Note: Many climbing areas--Smith Rock State Park in Oregon being a prime example--have become so popular that crowding is now an issue. No one wants to go out for a day of climbing and end up waiting in line, yet it happens more and more frequently. Frustration can lead to conflicts, which can create access problems. The following are some suggestions for alleviating congestion at popular climbing areas.
Climbers from around the world descend on Smith Rock State Park each year. And other visitors like to come to view the climbers. So when the weather is nice during the spring and fall seasons, do we experience crowding at the crags? You bet.
Climbing is about freedom. It offers a wonderful escape from the mundane, and gives folks the opportunity to be daring, even a little dangerous. It allows one to feel good about oneself, while experiencing the beauty of the outdoors. The unwritten climbing ethic dictates that climbing routes are on a first-come, first-serve basis. As climbing parties visit Smith, they generally move from route to route as the day progresses. If your desired route is being climbed, usually a wait of only an hour or so is needed before it is your turn--plenty of time to do a nearby route that perhaps wasn't on your hit list.
But what happens when a large, organized climbing group visits an area like Smith? Often many climbing routes are monopolized for an extended time period, and small climbing parties feel shut out. There goes the feeling of freedom.
Organized groups are welcome at Smith Rock, and certainly have their place in climbing. They offer a wonderful way for beginners to get introduced to climbing, and for more experienced folks to socialize and share their love of the sport. Parks and other public lands have different methods for controlling or regulating larger groups. At Smith Rock, we encourage climbers to regulate themselves as much as possible. To avoid having to impose formal regulations, I offer these suggestions to the large, organized groups of climbing visitors (generally considered more than eight people). A little common sense goes a long way and you may find these apply equally well at your local crag.
(1) Plan a weekday or non-holiday visit.
(2) Don't use lead climbing routes for beginners, who are just as well served by a toproping cliff.
(3) Avoid the most popular routes and crags. Find out-of-the-way sites that can be used without having to worry about how long you've been there, how many parties are waiting impatiently for you to finish, etc.
(4) When you must use areas where you will be in competition with small parties, do your preliminary, on-the-ground instruction away from the base of the routes.
(5) During your vertical instruction, try not to leave gear and ropes hanging if someone from your group is not actually climbing. Few things are more annoying to small climbing parties than to find six ropes "climbing" as many routes, only one of which is actually being used for instruction.
I am reminded of a quote from Mark Twain, who defined "excessive smoking" as puffing on more than one cigar at a time. So the next time you bring a large group to the crags for some climbing, how about keeping the cigar smoke down a little? Work with your local land manager to mitigate the pressures that come from heavy use in popular areas, and let's try together to manage the increasing crowding of the crags, which is the inevitable result of greater public awareness of a fantastic outdoor activity--climbing.
Doug Crispin is the former Park Manager of Smith Rock State Park in Oregon, and has worked extensively with local climbers and the Access Fund on climbing issues. Many consider Smith Rock's climbing policy to be an excellent model for successful climbing management.