"WE'RE DOING EVERYTHING IN OUR POWER TO MAKE SURE THE AIR IS RIGHT."
The Hill to Crag series has been a remarkable success; led by our policy team and key volunteers, our Hill to Crag events have brought together local, state, and national policymakers, state offices of outdoor recreation, and AAC volunteers and staff.
In 2018 the AAC held three Hill to Crags in Colorado, Wyoming, and North Carolina. At the AAC headquarters in Golden, CO, the Veterans' Section of the AAC, in coordination with the Front Range and New Mexico Chapters, took the staff from the offices of Senator Gardner (R-CO) and Senator Bennet (D-CO) climbing at North Table Mountain.
Conversations ranged from climbing fundamentals to the benefits of outdoor recreation and climbing, in particular, for veterans. The day together built partnerships both on and off belay. Since then, this recipe for building trust through Hill to Crag has been replicated in CO, WY, and NC and brought to new locations, like Montana, Oregon, and Utah, over the years.
At the Wyoming event, members of the State of Wyoming Department of State Parks and Cultural Resources, Wyoming Conservation Corps, and Representative Liz Cheney's state director joined the AAC's Veterans section for a day of climbing at Vedauwoo, WY, followed by a tour of Curt Gowdy State Park. Maj. Harvison spoke about the benefits of outdoor recreation and how it can benefit veterans with PTSD.
Between tying knots and dropping ropes, conversations drifted to the local and national economic benefits of outdoor recreation, which was highlighted when several out-of-state climbers bumped into the group as they were gearing up at the trailhead.
Participants enjoyed a day exploring public lands issues and the world of climbing. The relationships cultivated between lawmakers and climbers will further the conversation about policy and advocacy in the outdoor recreation space.
Five years later, the Hill to Crag is still making an impact.
We all remember the magic of those first weeks and months of climbing. Starting to feel in tune with our bodies as we move across rock, the joyous fatigue of discovering your limits and pushing right past them, and the elation of getting to the top for the first time—even if it wasn't pretty. Deschutes County Commissioner Phil Chang has no intentions of becoming a climber anytime soon. Still, his calm resolve and openness to new solutions is certainly a trait that many climbers would covet—you could see it as he learned to move on rock for the first time.
Like all politicians, Commissioner Chang has a lot to juggle. But on a gorgeous bluebird day this October, he joined other Oregon decision-makers and AAC climbing advocates at Smith Rock. At this Hill to Crag event, like others before it, advocates and legislators climbed together and shared knowledge to become better partners—fighting for public lands, climate legislation, and equitable access.
The AAC prioritizes these advocacy issues because shaping such governmental policy helps us achieve the goal of a world where everyone can climb more.
We're doing everything in our power to ensure that the air is just right. So that the air—the political climate that impacts your ability to climb, be it land use regulations, permits and access policies, or a changing climate—can be just right so that you can have more moments when it really is just you and the rock. We know that it takes more than just preserving the way things are. To protect the heart of climbing, we need to transform the conditions for the send—and that means being intentional advocates.
And with intention comes impact. Commissioner Chang directed over half a million dollars towards recreational infrastructure in his county thanks to Hill to Crag and the power of recreating outdoors together. He is also working to create public parks and campsites that could ease the pressure on camping at Smith Rock. And by engaging with climbing advocates and the superintendent of Smith Rock, he is learning more about future solutions and the passionate allies he has in climbers.
Jon Stark, another attendee at the Smith Rock Hill to Crag, and the CEO of Economic Development for Central Oregon, says the natural resources that draw people to the region present significant opportunity. Stark is emphatic that supporting outdoor industry businesses and investing in recreation infrastructure has a substantial effect on the economic well-being of Central Oregon. Motivated by the passion and potential at the Hill to Crag event, he plans to meet with the Oregon Office of the Outdoors about further growing the outdoor industry in the region.
You can be an intentional advocate for climbing, too.
Help us advocate for public lands, fight climate change, and ensure equitable access to our favorite climbing areas across the country. Programs like Hill to Crag, our grassroots Climbers' Advocacy Network, Climb United, and our many other policy and community initiatives are leading the way, and they are made possible by climbers like you.