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The New Bolt Wars? Protect America’s Rock Climbing Act

Climbers from the American Alpine Club and the Access Fund discuss fixed anchors in the wilderness

One of the stories included in this week’s newsletter from the American Alpine Club called The Clubhouse was about the fight to maintain access to America’s rock climbing areas. The following is part of their story.

Climbing in America’s Wilderness areas—places like Joshua Tree, Yosemite, the Black Canyon of the Gunnison, and so many other iconic climbing areas—is under threat. Federal land managers feel concerned by increased usage on our public lands and are arguing its necessary to ban the use of fixed anchors. While climbers and land managers are partners, this disagreement over fixed anchors in wilderness is a strong threat to our ability to work together.

In this episode of the AAC Podcast, they sat down with Erik Murdock, the Vice President of Policy and Government Affairs at Access Fund, to talk about the nitty gritty details of this critical conversation about bolting and fixed anchors in the wilderness.

To learn more about Protect America’s Rock Climbing Act visit here and to listen to the podcast visit here.

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