UPDATE: PRACTICAL BETA ON CLIMBING IN THE COVID ERA

Throughout the pandemic, climbers have cleared the crags and demonstrated responsible decision-making out of concern for their community. Thank you.

Across the country, restrictions on access to public lands are beginning to change, and, with heightened vigilance, climbers have started to head back to the crags. As we re-engage the activity that we love, our decisions should prioritize the well-being of all individuals and communities that we may impact.

To help foster responsible decision-making and protect vulnerable communities, we offer the following Guiding Principles as we enter the next phase of the pandemic.

GUIDING PRINCIPLES:

• Don't become a vector for transmission; your behavior matters.

• Default to always wearing a mask when there is a potential of being near others.

• Know and follow federal, state, county, and local health guidelines and recommendations. 

• Follow guidance from local land managers and climbing organizations.

• Be respectful of rural gateway communities, and use heightened vigilance if you choose to travel to these areas.

• Keep your objectives conservative. Climbing accidents are avoidable and expose first responders, search and rescue teams, and hospital staff to increased stress and disease risk.

• Be kind, respectful, and patient with one another during this time. We all want to spend time outside safely; let's work together to create an environment that allows this.

SHOULD I GO CLIMBING?

If you feel confident that you can climb while keeping others and yourself safe, ask the following questions before heading to the crag:

Do I Feel Sick Or Have Reason To Believe I've Recently Been Exposed To COVID-19?

• Do not go climbing if you feel sick!

  • Learn more about COVID-19 symptoms from these CDC Guidelines. 

• You may be a carrier of COVID-19 without experiencing symptoms. Be sure to make conservative decisions if you believe you may have recently been exposed to COVID-19.

Who Should I Climb With?

• As with any social activity, minimize the number of different partners you climb with during this time.

• Climbing in large groups increases the impact on the land, each other’s experience, and the likelihood of spreading the virus. If you’re in a large group, consider breaking into smaller sub-groups to climb.

Where Should I Climb?

• States and counties have adopted different standards—check federal, state, and local regulations before deciding where to climb.

• Respect and follow local climbing organization and land management guidelines.

• Be hypervigilant if you do decide to travel to vulnerable rural gateway communities.

What Should I Do If I Choose A Crag, And When I Arrive, It's Packed With People?

• Have a plan B, or even plan C. If you get to the crag, and it's too crowded to maintain social distancing guidelines, head to another spot.

• If you are at the crag, and it gets crowded, leave for another area.

What Can I Do to Protect Myself, My Partner, And Others?

• Default to always wearing a mask when there is a potential of being near others.

• Keep your outdoor objectives conservative.

• Practice frequent hand sanitation before, during, and after a session.

• Treat the rock and gear as you would surfaces in town. 

How Else Can I Help?

• Rapid COVID-19 tests are becoming widely available. If you choose to travel, consider a COVID-19 test before and after your trip.  

• Continue to practice Leave No Trace principles.

• Financially support your local climbing organization.

Thank you for continuing to represent the climbing community through responsible decision-making.

THE NEXT PITCH: PRACTICAL BETA ON CLIMBING IN THE COVID ERA

Climbers across the country have set personal needs aside, cleared the crag out of concern for their community, and taken precautions to help "flatten the curve."

Thank you.

With the easing of shelter-in-place policies across the country, restrictions on access to crags are beginning to change. Deciding whether it’s appropriate to head back out to your local crag will be an important and localized decision. To help, we want to offer the following Guiding Principles on when and how to re-rack for the next pitch.

Guiding Principles:

• Be respectful of rural gateway communities, and avoid traveling to these areas.

• Follow federal, state, county, and city health emergency guidelines and recommendations.

• Recreate close to home, don't travel to climb.

• Take cues from your local land managers and climbing organizations.

• Keep your outdoor objectives conservative. Climbing accidents will place further stress on first responders, search and rescue teams, and hospital staff.

• Be kind, respectful, and patient with one another during this time. We all want to feel safe spending time outside; let's work together to create an environment that allows this.

Should I go climbing?

If you feel confident that you can safely climb in your area, keep the following questions in mind before heading to the crag.

Do I feel sick or have reason to believe I've recently been exposed to COVID-19?

• Do not go climbing if you are feeling sick!

• You may be a carrier of COVID-19 without experiencing symptoms—be sure to make decisions based on the most vulnerable members of our community.

