Solution to Rocky Horror

by Cat Miller and Alex Vandiver

This is a series of pictures of rock climbing moves; each picture has a "route card" underneath it. In classic rock climbing tradition, the route names contain punnish references—however, the route cards are matched to the wrong climbs.

The correct matching of pictures to routecards is:

a.jpg = STEM       = Stem Cell Research
b.jpg = MANTLE     = Need a Man 'til Morning
c.jpg = MATCH      = I Demand a Rematch
d.jpg = CRIMP      = Skewered Jumbo Crimp
e.jpg = OVERHUNG   = ...Better Than Hung Over
f.jpg = HEEL HOOK  = He'll Hook a Big One
g.jpg = UNDERCLING = Klingon Thunder
h.jpg = LAYBACK    = Lay Back and Just Relax

Reading down the routesetter initials, now that the cards have been reordered, yields "READ HOLDS CLOCKWISE BY LIMB." Thus, you examine the holds that each limb is on, in clockwise order by limb.

In each picture, all four limbs are are on holds. In rock climbing, which holds are "on" on routes are designated by colored tape, and starting holds are designated by two pieces of tape in a "V" shape. Using the starting hold to determine which color is "on," reading the holds in clockwise order gives a 4-bit string. Reading this as binary, with the most significant bit on the left yields an index into the title of the climb:

Stem Cell Research       = red    = 1101 = 13 => A
Need a Man 'til Morning  = blue   = 1110 = 14 => R
I Demand a Rematch       = brown  = 1011 = 11 => M
Skewered Jumbo Crimp     = purple = 1001 =  9 => J
...Better Than Hung Over = green  = 1111 = 15 => O
He'll Hook a Big One     = purple = 1011 = 11 => I
Klingon Thunder          = orange = 1011 = 11 => N
Lay Back and Just Relax  = green  = 1110 = 14 => T

...which yields ARM JOINT, a clue phrase for ELBOW, the answer to the puzzle.

Special thanks to Greg Pfeil for access to a climbing gym at a time when these photos could be taken.