by Mick Ryan Delicate Arch – Utah, USA Delicate Arch is the state of Utah´s most famous natural icon situated in Arches National Park. The professional climber Dean Potter, known for his solo and speed ascents in Yosemite, has ignited a storm of controversy in the USA when he climbed this 45ft high arch last Sunday.Regulations of the National Park Service ban all climbing ascents of ´named´ arches in Arches National Park. Potter is of the opinion that as long as he used no fixed anchors and climbing paraphenalia he was free to make his ascent which was filmed for promotional purposes. The National Park Service, the Access Fund and others believe otherwise. The climbing community in the US is split. Follow the debate at the climbing forum Supertopo You can see a virtual panorama of Delicate Arch here at virtualparks.org