Who should I climb with?

• Climb with people from your own home. If you can't do this, consider climbing with just one partner.

Where should I climb?

• Individual counties may adopt more protective standards than others—check local regulations before deciding where to travel.

• Comply with all local climbing organization and land management guidelines.

• Restrict your travel and climb close to home. Avoid going to vulnerable rural or gateway communities.

What should I do if I choose a crag close to home, and when I arrive, it's packed with people?

• Have a plan B, or even plan C. If you get to the crag, and it's too crowded to maintain social distancing guidelines, head to another spot.

• Consider the conditions of your approach—is it vulnerable to erosion or damage if you have to leave the trail to maintain six feet of distance?

What can I do when I get to the crag to protect myself, my partner, and others?

• Keep your outdoor objectives conservative.

• Practice frequent hand sanitation before, during, and after a session.

• Treat the rock and gear as you would surfaces in town. 

• Wear a mask when near others.

• Avoid putting climbing gear in your mouth—your rope as you pull slack to clip, for example.

How else can I help?

• Not everyone will be able to return to climbing at the same time. If you are lucky enough to have the opportunity to safely climb in your area, be considerate of those who can't.

• Continue to practice Leave No Trace principles.

• If you’re financially able to, support your local climbing organization.

Thank you for continuing to lead with responsible decision-making in your local climbing community.

POLICY UPDATES IN THE ERA OF COVID

COVID19 is inundating the national news cycle—and it should be. During this global pandemic, people want the latest information about the virus and how to best protect themselves and those around them. It can be hard to consider attacks on the environment when many are working at the front lines of the epidemic, have lost jobs or income, or are experiencing the sudden responsibility of caring for family members.

While we adapt to this new “normal”, the government is still chugging along making decisions that affect our public lands and waters. 

Recently, we’ve witnessed some issues that gave us pause for concern. During a time of media overload, government officials are working without the same level of public scrutiny, and some appear to be exploiting this opportunity.

In a time of national crisis, the government should press pause on all non-essential activities, just like the rest of us. But over the past few weeks we’ve observed government officials loosening regulations on polluters, pushing anti-environmental rule makings without sufficient public engagement, making final decisions on land use plans, and even hosting lease sales of oil, gas, and coal on public lands.

Read the full article to find out about the issues to have on your radar.

Policy updates in the era of COVID

COVID19 is inundating the national news cycle—and it should be. During this global pandemic, people want the latest information about the virus and how to best protect themselves and those around them. It can be hard to consider attacks on the environment when many are working at the front lines of the epidemic, have lost jobs or income, or are experiencing the sudden responsibility of caring for family members.

While we adapt to this new “normal”, the government is still chugging along making decisions that affect our public lands and waters. 

Recently, we’ve witnessed some issues that gave us pause for concern. During a time of media overload, government officials are working without the same level of public scrutiny, and some appear to be exploiting this opportunity.

In a time of national crisis, the government should press pause on all non-essential activities, just like the rest of us. But over the past few weeks we’ve observed government officials loosening regulations on polluters, pushing anti-environmental rule makings without sufficient public engagement, making final decisions on land use plans, and even hosting lease sales of oil, gas, and coal on public lands.

All government efforts should be focused on the current crisis and ensuring that every American is supported throughout. 

While many members of Congress have called for a halt to actions such as the proposed changes to the regulations implementing the National Environmental Policy Act, the administration seems to be pushing their “energy dominance” agenda forward. This may have to do with fast approaching deadlines imposed by the Congressional Review Act, a law that could allow the next administration to erase any rule or regulation implemented later this year. 

The American Alpine Club has put our outdoor endeavors on hold temporarily, but we’re still keeping an eye on what’s happening behind the scenes. We want to distill some of what we’ve seen to catch you up to speed.

