climbing areas in the US. At 6 million acres, the “Daks” as they are colloquially known, is the biggest park in the entire United States, and is larger than Yosemite, Yellowstone, Glacier, and Grand Canyon National Parks combined. But in addition to putting up FAs and documenting routes in the Daks, Jim has also climbed all around the world – as a young climber bundling work travel with climbing, and later, as a part of his “Project 13,” sending some of his hardest routes after the age of 50. He’s also a very talented and prolific photographer, which he enjoys as a way to share the climbing experience with other people.
Jim grew up with a love of the outdoors in central New York and had hiked the AT by the age of 15. Jim has put down deep roots in central NY, attended school, university, got married, and built a house in the community where he settled with his family at the age of 10. Jim admits that central NY is no rock climbing mecca, but he says “it’s quiet, beautiful, has plenty of water, no fires, no tornadoes, no scorching heat.” While working FOUR jobs while attending college, one of his bosses introduced him to climbing at Moss Island in Little Falls, NY. Within a year, he had travelled to Wallface, Cannon, Mt Whitney, Yosemite, and the North Cascades to climb. While he has world class climbing at The Gunks and the Daks – each 3 hours away – he has continued to travel around the world to seek out different rocks, cultures, and communities.
In 1989, Jim founded Summit Software, becoming an expert in compiler design and application programmability. This allowed him to travel to help customers and speak at conferences and combine work with climbing travel. Before retiring at the age of 35, he had managed to travel and climb in Japan, Thailand, Australia, China, and all over Europe on multiple types of rock; Jim also climbs a mix of trad, sport, winter (ice and mixed) and continues to develop and put up FAs. Since 2000, Jim has devoted his time to exploring new crags, writing guidebooks, and continuing to grow as a climber.
(Image) Jim Lawyer minding the gap, Lofoten, Norway
In 1989, Jim founded Summit Software, becoming an expert in compiler design and application programmability. This allowed him to travel to help customers and speak at conferences and combine work with climbing travel. Before retiring at the age of 35, he had managed to travel and climb in Japan, Thailand, Australia, China, and all over Europe on multiple types of rock; Jim also climbs a mix of trad, sport, winter (ice and mixed) and continues to develop and put up FAs. Since 2000, Jim has devoted his time to exploring new crags, writing guidebooks, and continuing to grow as a climber.
Across the many places that he’s climbed, Jim’s favorite rock is steep limestone: “who doesn’t love a tufa?” Although his strength is slightly overhanging, techy face climbing and long endurance routes, he thinks that the “steep stuff is the most fun.” Jim’s globetrotting experience is apparent when I asked him what his favorite crag was: “Kalymnos, Greece; Serra de Cipo in Brasil; and the Red River Gorge, KY.” He also notes Waterval Boven (South Africa), Jackson Falls (IL), Little River Canyon (AL), Silver Mountain (MI), Meteora (Greece), Cayman Brac (Cayman Islands), Piedra, Parada (Argentina), Valle de los Condores (Chile), Kampanj (Croatia) as some of the under-appreciated crags around the world that are worth a visit. Too many crags for most of us mere mortals to visit in a single lifetime, let alone multiple times like Jim as done.
(Image) Chacal, Serra do Cipó, Brazil
Jim continues to travel to seek out new rock and has found joy in exploring crags that other people have developed while also scoping out new lines as well. About developing he says, “I love the route development process, unearthing a line of holds that just barely holds together to form a route.” Jim also appreciates the sometimes meditative and hard work that goes into development, saying “I really enjoy going out by myself, cleaning a route, rehearsing the moves, and putting it all together. Some of my best routes have been developed alone.” While he enjoys development, he admits that “guidebook writing is a tedious chore” and desiged an ingenious way of making this work easier – Jim wrote code to import routes from his database directly into InDesign, generating guidebooks by code.
As Jim continues to crush into his 5th decade, while he hasn’t slowed down, he has shifted his focus from exploring as many new areas as possible to spending quality time in each area he visits. Trips have gone from weeks to months in a single area to “really get to know an area [and]…build a base and explore the harder routes.” While he says that staying psyched to climb has never been an issue, staying healthy is the million-dollar question. He’s pivoted from trad climbing to sport and taken a more rigorous approach to training and nutrition, but acknowledges that “training and climbing hard take an enormous toll on the body” and that less really is more.
But when you look back at Jim’s climbing accomplishments so far, it’s hard not to say that “more” hasn’t been amazing.
(Image) Jim Lawyer behind the lens capturing Jenn Edmond on Urisk The Rustic Brownie, Waterval Boven, South Africa
As Jim continues to crush into his 5th decade, while he hasn’t slowed down, he has shifted his focus from exploring as many new areas as possible to spending quality time in each area he visits. Trips have gone from weeks to months in a single area to “really get to know an area [and]…build a base and explore the harder routes.” While he says that staying psyched to climb has never been an issue, staying healthy is the million-dollar question. He’s pivoted from trad climbing to sport and taken a more rigorous approach to training and nutrition, but acknowledges that “training and climbing hard take an enormous toll on the body” and that less really is more.
But when you look back at Jim’s climbing accomplishments so far, it’s hard not to say that “more” hasn’t been amazing.
Fun facts
- Jim also enjoys woodworking and has an extensive shop where he has made furniture, several homes, and converated his van.
- Favorite crag snacks: formerly OJ and snickers, but these days salads (sweet peppers, cucumber, tomato, hard boiled eggs, golden raisins, Greek feta, olive oil, and balsamic). Blue Diamond oven roasted almonds are also a favorite.
- You can follow Jim Lawyer on IG @jimlawyer
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