Tim Sprinkle

Think globally, climb locally: Access Fund launches new bouldering initiative

Climbing magazine
June 2004
Ads in climbing magazines, meetings with land managers, workshops on acceptable impact, "Leave no Trace" posters in local shops, a network of regional climbing organizations, and more - say "hello" to the Access Fund's new bouldering initiative.

Sound familiar? It should; the organization launched a similar campaign just over a year ago. But that effort fell short of its goals, association leaders say, due to some poor planning and a general lack of cooperation. This time around, however, they're doing things differently, working from the bottom up to create a grassroots network of local leaders that, they hope, will get their message of minimum impact out to as many boulder climbers as possible.

"When this was done a few years ago, it wasn't very inclusive and there really wasn't enough follow-through to get it off the ground," says Steve Matous, Executive Director of the Access Fund. "There was a lot of noise made, but no one really did anything about it." But by bringing regional advocates, retailers, festival organizers, manufacturers, and others into the fold this time, Matous hopes to create an ethic - "an understanding of the impact that we as climbers have on the areas that we use" - that will extend beyond the usual reach of the Access Fund and take root in the next generation of climbers.

"We learned last time that we can't do this by ourselves," Matous says. "We're going to support these efforts, find the resources to make them happen, but we're really looking to the regional groups to pick this up and run with it."

Bouldering remains the number-one resource protection issue among land managers. And with its explosive growth over the past few years, it's a significant concern for the Access Fund as well. Building on their experiences in 2002, the organization plans to use posters, advertisements, and workshops to let climbers - especially those that are new to the sport - know about the importance of low-impact, conservation-minded bouldering. From there, local groups, retailers, manufacturers and others will all help spread the message - whether it's through membership lists, customer contact, booth visitors, or any number of other ways.

"It's not that anybody is purposefully trying to damage this land," Matous says, "but when you put 10,000 users in an area there will be an effect. Our goal is to develop this ethic and make sure people know that the only way we'll keep climbing in these areas is if we take steps to protect them."

Regional leaders like Anthony Love, a member of The Boone Climbing Coalition and owner of ncbouldering.com, applaud the Access Fund's efforts.

"In my opinion, involving local players is the best way to get the climbing community out protecting the local areas," Love says. "It's all about familiarity. Climbers might not know too much about the Access Fund, but they know Joe Blow down at the crag does some work with them, and that sort of tie-in adds credibility to what they're doing. It's a tough strategy, tough to do effectively, but it's worth it if it will reach climbers."