Photo by Jeremiah Watt.
Advocacy
Advocacy for climbing access, public lands, conservation and recreation policies, and protecting our climbing experience is a critical part of the AAC’s mission. Our advocacy team is constantly hard at work activating and educating climbers on advocacy issues affecting climbing, as well as working with legislators, land managers, and other decision-makers to help inform decisions with climbers in mind.
2024 Advocacy Impact
14
Public comments and testimonials submitted.
320
Volunteer hours supporting our advoacy initiatives.
9,280
Listens to our podcast episodes about policy issues in Yosemite.
72
Meetings with legislators and agencies.
23
Collaborations with state and Offices of Outdoor Recreation.
AAC x Yosemite National Park
On August 2, 2023, the American Alpine Club entered into a General Agreement with the Yosemite National Park Service with the goal of supporting and promoting climbing in Yosemite Valley. This new formalized partnership is built upon a strong foundation of working together for decades—including on projects like the Yosemite Big Wall Permitting Program, Climber Coffee, sponsoring Yosemite Facelift, and the United in Yosemite festival. This opportunity will allow the AAC to assist the climbing management program at YNPS with public outreach, offer subject matter expertise on climbing stewardship matters, and identify other projects and services which could benefit the Park and climbing community—building on the long established and well-loved climbing initiatives that will continue to exist in the Park.
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The AAC has been involved in discussions with Yosemite National Park Service (YNPS) about their recent proposed Visitor Access Management Plan. In response to increased visitation, aging infrastructure, as well as other issues, YNPS has sought out input on how to best serve all visitors, including climbers.
Read the AAC’s official comment here.
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In collaboration with a diverse group of Yosemite climbers and with input from the Yosemite Climbing Rangers, the Yosemite Climbing Association (YCA) has developed the following community values, based on a renewed vision of the Clean Climbing Manifesto advocated by Yvon Chouinard and his colleagues in 1972, where climbers share a responsibility to show restraint in the Wilderness, to respect Indigenous rights, to protect wildlife, and to be a voice against threats to the places we climb.
The intention of the Climber’s Credo is to provide the Yosemite climbing community and land managers with a powerful tool to promote Yosemite’s minimum impact climbing ethics and inspire the following critical values to protect the Park’s Wilderness and climbing culture.
Yosemite Climber’s Credo
Show Respect
Respect the mountains and cliffs, the cultural heritage past and present, other climbers, climbing history, and the legacy of traditional and clean climbing started here in Yosemite, seeking wisdom from the walls and peaks.Act with Humility
Honor the sacredness of this place by recognizing that we are transitory beings. As we seek to experience adventure, we understand the importance of leaving minimal signs of our presence on the cliffs and boulders of Yosemite.
In climbing with humility, we strive to follow the model of stewardship of the land, recognizing that Wilderness provides an opportunity to experience the Earth on its own terms. Learn from being fully present and aware while in the mountains and on the walls of Yosemite—about ourselves and the Wilderness around us.Seek Knowledge
Come to Yosemite with an open mind, humbly seeking opportunities to learn.
Read, understand, and observe Yosemite National Park’s climbing regulations, put in place to protect Yosemite’s climbing areas. Gain a deeper understanding of this place by exploring Yosemite’s natural and cultural history—from the geological origins of Yosemite Valley to the present-day practices of Indigenous people.
