This commercial for a 1964 Chevy Impala features a car on top of Castleton Tower, one of the classic tower climbs in Castle Valley near Moab, UT.
The film crew used a helicopter to hoist a hollowed-out car--just the body and chassis--to the top of the tower, along with a nervous model in a white dress.
Apparently a bit of a blow came up after they were done filming, and she had to wait a few hours on top before they could safely come get her.
Castleton is one of my favorite climbs. I've done it twice: first up the Kor-Ingalls route, the route of the first ascent in 1961; then up the (much better) North Chimney. It's astounding, spending most of the day climbing and then topping out on that summit platform, about the size of a small house. A whole line of towers curves north and west. To the west is the Colorado River; to the east are the snow-capped La Sal Mountains.
After climbing the North Chimney, starting the rappel down the north face is hairy. Going over the edge always sets off the evolutionary alarms (This is not increasing the odds of passing on our genes, your brain says).
But for some reason going over that one, to multiple hanging belays far below, is extra sphincter-tightening.
Especially when you see one of your climbing partners, who shall remain nameless, get his hands caught under the anchor chains and lay their squirming, legs hanging over the edge, until he can unweight the rope and pop them out. Good times.
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