When it comes to serving Coopers Rock State Forest, Adam Polinski has done everything from digging ditches to shaking hands with the governor. Born in 1963, Adam Polinski has been living in Morgantown, WV since 1981 when he moved there to attend West Virginia University.

Since his first visit to Coopers that first year, Adam has become deeply attached to the area, its particular blend of rocks and forest and its recreational opportunities.  For years Adam has been climbing, mountain biking, hiking and cross country skiing among the gritstone boulders of  Coopers Rock. Despite his many passions and pursuits, Adam says climbing is his main drive and one of the primary motivations for his close work with Cooper’s Rock.

“There is something about climbing that’s different from all the rest of outdoor sports,” explained Adam.

Rob Sauers introduced Adam to climbing in 1983.  At this point most routes primarily followed cracks, but face climbing was become more and more common from a bouldering perspective. Adam’s early climbing was spent primarily around the Morgantown area at Coopers Rock, Mont Chateau and Pioneer Rocks. During this time Adam was mentored by North Carolina climber, James Williamson who was also mentoring other young climbers such as Steve Cater and Porter Jarrard.

Adams climbing travels have taken him from Otter Cliffs in Maine’s Arcadia National Park, to the boulders of Stinson Beach, California. After his initial introduction to climbing he branched out to nearby Seneca Rocks, West Virginia and Stone Mountain, North Carolina. In 1985 and 86 he lived in Colorado, climbing Independence Pass, Boulder Canyon and Eldorado Canyon. In 1990, he traveled to Texas and New Mexico, where he was greatly influenced by the excellent bouldering  found in Hueco Tank’s, TX and City Of Rocks, NM.

With injuries and life commitments, Adam has primarily been climbing locally since 1997. His focus has changed to various types of activism in recent years, including being a primary organizer of the Cooper’s Rock Restoration and having helped establish the Coopers Rock Foundation in 1989. He served on its Board of Directors for over 20 years since.

“I can’t extract myself from Coopers Rock anymore,” says Adam. “I still put up new boulder problems and routes, just at ‘old man standards.”