Rock Climbing

In the adrenaline-stoked realm of vertical rock climbing, Derek Geoffrey Hersey was regarded as one of the world's best, a daredevil among daredevils who did not use a rope. But for reasons that authorities said Sunday may never be known, the 36-year-old Hersey plunged to his death from the granite face of Yosemite National Park's Sentinel Rock. A native of Manchester, England, Hersey for the past decade had lived in Boulder, Colo.

PHILIPPINES Slide show Rafael Mirasol will explore the Philippines' colonial roots, a bustling metropolis and its beach resorts. When, where: 7:30 Monday at Distant Lands, 20 S. Raymond Ave., Pasadena. Admission, info: Free. RSVP to (626) 449-3220. ROCK CLIMBING Workshop Experts will offer an introductory class in rock climbing, including types of climbing, what gear is necessary and getting started. When, where: 7 p.m. Wednesday at REI stores in Arcadia, 214 N. Santa Anita Ave., and Northridge, 18605 Devonshire St. Admission, info: Free.

For more than a year, American rock climbers and mountaineers have looked forward to the release of the Sylvester Stallone film "Cliffhanger" with a mixture of anticipation and apprehension. Anticipation was fueled by climbing-world gossip that the producers of "Cliffhanger" had hired some of the world's best climbers as crew members and consultants and were spending considerable time and money to make the film authentic.

BACKPACKING Workshop Experts will offer tips on lightweight backpacking techniques, including shelter, backpacks, food and fuel efficiency. When, where: 6:30 p.m. Wednesday at the REI store in Tustin, 2962 El Camino Real. Admission, info: Free. (714) 505-0205 ROCK CLIMBING Movie "Beyond Gravity" showcases 18 leading young climbers as they take on routes such as the Emperor Face of Mt. Robson in British Columbia, Canada; icy fiords in Greenland; and the magnificent Cardinal Pinnacle in the Sierra.

beta n. detailed information about how to best negotiate a climb. "I had problems with this climb until I got the beta on the crux section." betty n. term of endearment used to describe female climbers. "Wow, did you see all the bettys out at the crag today?" campus v. climb using hands only. "The moves at the top are easier if you campus them, because the footholds just disappear." crag n. generic term used to describe any climbing location. crimper n. very small handhold. flapper n.

The temporary closure of a popular rock-climbing spot in the Angeles National Forest has been extended for one more year to protect an endangered frog species inhabiting the area, officials said Tuesday. Damage to the forest from the Station fire, which has increased the risk of mudslides, has made that area an even more crucial habitat for the frog, authorities said. About 1,000 acres north of Angeles Crest Highway, including Williamson Rock, were closed in 2005 because of the presence of the endangered mountain yellow-legged frog.

Thanks largely to its image in advertising and other media, rock climbing has gained something of a reputation as a dangerous sport practiced by thrill-seekers and adrenaline junkies. But although top climbers continually push the limits of the sport's possibilities, the more mundane truth is that rock climbing, when done correctly, is a perfectly safe pursuit.

An 18-year-old Ventura youth died Sunday after falling off a rock at a Rose Valley waterfall about 20 miles north of Ojai, authorities said. Nathan Spargur apparently died shortly before 4:40 p.m., when Ventura County Sheriff's Lt. Jim Barrett said authorities were called about the accident. Although the coroner's office was still investigating the case Sunday night, Barrett said Spargur apparently had climbed up one of the rocky cliffs at the waterfall, which is just north of Lion's Campground.

The sky was a dazzling blue, yet those climbing Iris saw only her gray granite face. She stands sentinel over the vast and beautiful Rock Creek Canyon, over a lush meadow of the same name, over a stream teeming with trout. Most catch only a glimpse of Iris as they whiz by on the highway below, following the canyon to the lake that feeds the creek, or to one of the nearby campgrounds. But rock climbers find her irresistible.

