Ontario Alliance of Climbers: Stay Home, Don’t Rock Climb

The Ontario Alliance of Climbers (OAC) has released a statement asking Ontario rock climbers to stay home during the coronavirus outbreak. It’s not the time to head to the crag because future access could be closed.

Hey guys, time for some serious talk. We’re in the middle of a global pandemic, which is putting our community at risk. The provincial and federal governments have asked everyone to stay home, avoid non-essential travel, and practice social distancing. Provincial parks are closed to ALL visitors. The COVID-19 regulations mean that activities such as climbing outdoors are *not* permitted, anywhere.

We are very fortunate to have many climbing crags throughout Ontario which welcome our sport — but our continued access is a privilege, not a right. Our relationships with landowners are built upon trust and respect. If we fail to respect the current pleas to stay home, our access may be taken away, and certain crags may ban climbing altogether. Please stay local to get your exercise — go for a walk or a run around the block. Help ensure that once sanctions are lifted, climbing outdoors is something that we’re able to return to. Keep climbing open, and encourage your friends to do the same.

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Hey guys, time for some serious talk. We're in the middle of a global pandemic, which is putting our community at risk. The provincial and federal governments have asked everyone to stay home, avoid non-essential travel, and practice social distancing. Provincial parks are closed to ALL visitors. The COVID-19 regulations mean that activities such as climbing outdoors are *not* permitted, anywhere. We are very fortunate to have many climbing crags throughout Ontario which welcome our sport — but our continued access is a privilege, not a right. Our relationships with landowners are built upon trust and respect. If we fail to respect the current pleas to stay home, our access may be taken away, and certain crags may ban climbing altogether. Please stay local to get your exercise — go for a walk or a run around the block. Help ensure that once sanctions are lifted, climbing outdoors is something that we're able to return to. Keep climbing open, and encourage your friends to do the same. #ontario #climbing #stayhome #staysafe #access

A post shared by Ontario Alliance of Climbers (@ontarioallianceofclimbers) on Apr 17, 2020 at 5:57am PDT