Mountaineering Access and Use of Public Lands
18 May, 1984
The AAC is a national public foundation concerned with the education and scientific aspects of the mountain environment. We believe that public lands should be always open for recreational uses compatible with preservation of the natural environment. Should preference be deemed necessary among recreational users, it should be given to those whose means of access have the least adverse effect on the land and are least inconveniencing of other recreational users. This would give high priority to individual and small groups traveling on foot and low priority to large organized groups using pack animals, or to those using motorized transportation regardless of relative inaccessibility. Climbing, like other activities such as sport fishing and whitewater boating, is dependent on the occurrence of specific natural areas. Climbing should receive priority over other uses where its opportunities are limited.
The right of recreational use of public lands does not include the right to destructive use of nonrenewable resources or those of slow regenerative capacity. We encourage the use of climbing techniques which leave no trace of a climber's visit. In areas of fragile rock and ecosystems, routes should follow the natural lines so as to be least noticeable. Restrictions on length of stay may be necessary in use-sensitive areas, but allowance should be made for the extension of time for camping when inclement weather prohibits safe climbing. Recreational users have an obligation to leave public lands as they found them for enjoyment of future users. Users should obliterate any signs of their stay and carry out all waste. We recognize that certain areas of unique natural value should be designated as wilder-ness, research or natural areas where human visits should be rare. Wherever these coincide with principal climbing areas, all effort should be made to delineate boundaries and develop management practices to allow these areas to coexist. No public official has a right to impose overly elaborate permit procedures that in effect abridge the right of access to public lands to non-motorized, noncommercial use, or to any part of the public domain no matter what is thought to be the personal risk to the user.
The right of recreational access to the public domain is recognized to carry with it a concomitant personal risk to the user. While it is desirable that all recreational users, and in particular, hikers and climbers entering wilderness areas, attempting difficult ascents or undertaking winter mountaineering, have a reasonable level of competence and preparedness; we recognize that such is impractical to control by regulation. A public agency should do no more than warn users of potential risks. Where regulations governing access and use are deemed necessary these regulations should be written and widely disseminated. There should be regular official procedures for review of such regulations by representatives of principal users groups.
The American Alpine Club does not view mountain search or rescue as public obligation. Should rescue operations be deemed necessary at any time, they should be the voluntary act of those participating, unless the involved party or their kind have specifically requested rescue efforts at their own expense. Although we commend the development of programs for responding to emergency situations, we do not believe it is a necessary obligation to the public to retrieve those whose own acts, poor judgment or bad fortune have placed their lives in jeopardy.