Talk to the community—elders and peers alike—to understand the connection between climbers and their effect on the land and each other. Visit the Yosemite Climbing Museum in Mariposa and the Yosemite Exploration Center climbing exhibit to learn how “Golden Age” climbers developed clean climbing techniques—embracing minimum impact ethics and the ground-up style of alpine climbing.Revel in the Experience
Embrace the expansive process of moving on rock, in contrast to the confines of the gym. Climb to connect with the Yosemite landscape, flora, fauna, and rock formations, rather than climbing for commercial gain or bragging rights. Develop a relationship of reciprocity, seeking opportunities to give back as much as you receive.Prepare to be Safe
Yosemite climbing is an adventure sport that comes with unavoidable risks. Approach it with due diligence: practice reading the terrain, consult written and oral resources, pay attention to weather, climbing techniques, and basic self-rescue for the climbing you intend to do. “Check yourself (and your partners) before you wreck yourself!” can be a matter of life and death.Exercise Restraint
It is a privilege to be allowed to place, use, and maintain fixed anchors (e.g., bolts, pins, slings, etc.) in Wilderness. Sometimes bolts or other fixed gear might be needed as a last resort. When establishing routes, climbers should use natural protection whenever it is available. Once a bolt is placed, the nature of the experience is changed, and other climbers may no longer have the opportunity to attempt the route without it. Let’s take care to keep these walls and domes as close to their natural condition as possible so that future generations can experience the essence of Wilderness climbing.Preserve Wilderness Character
Local ethics include accepting established routes as they are, not adding new bolts, and avoiding nailing whenever possible. Yosemite has always been a traditional climbing area with few sport climbs, which are established mostly in non-Wilderness areas close to roads and development. Let’s continue to respect that tradition. Keep it Wild by not creating new bolt ladders or convenience anchors, using motorized drills, or leaving fixed lines for prolonged periods. Respect the rock by not chipping or gluing holds—understanding the importance of preserving Yosemite’s vertical Wilderness.Seek Adventures with Minimal Effect on Others
Strive to keep a low profile, allowing others to enjoy solitude, challenging ourselves to climb and descend routes without stashing gear, dumping gear, or leaving fixed ropes to assist our ascents. If there is a need to fix ropes, do so minimally, without impacting other climber's experiences by leaving them for prolonged periods or fixing on popular routes. Be mindful that often we aren’t alone on the mountain.Be a Steward
Respect natural processes of change as they are—undomesticated and untamed. Embrace inconvenience over human domination by not cutting limbs, only cleaning the holds we need on routes or boulders, refraining from systematically removing vegetation, or otherwise disturbing natural flora and fauna. We are visitors to their home, and it’s our responsibility to care for them! Pack it in, pack it out. Keep it Wild!Ask for Consent and Offer Civility
Understand: “yes” means yes and “no” means no—at the crag, on walls, when you want to pass another party, in camp, and during quiet hours. Engage in respectful dialogue when it feels safe and disengage when it doesn’t. Take it further, and extend this to the mountains, the plants, the critters, the water, and the wind by genuinely asking for permission.Embrace Community and Inclusivity
Everyone is welcome in this place, this sport, and this community. We celebrate the diversity of the opinions, backgrounds, abilities, and experiences we each bring to it. In Yosemite, beginners are often side by side with professional climbers and first ascensionists. Recognize that everyone has an equal right to enjoy minimal impact climbing. Commit to being friendly, helpful, and courteous to all people—honoring their stories and perspectives, even when different from our own.Honor the Heritage and Legacy of Yosemite
Every climber becomes a part of Yosemite climbing’s legacy. As we continue to have conversations around the campfire, at the boulders, in El Cap Meadow, at the Tuolumne Store, and in all our favorite climbing hangs about what it means to be a Yosemite climber, we can ask ourselves: What elements of our culture do we want to grow away from, and what elements do we want to embrace? How do we want to be remembered? How can we fulfill our intentions to be better stewards, to learn from the community, and to help preserve Yosemite’s vertical Wilderness?Take the Lead
Commit to being a leader in the ethics we want to promote—mentor others to climb smarter, safer and cleaner; support other climbers and help them achieve their goals. Look for the chance to give back to Yosemite by volunteering in a meaningful way.
Follow Yosemite Climbing Ranger Eric Lynch and Volunteer Climbing Steward Jane Jackson as they conduct a seven-day Wilderness patrol of El Capitan while also trying to free climb Golden Gate (5.13b VI). Vertical Wild, highlights the importance of Wilderness climbing experiences and sheds a little light on the history of Wilderness designations in Yosemite Valley.
UIAA Member Federation
The American Alpine Club has been a Member Federation to the UIAA (International Climbing and Mountaineering Federation) since 1932.
The AAC, and it's members, benefit from membership in the following ways:
Eligibility for subsidized access to the UIAA Mountain Qualification Labels for leaders and instructors in climbing, mountaineering, ski-mountaineering and hill-walking.
Option of sending athletes to compete in the UIAA Ice Climbing World Tour and the UIAA World Youth Ice Climbing Championships.
Participation in the development of international standards, as part of the UIAA Safety Label, setting the highest standards for climbing and mountaineering equipment.
Members can send participants to subsidized UIAA Global Youth Summit climbing and mountaineering events around the world.
Sit on UIAA Commissions that work year-round on Access, Anti-Doping, Ice Climbing, Medical, Mountain Protection, Safety and Youth.
Outdoor Alliance Member Group
Outdoor Alliance (OA) is the only organization in the U.S. that unites the voices of outdoor enthusiasts to conserve public lands and waters. OA advocates and amplifies the voices of recreationists to help ensure those lands are managed in a way that embraces the human-powered experience. The American Alpine Club is a member organization of OA, alongside our coalition partners: Access Fund, American Canoe Association, American Whitewater, International Mountain Bicycling Association, Winter Wildlands Alliance, The Mountaineers, Mazamas, Colorado Mountain Club, and Surfrider Foundation. The AAC often works side-by-side with these member organizations to advocate for local and national policy that matter to climbers.