EUROPE Presentation Susan Hickman, Distant Lands' rail agent, will help you plan your itinerary, from purchasing a ticket and boarding your train to exiting at your destination. When, where : 7:30 p.m. Monday at Distant Lands, 20 S. Raymond Ave., Pasadena. Admission, info: Free. RSVP to (626) 449-3220. ROCK CLIMBING Workshop Rock-climbing instructors will teach assisted-rescue skills no climber should be without. When, where: 6 p.m. Tuesday at the REI store in Manhattan Beach, 1800 Rosecrans Ave., Suite E. Admission, info: $60; (310)

EUROPE Presentation Susan Hickman, Distant Lands' rail agent, will help you plan your itinerary, from purchasing a ticket and boarding your train to exiting at your destination. When, where : 7:30 p.m. Monday at Distant Lands, 20 S. Raymond Ave., Pasadena. Admission, info: Free. RSVP to (626) 449-3220. ROCK CLIMBING Workshop Rock-climbing instructors will teach assisted-rescue skills no climber should be without. When, where: 6 p.m. Tuesday at the REI store in Manhattan Beach, 1800 Rosecrans Ave., Suite E. Admission, info: $60; (310)

TRAVEL Workshop Trip planner and author Rebecca Bricker will show you how to map out a realistic itinerary and stay within your budget. When, where: 7:30 p.m. Wednesday at Distant Lands, 20 S. Raymond Ave., Pasadena. Admission, info: $10. RSVP to (626) 449-3220. ROCK CLIMBING Movie Join the filmmakers for a presentation and screening of "Stoney Point: Portrait of an American Crag," a documentary on the history and rock-climbing culture of the 76-acre park on the outskirts of Los Angeles.

Reporting from Yosemite National Park -- Winter in the high country is usually a season of icy quiet. Birds leave, bears hibernate, and only a few hardy people on skis or snowshoes pass through en route to snow-covered granite domes. But Christmas and New Year's Day came and went, then Martin Luther King Jr.'s birthday, and still only auburn pine needles covered the ground. Chattering squirrels, normally tucked away in their winter nests, perched on top of "Snow Play Area" signs, with no snow in sight.

Lou Langlais was a Navy SEAL, a precision parachute jumper and a rock climber who scaled cliffs, sometimes without a rope. With a striking ability to suppress fear, he was known for leading his comrades into dangerous situations with a sense of calm, confidence and even fun. Over a 25-year career, Langlais rose to become a troop leader in the Navy SEALs' elite Team Six, the secretive unit that killed Al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden....

High over kingdom come, Candice Bednar, a mother of three from Connecticut, is clinging to the unnervingly vertical face of a rock spire called Nimbus Tower. Bednar, 40, is the unlikeliest of rock jocks: She doesn't have Popeye-sized forearms, a devil-may-care attitude about great heights or the names of Sherpas in her Friends and Family Plan. She's never even set foot in a rock-climbing gym. Instead of pulling herself up by tiny finger- and toeholds, Bednar is ascending something called a via ferrata , Italian for "iron road."

The temporary closure of a popular rock-climbing spot in the Angeles National Forest has been extended for one more year to protect an endangered frog species inhabiting the area, officials said Tuesday. Damage to the forest from the Station fire, which has increased the risk of mudslides, has made that area an even more crucial habitat for the frog, authorities said. About 1,000 acres north of Angeles Crest Highway, including Williamson Rock, were closed in 2005 because of the presence of the endangered mountain yellow-legged frog.

For four years, Cam Donnahoo painstakingly glued chips of alabaster and tiny bits of quartz onto a flood control wall at the end of Kalorama Street in Ventura. The 29-year-old environmental engineer and rock-climbing enthusiast spent evenings and weekends lugging 40-pound bags of rock chips, the trimmings from a sculptor's supply store, into the arroyo. This, along with a gallon can of Bondo auto body repair putty.

ITALY Presentation David Farley discusses his new book, "An Irreverent Curiosity: In Search of the Church's Strangest Relic in Italy's Oddest Town," an account of his time living in a Bohemian hill town near Rome. When, where: 7:30 p.m. Monday at Distant Lands, 56 S. Raymond Ave., Pasadena. Admission, info: Free. RSVP to (626) 449-3220. CUBA Slide show Mort Loveman will present "Cuba: A Cultural Experience." When, where: 1 p.m. Wednesday at Roxbury Park Community Center, 471 S. Roxbury Drive, Beverly Hills.

In bouldering lingo, a climbing route is called a "problem." Some problems here in Hueco Tanks State Historic Site are tougher than others. Mine was a gentle overhang pocked with shallow depressions, among the easiest routes in the park. No need for a 5-inch-thick pad to soften my landing, I thought. After all, I'm only a few feet off the ground.