The Mountaineers
On Wednesday, the National Park Service (NPS) announced that it’s discontinuing development of its proposal to restrict the use of fixed anchors in Wilderness. This is a huge victory for the climbing community. If enacted, the policy would have prohibited the use of new and existing bolts, slings, and pitons in Wilderness areas, upending decades of precedent and compromising safe and reliable access to iconic Washington summits like Unicorn Peak and Mt. Shuksan.
“This decision protects sustainable climbing and safe outdoor education, and strengthens the conservation movement to protect public lands,” shared Mountaineers CEO, Tom Vogl. “We’re grateful that our federal leaders listened to the voices of climbers, outdoor educators, conservation advocates, Washington Senators Maria Cantwell and Patty Murray, and all those who value the intersection between human-powered recreation and conservation.”
How the Recreation Community Protected Wilderness Climbing
The voices of outdoor enthusiasts were instrumental in protecting climbing on our public lands. When we asked our community to speak up for sustainable climbing access during the National Park Service’s public comment period, many Mountaineers sent personalized messages to the agency sharing why fixed anchors are critical for our ability to teach climbing and canyoning skills. Your comments helped spur the National Park Service’s decision to discontinue their ban on the use of fixed anchors in Wilderness.
The climbing community’s advocacy caught the attention of our federal leaders as well. A bipartisan group of 14 senators sent a letter - led by Senator Cantwell and signed by Senator Murray - to the Secretaries of the Departments of Agriculture and Interior sharing their concerns that “the policy change would unnecessarily burden our national parks’ and forests’ already strained budgets, limit access to these special places, and endanger climbers.” We worked closely with Senator Cantwell on this letter, and we’re so grateful for her leadership on behalf of the climbing and canyoning communities. Washington’s Senators Cantwell and Murray’s support made this huge win for outdoor access possible.
What This Means for Climbing in Our National Forests
While the National Park Service’s decision to drop their fixed anchor policy is a step in the right direction, the fate of wilderness climbing on lands managed by the U.S. Forest Service still hangs in the balance. The two agencies released policies restricting the use of fixed anchors in tandem, but unlike the NPS, the Forest Service hasn’t publicly withdrawn their ban on fixed anchors yet.
We’re particularly concerned about the Forest Service’s policy because it applies to wilderness and non-wilderness areas. In other words, the policy could undermine access to critical climbing routes throughout all of the agency’s managed land. Fortunately, Congress recently took a major stride toward protecting wilderness climbing in our national forests - a stride that alleviates some of our concerns about the Forest Service’s draft climbing policy.
A Legislative Victory for Wilderness Climbing and Canyoning
Earlier this week, Congress passed the EXPLORE Act, a first-of-its-kind package of bills to improve recreation and outdoor access on federal public lands. This is a huge victory for recreationists nationwide - and for climbers specifically. The package includes the Protecting America’s Rock Climbing Act (PARC), a timely piece of legislation that clarifies that climbing and the placement, use, and maintenance of fixed anchors are appropriate, and not prohibited, within Wilderness areas.
It’s not entirely clear what the passage of the PARC Act means for the Forest Service’s proposed climbing guidance. The agency could still decide that land managers have to approve the maintenance and replacement of fixed anchors on a case-by-case basis - which is a lot of red tape for a single bolt. Given the significant time and investments this process would require, coupled with the fact that the Forest Service is understaffed and under-resourced, this could inadvertently lead to a de facto ban on fixed anchors in areas where land managers lack the staff capacity to approve their use and replacement.
But, the PARC Act sends a strong message that Congress believes climbers, and the use of fixed anchors, are welcome in Wilderness areas. We hope this message influences the Forest Service to develop a policy aimed at protecting, rather than obstructing, sustainable climbing access. We’ll also keep our community informed as we learn more about how the PARC Act will be implemented and its impacts on the agency’s climbing policy.
Thank You
The National Park Service’s decision to drop their proposed restrictions on the use of fixed anchors in Wilderness happened because of sustained outreach, support, and advocacy from the outdoor recreation community. Thank you for being a part of making this success happen.
