Hanging loose may not be just for surfing, but also for rock climbing. A small group is putting together a climbing gym, potentially in downtown Roseburg, and that group is getting larger.

Chris Laswell of Hangloose Boulder & Rock Gym, LLC, has his eye on the former Roseburg Beauty College downtown. Laswell has the floorplans drawn up, and is gathering together some support.

For Laswell, it's personal. By attending climbing gyms in neighboring counties, he dropped his weight from 280 to 170 pounds, and wants to bring that opportunity to Douglas County.

Enter Jan Pytalski of the Southwest Oregon Climber's Coalition, which is supporting the project. Pytalski, originally from Poland, has been climbing for years, but always in a climbing gym until he moved to Douglas County.

"The outdoor climbing here is outstanding, but it rains a lot," Pytalski told The News-Review. He thinks an indoor gym will attract more climbers, and keep them in practice during the winter months.

Working with Hangloose to gather interest and partners, the Southwest Oregon Climber's Coalition brought an event to Roseburg on Sunday night.

The Legends Club

Two historic climbers with Oregon connections highlighted the event Sunday, at Two Shy Brewing in Roseburg. Ned Thanhouser is a documentary filmmaker, and a climber, who insists his project partner Jeff Thomas is the real legend.

Thomas is originally from California, and moved to New York state with his family as a kid. They missed the west coast, so for an entire decade he and his father returned to California each year to hike the John Muir Trail. Thomas came back west as an adult, to attend the University of Oregon.

Together, they screened some of their films Sunday at Two Shy Brewing, and took questions from the audience. In the meantime, they spoke with The News-Review about their projects, and about climbing.

Thanhouser, after a career with Intel in Hillsboro and Tektronix in Beaverton, has made 24 documentaries since 2015. He started climbing in 1979, and met Thomas, who started climbing in 1969 and was already a legend.

"He was really more than just a climber," said Thanhouser. "He's an arborist, a conservationist and a historian. Jeff has all this history, and I know how to make films and I like to climb."

"Most people aren't interested in history until they're about to be part of it," said Thomas. But not him; he loves the stories of the early climbers.

"I make it my business to know and tell those stories," especially the Oregon climbs and climbers, the history of which has not been properly told in many cases, according to Thomas.

Climbing as a hobby, and an exercise

The newer climbers not only revere the legends. They also agree on multiple key points.

Laswell told The News-Review that some local organizations are showing interest in the project not only to attract tourism, but also because of the healthy aspect of the hobby.

The News-Review asked Pytalski how he stays in shape for climbing.

"I do work out in the gym, but ultimately in climbing, it's climbing," that provides the exercise necessary for the hobby.

The legends agree. "Except for a select few, there was none," said Thomas of the exercise used by climbers when he was starting out.

"The exercise was to go out and climb," agreed Thanhouser.

Thanhouser also taught some classes on climbing safety, and spoke about the natural fear of heights.

"I think the key thing for people to understand is to trust your gear," he said. "If you do things properly you're not going to die. You might slip and fall but you're not going to die," he said of the safety equipment.

Pytalski agrees. "Come prepared," he says to new climbers. "Make sure you have people around you who know what they're doing," which is how he found the coalition when he moved to Oregon and looked for people with whom to climb.

On the lighter side, Thomas and Thanhouser agree with one another on climbing films. In fiction, Sylvester Stallone's "Cliffhanger" was the least realistic, while Clint Eastwood's "The Eiger Sanction" was the most realistic.

As for documentaries, other than their own, it's either Alex Honnold in "Free Solo," or Tommy McDonald's "The Dawn Wall."

Back to the Legends Club

Thanhouser's documentaries, the history provided in large part by Thomas, center on the Oregon legends. Their conversations, names and stories are difficult to track without watching Thanhouser's films and reading Thomas' books: Jim Ramsey and The Awl. Pat Callis and The Hen. Matt Spohn on Rooster Rock. Dog's Head at the Coburg Caves. Todd Baumann in The Menagerie. Lige Coalman on Mount Hood. Gary Leach at Government Camp. Alan Kearney and Beacon Rock. Greg Orton and The Turkey Monster. John Bissel and Smith Rock.

And Ranger on Mount Hood. Ranger didn't have a last name, as he was a dog, but he led more than 500 climbs up Mount Hood, whether the groups wanted him to or not. When Ranger saw parties with ice axes, he barked excitedly and led the way up.

"Ranger: The Canine Alpinist," was one of Thanhouser's films screened Sunday, along with "Cabin in the Sky: The Mt. Hood Lookout." Finally, Thanhouser screened his documentary about Thomas, which he said is about 90% finished, making the audience among the first to see it.

Thanhouser, mentioning some of the Oregon legends described in his documentaries, pointed to Thomas. "They were looking up to this guy. They wanted to be this guy," he said.