Marshal’s motivation stems from the thrill of first ascents — something all climbers can appreciate. He originally developed his playground for a few friends and himself, and assumed a hefty financial burden to make his vision a reality, personally funding countless bolts, hangers, and drill bits. When asked if he thought that he was leading the way for sport climbing in SoCal, Marshall replied, “I don’t know about that, but I certainly broke a lot of rules. I took a lot of hits from it, and I still do.” An anonymous local, for example, referred to Marshal as, “the leader of the dark side ... [who] single-handedly destroyed rock climbing in America.”
Many people who have visited NJC claim that it’s “nothing but choss.” And in many ways it is. As Joe Hedge, a strong local climber put it, “In truth, New Jack City is probably the worst, and certainly the ugliest, climbing area in the western U.S. If there was a climbing area in Hell, I’m sure it would look very similar.”
Marshall says, “I just wanted to do new routes in cool places with a few friends. New Jack City has a certain desert charm where you can climb steep rock. I’m happy with NJC — it’s perfect for me.” And that’s what it’s about — having fun in the sun and catching a pump.

David Rosenstein is a trad, wall, and alpine weekend warrior from the glorious City of Angels. This is his first feature for Climbing.

To see a 7-minute video clip of the makings of Jean-Michel Casanova’s “The Catwalk” feature about NJC, visit www.climbing.com/av