Following Denali's 1992 climbing season, in which 11 climbers died and the park spent over $200,000 on climber rescues, the National Park Service's review of ways to make climbers pay for their rescues in national parks, and intention to develop a pilot program at Denali, was well publicized. First, the Park Service proposed to recover rescue costs from climbers at Denali in advance of any rescues. However, in less than a year the notion that climbers should pay for rescues had become a mandate that climbers should pay for all climbing "facilities and services." Meanwhile, as Denali proposed to tax climbers in this manner, the park secretly planned to spend over $1 million for new "facilities" to support its climbing program.
The Access Fund has vigorously opposed Denali proposals aimed at forcing climbers to subsidize general operating costs since the idea gathered momentum last year. In conjunction with the American Alpine Club, local climbing organizations like the Mazamas and the Mountaineers, and the climbing industry and guide services, the Access Fund has worked both at Denali and in Washington, DC to persuade the NPS that climbers should not be singled out for "cost recovery" efforts. However, direct input from climbers to both the NPS and to state and federal legislators is required to fight the Denali policy and prevent more widespread discrimination against climbers.
On January 8 in Seattle, the Access Fund and the Mountaineers sponsored a meeting between climbers and NPS officials to discuss the issue. Organized by Elden Altizer of the Access Fund and Marcia Hanson of the Mountaineers, the meeting drew nearly two hundred local climbers and Park Service officials from around the country. At this meeting the Park Service unveiled its initial proposal: a "user fee" of $500 per climber to climb in Denali. The NPS maintained that there was precedent for such fees, but the example cited was the $75 per group fee assessed river-runners in the Grand Canyon -- hardly a basis for charging individual climbers nearly seven times as much in Denali. Climbers, guides, volunteer rescue groups and law enforcement agencies suggested that a better alternative would be for the Park Service simply to provide fewer climbing services.
At the end of February the NPS approved the final proposal for new climbing policy in Denali, which would begin with the 1995 climbing season. The Park Service described the policy as a cost-sharing partnership... only climbers are the only Denali visitors targeted for "defray[ing] operating and rescue costs." The final draft recommends a climbing fee of "only" $200 per visit. The policy also calls for mandatory 60-day advance registration, and expansion of climber education services. In addition, Denali proposes to spend $1.4 million to construct a new climbing center, although this detail was not revealed in public hearings. Presumably the new climbing fee is intended to pay for this "improvement."
While it remains to be seen whether the new Denali policy has the long-term effect of reducing climber rescues and therefore costs, over the short term its effects are clear: reduced climber access, a "tax" imposed only on climbers, and perpetuation of government "services" that climbers are willing to do without.
The Denali climbing fee is not only a severe threat to climbers' access; it represents also a terrible precedent for recreation management. Will the Park Service levy a fee on every hiker and other recreational user of our national parks, to recoup the costs of providing facilities and programs specific to each user group? If not, the agency is discriminating against climbers. If so, the ability of all Americans to enjoy their wildlands heritage is endangered.
What You Can Do
There is no time to lose. Write a letter TODAY to the following influential congressmen and insist that climbers be treated fairly on our public lands. Climbers are willing to "pay to play" in our national parks, as long as this concept is applied broadly to all visitors. Write: