Fixed Anchor Policy Changes on National Parks & Forest Service - Take Action!

Take Action Now!

If you rock climb or alpine climb on National Park and National Forest Lands, this affects YOU! Proposed change of the fixed anchor policies in National Parks and on Forest Service Lands will make it hard to maintain safe anchors and will have a direct effect on your favorite climbing areas, including:

North Cascades National Park
Tahoe National Forest
Yosemite National Park
Red Rock Canyon

The American Mountain Guides Association is taking a stand and trying to protect access to safe anchors on our national public lands.

Please review the statement below from AMGA Executive Director Matt Wade, take action and comment!

Hi everyone,

As you may have heard, the NPS and USFS recently issued draft guidance for the management of climbing fixed anchors, particularly in wilderness areas. The proposals would fundamentally change the agencies' approach to fixed anchor management from the current "allowed unless prohibited on specific basis" to "prohibited unless allowed on a specific basis." Essentially, the proposals will prohibit the placement and maintenance of fixed anchors unless the placement or maintenance is pre-approved through a very laborious and time-consuming process called a "minimum requirements analysis" or MRA. It is important to note, the terms "fixed anchors" and "fixed equipment" include slings around a tree or boulder.

The prohibition on the maintenance of fixed anchors is especially concerning. Guides need to be able to maintain fixed anchors in the moment to ensure the safety of themselves and their clients (for example, replacing damaged slings). It is not practical to require a guide to gain pre-approval to maintain a fixed anchor, especially when the condition of a fixed anchor is often unknown until a guide inspects it in the field.

Also of note, the proposals would require all existing fixed anchors to be assessed for compatibility with wilderness character, as funding and resources allow. If anchors are found to be incompatible with wilderness character, they would be removed.

The AMGA will be submitting comments to the agencies to encourage them to:

(1) allow the continued use of existing fixed anchors without further review, unless there are site-specific resource concerns,

(2) allow for the maintenance of existing fixed anchors without prior approval, unless there are site-specific resource concerns, and

(3) authorize the placement of new fixed anchors in wilderness with a simple and efficient permitting process that does not require an MRA (as is current practice under NPS Director’s Order 41).

Please consider submitting your own comments. Even a few quick sentences would be helpful. It is important for the agencies to hear that these proposals need to be modified.

Here is an example comment:

As a frequent recreational user of National public lands for rock climbing and alpine climbing, I would like to encourage this committee to consider the following in order to continued safe climbing on public lands:

(1) allow the continued use of existing fixed anchors without further review, unless there are site-specific resource concerns,

(2) allow for the maintenance of existing fixed anchors without prior approval, unless there are site-specific resource concerns, and

(3) authorize the placement of new fixed anchors in wilderness with a simple and efficient permitting process that does not require an MRA (as is current practice under NPS Director’s Order 41).

These allowances would save lives through allowing maintenance of safe anchors on public lands. Climbing is inherently dangerous, but we do not need to increase that danger by limiting access to safe anchors. Please consider the lives saved by implementing the recommendations above as you make your decision on this critical policy.

Thank you,

Your Name Here

Links to the agency comment portals are also below.

Access Fund webinar: https://www.accessfund.org/events-calendar/stop-the-bolt-prohibition-webinar

Briefing paper: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1pAIhY0ytG0iv60UlnH6V5pIhcj_n8DMLhnsdCtshEYk/edit?usp=sharing