ISSUES TO HAVE ON YOUR RADAR

Suspect candidates continue being placed in high-ranking land management positions

Department of the Interior Secretary David Bernhardt—a former lobbyist for oil, gas, and agricultural industries–is in charge of managing 700 million acres of American public lands. Among his many responsibilities are to oversee public land managers at agencies like the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) where in January, he extended the tenure of Director to a person who expressed anti-public lands ideology in the past and was not formally confirmed by the typical process in the Senate. Most recently, Bernhardt appointed Edward Keable, a longtime associate of Bernhardt’s, to oversee Grand Canyon National Park (GCNP) as Superintendent. Keable’s lack of formal experience within the National Park Service (NPS) is concerning at a time when the GCNP faces continued threats of uranium mining and a controversial development project on the Park’s iconic South Rim—a project that Bernhardt’s old lobbying firm strongly supports. Not only does this appointment take the opportunity away from qualified NPS career employees, but it yet again demonstrates the current administration's lack of commitment to protecting public lands by undermining leadership positions at land management agencies.

National Park Fees were waived before more than half of Parks close their gates

While many National Parks and other public lands have since decided to shut their gates in order to maintain social distancing orders, protect their staff, and reduce crowding—a responsible move that should be commended—Secretary Bernhardt’s initial response to the COVID pandemic was to waive all national parks fees and leave the parks open. Similar to the government shutdown of 2019, National Parks were inundated with visitors ready to explore the nation’s public lands. Typically, these visitation numbers and new visitor groups would be celebrated. However, risk of exposure to the novel coronavirus amongst park employees and gateway communities led many towns and counties to request the closure of their nearby public lands. At this point more than half of the 62 National Parks have closed their gates to the public.

The EPA is loosening its hold on critical environmental standards

The EPA decided to suspend enforcement on various environmental laws allowing companies to not satisfy important health and environmental standards during the COVID-19 pandemic. While the policy change is temporary, and the “EPA will assess the continued need for and scope of this temporary policy on a regular basis”, there is no end date in sight as the pandemic presses on. Vague language encouraging entities to “make every effort to comply with environmental compliance obligations” amounts essentially to a massive hall pass for dirty corporations who are no longer required by the EPA to monitor their pollution. Without clear understanding on when the COVID pandemic will end, it is highly irresponsible for the EPA to allow industry to utilize the pandemic as a free pass.

Agency rulemaking charges forward amidst calls from Congress to stop

New research from the Center for Western Priorities found that the Interior Department executed 57 separate policy actions unrelated to COVID-19, occurring after President Trump signed the first emergency Coronavirus bill on March 6th. Many of these decisions resulted in the expansion of oil and gas leases, removal of protections for wildlife, or increased mining operations across the country. Despite numerous requests from members of Congress and State officials for Secretary Bernhardt to suspend rulemakings during the pandemic, it appears the Interior has opted to push through policy with limited public input. Americans should not be required to find and comment on rulemakings when they are experiencing such upheaval in their daily lives. 

CEQ and USFS continue to chip away at NEPA

The National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), widely regarded as the “Magna Carta” of environmental law, has been under relentless attack over the past year. You may recall this past summer the U.S. Forest Service (USFS) was considering sweeping changes to how it implements NEPA that would drastically limit engagement on up to 93% of USFS projects. More recently, the Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) is attempting to rewrite the rules that implement NEPA. The proposed rule would drastically restrict public engagement in future environmental analysis, limit the scope of environmental reviews, and cut out important tools for combating climate change. Both the USFS and CEQ are working through their revisions now, and the AAC and our partners are keeping a close eye on their progress. It’s important to stay vigilant at times when the Federal government seems to be limiting important checks and balances.

SOME GOOD NEWS

Okay, that was heavy and we get there’s no absence of stress inducing news right now. So, to leave things on a high-note, here are a couple golden nuggets to celebrate.

The Great American Outdoors Act gets a look

You may recall back in early March (what feels like a lifetime ago) when the President called on Congress to fund public lands, kicking off a bi-partisan package called The Great American Outdoors Act (GAOA). The bill includes all sorts of good things that we, and out partners at the Outdoor Alliance, have been advocating for. Things like permanent funding for the LWCF and addressing maintenance backlogs on public lands through the Restore our Parks Act. Congress is rightly focused on addressing the coronavirus response but at some point in the future, they’ll turn their attention to infrastructure bills like GAOA to help the country rebuild. In the meantime, you can learn more about GAOA and write your lawmakers in support of the package. Expect to hear more from us on this package soon.

The 50th Anniversary of Earth Day is around the corner

While the typical celebrations and rallies for Earth Day won't be happening in person this year, many organizations are bringing their efforts online. Check out the Digital Earth Day events happening all over the globe! The first earth day in 1970 was propagated due to poor air and water quality across the country (not to mention that some rivers were literally on fire!). Due to the incredible advocacy of people at all levels of government, our nation has made incredible strides in environmental conservation. Take a moment to celebrate our progress as environmental advocates on April 22.

