Climbers' access also is threatened by misinformation. Many people know little about climbing tools, techniques, and traditions, leading to discriminatory and sometimes bizarre reactions to our activity. As a result the Access Fund's commitment to educational outreach remains strong.
We are very involved with the incipient Leave No Trace Inc., a far-sighted non-profit program in which land managers and the outdoor recreation industry work together to promote minimum-impact conduct and environmental awareness.
We are in the midst of an unprecedented advertising campaign, which features well-known climbers plugging practical ways to reduce impacts. And we continue to negotiate directly with influential policy makers and interest groups on issues which are important to climbers. For example, in August Access Fund representatives traveled to Washington, DC to meet with federal officials on fixed anchor policy and also with the Wilderness Society.
Critical issues for climbers today include unfair use fees, restrictions on climbing based on conceptual rather than resource concerns, and the enforcement of "solitude" as part of the climbing experience.
Here are a few examples of how these issues are playing out in our national parks and forests, and what the Access Fund is doing in response:
One such step is that of the Gifford Pinchot National Forest in Washington, which intends to limit the number of permits issued for the South Climb route on Mt. Adams, one of the most popular climbs in the Northwest. The Gifford Pinchot says a permit system specific to climbing is needed because objectives for the Mt. Adams Wilderness are not being met, and efforts to address problems such as human waste, litter, and crowded camping and parking areas through "soft" mechanisms such as education have not been effective.
The Access Fund and other climber groups have long argued that the Wilderness Act does not require that visitors find solitude in all places and at all times in wilderness. The Access Fund has recommended that the Gifford Pinchot try other measures, such as moving the principal climbers' campground outside the wilderness boundary, to achieve the target level of "RVDs" (recreational visitor days) in the wilderness, rather than by imposing more severe restrictions.
The Access Fund will continue both to monitor this situation and to work on alternatives to trailhead quotas.
For more information on climbing policy at Mt. Adams, contact Gregory Cox, District Ranger, at 509.395.2501.
Restrictions under the DSEA include no climbing for 5-year study period on the north side of the Narrows. Bolting will continue to be allowed under recommendations made by a "bolting committee" (oversee placement and maintenance) of local climbers.
The DSEA represents a remarkable victory by local climbers, who have worked feverishly over the past two years to prevent climbing from being banned altogether in the Wichitas. This complete effort was spearheaded by the Wichita Mountains Access Association, which received start-up funding and continues to to receive operational support from the Access Fund. WMAA's thorough response to the original EA, continuous communications with government officials, and mustering of local business and political support for their cause, carried the day.
The public may comment on the DSEA until September 30.
Call Marion Hutchison of the WMAA at 405.360.2525 for more information.
Climber visitation was down onlyslightly this year from previous years, despite the new fee. Over 1000 climbers (many foreign) coughed up the dough; fewer than ten refused to pay and claimed economic bias.
In what could be a harbinger of things to come, a pair of foreign climbers was rescued in June, although they could have gotten themselves off the mountain. They claimed the new use fee "entitled" them to a rescue ("that's what it's for, isn't it?") and then sued the Park Service for failing to rescue them promptly.
The Access Fund and AAC are continuing to explore options for challenging the Denali climbing fee; most recently, we await internal documents requested under the Freedom of Information Act.