If the ‘rock’ is basically dried mud, then it would seem to me that having people constantly climbing on it, and hacking at it with climbing tools, would weaken and eventually destroy the formations - formations that took millions of years to form. That’s why I assumed this would be CGI …
It’s more than dried mud. It’s stone. Sedimentary rock is no more just dried mud than a brick is. It’s been compressed under the weight of all the sediment above it for billions of years.
Yes, it would be a Bad Idea, since there would be rather too much damage to the surfaces.
BTW, here’s a link to the YouTube video of the subject commercial.
Modern climbers usually don’t hack at the rock with climbing tools.
Years ago it was common to drive in pitons and pull them out–and this did damage the rock. However, the ethics changed about 20 years ago. Now most protection is of a sort that does not damage the rock (or does orders of magnitude less damage than a piton).
On rock that doesn’t accept this type of protection (such as a sheer wall) then it’s not uncommon to place bolts that are left in place all the time.
And an additional meta question: why does this thread have like ~14000 views, almost as much as the sticky threads?
I’m going to guess it’s about trying to find out what the song was.
Here is a casting call for the commercial, looking for professional/experienced climbers familiar with the Moab area. I doubt they’d go to that much trouble it they were just going to use CGI.
I just realized who are the climbers in that commercial: Katie Brown and Alex Honnold.
No CGI. It’s a climb either could do unroped & blindfolded.
Are you blind …? 
it’s one of the most stunningly beautiful scenes ever seen in a TV commercial! Music is OK too …
With you 100% Shoeless. I would have dropped a lot of cash betting that was Neko Case based on the commerical snippet of LP’s song…
I’m just reminded of all those documentaries on climbing Everest, that show all the debris that is left behind - what an utter garbage dump Everest has become due to all the climbers/etc. I just hope these climbers don’t affect these beautiful rocks …
Completely different concepts. Everest is high altitude mountaineering, involving many high camps and bottled oxygen. Sherpas are hired to carry large quantities of gear for guided clients who don’t carry the excess down. Fixed ropes are set for the hoards of climbers going up the Hilary Step and other difficult sections and they don’t always get removed.
Rock climbing involves groups carrying all their own gear for the day. Very little extra is carried that isn’t needed for that trip. Nothing is left behind since the gear is expensive. (So is the stuff on Everest but it pales in comparison to the climbing fees so it’s all relative.) The ethic is to leave the rock the way you found it for future climbers. Most places have rules that don’t allow pitons (hammered into the rock), and climbers use non-destructive nuts or Friends.
They’re completely different worlds.
I don’t know where the rock spire is but I do know that the background is a view of the Shafer Trail from Deadhorse Point State Park in Utah (the Shafer Trail goes into Canyonlands National Park’s Islands in the Sky area). The rock spire with the climber is definitely not part of the view from Deadhorse Point. It might be in the Needles area of Canyonlands… or it may be in a studio… one never knows… I took that same picture (from Deadhorse Point) and compared it to a freeze of the commercial and there is no doubt about it. I have the pix and would post it if they supported it.
The name of the song is “into the Wild” the group is called L.P. see the video on YouTube - great song - she has an amazing voice…
What I wonder is, where are the cameras? Are they in a helicopter, or is there some other, more accessible peak right next to it, that gives good camera angles?
I’m thinking the movement of the camera at the end pretty much has to mean a helicopter was used.
I’ll take “Fun” that I’ll be happy to let everyone else in the planet have, thankyouverymuch, for $200, Alex. Get me some Antivert…
38 posts and not one comment about how hot that woman is? Beautiful and athletic and adventurous, all in one fine little package. Yum and drool.
Oh, yeah- the scenery was nice too.
And how about the guy - isn’t he kinda hot?
Actually, no - he’s pretty much a nerd, and looks the part. But at age 26 he’s basically a living legend in the climbing world. (Let’s hope he goes on living.)