The Case Against Secret Crags

Yesterday we looked at the case FOR secret crags, today we look at the argument AGAINST them.

Ok, so you’ve got your secret little cliff out in the woods. It’s a fine spot, the land managers are clueless to it’s existence, and you generally have the place to yourself. But what happens when one day it does show up on the radar, and yes indeed, there just happen to be some special needs birds on the cliff, or perhaps a double secret land designation problem. Well, first up it’s time to get the Access Fund involved. But second, maybe it wasn’t such a good idea to keep it secret after all.

When access issues arise, proving a history of use can be hugely important to maintaining access to a cliff. Land managers are more likely to work with climbers on an area that has a proven history of significant use, versus a little cliff out in the woods that hardly anyone goes to. If it comes down to it, you may need to garner strong support in the community to prove to local officials its value as a resource, and this will be tough if only a handful of folks knew about it in the first place.  Ultimately, bringing the rest of the community in on your find might actually be the best way to preserve it’s use into the future. Sure, you’ll no longer have the place to yourselves, but it’s probably best to think long term on this one.

The other benefit I would point out is that it’s public land, and as such it’s a resource for the entire climbing community to enjoy. The more people who can enjoy it, the more the community can help maintain it. The routes will probably stay cleaner, and you’ll likely have ample support for things like trail projects and bolt replacement.

I see a place for both kinds of cliffs in the current world. On the one hand, I just want to be left in peace to pursue my passion, one that allows me to connect with people and places. On the other hand, I really don’t want to lose access to the places I think are special, and that usually means opening a dialogue with the relevant land managers.

We live in interesting times as climbers. We like to think we are becoming more legit as a user group, and have some pull with the major land use agencies, but then you look at a situation like the one in Red Rocks where the BLM has dragged their feet for years in developing a climbing management plan for one of the most famous areas in the country! The bottom line is we are still small potatoes in the scheme of things, but our actions will continue to come under increasing scrutiny, and the best bet for preserving access in the future is presenting ourselves as a unified community with a common love of climbing.