Photo Credit: Amelia Howe

Give a Belay, Get a Belay

What can 25,000 members do to support each other? How many many fellow members can we support in this time of crisis?

We’ve created a network for AAC members who are part of the at-risk population, or are currently quarantined at home due to COVID-19 illness, to get a belay (a grocery run, a pharmacy stop, etc.) from fellow members in the area with the capacity to help.

GIVE A BELAY

If you’re an AAC member who has the capacity to help, fill out this form. Spread the word—if you know someone that could use this assistance, please share the form, email address or phone number with them.

GET A BELAY

Are you an AAC member who is currently quarantined at home due to COVID-19 illness, or part of the at-risk population? Do you need help with a grocery or pharmacy run? Fill out this form, email us at [email protected], or call us at 303-384-0110 to get a belay from a fellow member.

Spread the word—if you know someone that could use this assistance, please share the form, email address or phone number with them.

CLIMBERS: TAKE ACTION AGAINST CORONAVIRUS

Climbers across the country have set personal needs aside, cleared the crag out of concern for their community, and taken precautions to help "flatten the curve."

Thank you.

With the easing of shelter-in-place policies across the country, restrictions on access to crags are beginning to change. Deciding whether it’s appropriate to head back out to your local crag will be an important and localized decision. To help, we want to offer a set of guiding principles on when and how to re-rack for the next pitch.

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Dear Friends, 

The COVID-19 pandemic is unprecedented and impacts us all. Our community must act thoughtfully to “flatten the curve” to reduce transmissions of the virus over time.

We are concerned about transmission of COVID-19 to rural or gateway communities. These remote towns often have limited access to medical facilities and their closely-knit, interconnected social structures are more prone to the spread of infection. 

Please keep places like Bishop, Fayetteville, Moab, Springdale, and Slade as safe as possible by limiting recreation-based travel at this time. If you have a trip planned, please reschedule until we are through this health emergency. This is not the time to head to the desert or rally to your favorite national park for “social distancing.” While outdoor time is necessary for each of us during this turbulent period, we need to stay local and limit our interaction with vulnerable communities.

 Consider also keeping outdoor objectives conservative to reduce the load on the medical system. Backcountry emergencies contribute to overloading hospitals and potential shortages of ventilators in intensive care units. As always, be safe out there and mindful of unnecessary risks.

Finally, we all should follow the directions outlined in the CDC’s guide on how to keep yourself and others safe from the virus. It’s necessary that we as a climbing community make decisions from the perspective of the most vulnerable people in our community.

The AAC is certain that the climbing community can be a part of the solution to COVID-19 by taking collective action now.

Respectfully, 

Your Club

PS—Learn about updates to our lodging facilities in light of COVID-19.

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LODGING CORONAVIRUS UPDATE

Karuna Mira Sah photo.

We understand that our shared outdoor places are more important than ever. In an effort to protect local communities and follow state and national recommendations, as of March 17, all AAC facilities will remain closed to the public and to members. Additionally, we will be closing primitive camping at all facilities. Reservations are open for dates after May 8 (June 6 for GTCR). Refunds and modifications will be made without penalty for dates prior to April 30. As the situation relaxes or progresses, dates are subject to change. We appreciate your support, adaptability, and understanding during this time.

We encourage you to find local trails, hikes, and rides, or whatever you may have access to—a walk in the park, a run with your dog. Maintain appropriate distances from others you may encounter (at least six feet), wash your hands frequently, continue to leave no trace, breathe fresh air, and be grateful for the wild places we have.  

During this pandemic we encourage folks to stay local. Traveling puts everyone around us at risk. Many of the communities we travel to for our outdoor pursuits are small, isolated, and unexposed. Many of them may not have the medical or financial resources to mitigate COVID-19. So, please stay home. Play in the yard. Find ways to be a good steward to your local community, not just your climbing community. If you’re able, purchase gift cards online from local businesses and donate to mutual aid programs to help those out of work. If you’re extra able, please donate to us! We are keeping up the good fight—educating climbers and focusing on policy to keep our wild places wild. 

Soon, we will all be outside together again!

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