Climbing Access and Environmental Issues

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Unless they are strictly gym rats, most climbers realize the connection they have with their environment. As climbers, we utilize nature for our recreation and must do our part to help preserve it for future generations. Our access to many climbing areas depends on our treatment of those areas, so it’s important to understand what we should be doing to ensure these areas stay open.

Most climbing areas are not managed as climbing areas. They usually don’t have parking lots, bathrooms, and trash cans for our bloody tape and Clif Bar wrappers. Many require a lengthy hike in and have no facilities whatsoever. You should always check with local climbers or land managers to get a good idea of all the local rules for any area. The following guidelines are good generalizations for any time you are outdoors:

• If there is a designated parking area, use it. It was created for a reason and probably helps keep vehicle traffic off of sensitive areas.

• Stay on established trails. Trails are established to help keep our impact in the area to a minimum.

• Practice “Leave No Trace” principles. You should be familiar with these if you spend much time outdoors. This includes packing out all your trash and leaving the area as you found it.

• Cleaning and establishing new routes is fantastic, but avoid “aggressive” cleaning. This includes chipping (removing/creating holds), removing living vegetation from the base of a climb or the climb itself, and removing large obstructions from landing areas. Part of a establishing a great climb is conquering ALL the challenges of the route instead of removing some of the challenges beforehand.

• Respect all closures. If an area is closed for any reason, sneaking in to climb there only threatens access further. If the area is really worth it, local climbers are probably working with the landowner to try to secure some access for climbers. Sneaking in and breaking the landowners rules doesn’t usually help the cause.

Many landowners don’t see half naked climbers violently throwing themselves at rocks to be a positive (or healthy) thing. Fortunately, groups like The Access Fund can help work with the landowners to show them the positive benefits that respectful climbers can have. In addition to working with landowners to assure access, The Access Fund raises funds to purchase and manage some climbing areas so that they can stay open for the climbing community. Most climbers benefit directly from the work that The Access Fund, and similar organizations do.

Many areas have similar local and regional organizations with similar goals. It’s a good idea to find out what organizations are doing work in your area and to support them by becoming a member and volunteering a little of your time. The majority of these organizations are run entirely on donated time and money.Since climbing is an individual sport, it can be easy to forget that we are all part of a larger climbing community.

Out of respect for the natural areas that we enjoy and the other climbers that enjoy them, we should all do our part make sure that we have a positive impact on all the areas we visit.

-Dustin Craney