People—climbers—are our lifeblood.
And climbers have an intimate relationship with the land we recreate on. You can't disentangle the climber from the climbing.
Our climbing places are human places, too. As climbers, we are part of and accountable to a broader social ecosystem, a web of humanity connecting climbers, mountain enthusiasts, and the communities who call the places where we climb home. We believe that all people have a right to safe and equitable access to these places, whether a crag in a national forest or a gym in an urban neighborhood. Likewise, we believe that climbing-adjacent communities have an essential role to play in policymaking. And when one of the best ways to ensure equity and inclusion is to advocate for legislation that encode these practices into law, we need to connect our community building and education with our policy work.
Will you join us and make this vision possible?
Who You'd Be Working With and Why They're Excited About this New Direction
"The AAC is working hard to create structural change and shift the culture of climbing more towards inclusivity. Everyone deserves to access the self-actualization, healing, and community that climbing offers us. In fact, the folks who have been historically excluded from these spaces would benefit from them the most. I’m thrilled to see Climb United working so closely with the Policy Department to advocate for equity and support of ALL climbers and encourage a more empathetic and united society."
-Shara Zaia
"The AAC is investing more resources than ever into creating a climbing culture welcome to all, and the best way for us to effect this change transformationally is to be engaged across a wide and more complete front. We have started, and will continue, engaging communities at the regional levels, but for this work to be robust and long lasting, we must also work in the policy and advocacy space. When we align the principles and initiatives of Climb United with environmental justice, we give this work its best chance of being here for our next generations."
-Eddie Espinosa
"It's hard to imagine the vision of Climb United coming to fruition without collaborating with our Policy team. Bringing folks together requires an understanding of current social climates, as well as environmental ones. I've always felt more connected to climbers after having face-to-face discussions and workshops that emphasize togetherness. We can have hard conversations as long as folks acknowledge that we are all working together. When we have this foundation of connectedness, I believe climbers are more willing to put aside differences in the face of important climate policy. It's important for the AAC to combine these skill sets as we pursue goals that benefit everyone."
-Nina Williams
"The AAC is committed to identifying the root causes behind why some in our community have historically been excluded from climbing and the associated policy conversations that implicate the protection, stewardship, and access to our climbing landscapes.
With the growth of our policy, advocacy and community development programs, we are committing to growing our organizational capacity to address this issue within our programming.
This is at the core of our strategy because we believe that a more inclusive, diverse and ultimately larger climbing community will more accurately reflect the policy needs of climbers and increase our influence in state houses and in the U.S. Capitol.
This is an incredibly exciting time to join our effort and a pivotal moment for the climbing community."
-Taylor Luneau
"We work hard to advocate for better policies that impact the future health of our planet and we're proud of our progress in uplifting all climbers that love and care for this place we call home. Through the alignment of our Policy and Climb United programs we are sending a message that this work is at the core of who we are, and we're committed to growing our team around that. As an AAC community member, prior staff member who helped bring Climb United to life and now Board Member; this is deeply meaningful. I can't wait to see where this great team leads us."
-Cody Kaemmerlen
Join Us!
You Belong Here.
If you are excited about this work and want to support it, but don't have interest in applying, become a member or level up your membership!