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darkside
Dec 3, 2003, 11:07 AM
Post #1 of 5
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Registered: Sep 15, 2001
Posts: 1687
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Many people know me and know of the work I do regarding access here in Ontario. I'm sure some have got sick of hearing me on my rants at times and for subjecting you to them I apologise.... oops is this another? :? Hopefully not but in any case I do not apologise for my beliefs or passion, only my occasional rant.
It may get worse though so be warned.
I recently stepped into the position of Access Committee Chair and I intend to do whatever I can to safeguard access here in southern Ontario and balance that with protecting the environment we climb in. There are many challenges we face with access and the reality is that it is not getting easier. Those challenges range from concerns over liability, to minimizing environmental impact, to enhancing that same environment through trailwork etc, and even extend to what will become an increasing problem of fixed anchor safety as Ontario's bolts age and corrode. To address these issues I have been setting up a couple of things to help. You may well see notices start to appear in climbing gyms or retailers over the next few months as better lines of communication with climbers are established. We have someone from the Access Committee working on the access web page and he is working on bringing some of the info up to date. A new ice climbing section has just been added with some existing info but please remember not all the info is fully up to date.
Much of our efforts remain unseen as we repeatedly hold meetings, make presentations, and exchange countless e-mails between ourselves and landowners or municipalities. Negotiations take time and are often frustratingly drawn out for those involved, as we deal with many government bodies. There are very few people taking a pro-active involvement in access and with more help we could achieve more but this is starting to turn into a rant isn't it :shock:
To give the Access Committee greater support I have started a list of climbers willing to add their name to safeguarding access that involves very little time but will give us all a boost by you becoming a partner with us on access matters. Please take the time to read the next post which you may well see in your e-mail soon. Sign up as an Access Partner and remember to ADD YOUR NAME TO THE DATABASE LIST.
Thank you.
Grant Parkin
Access Committee Chair
Southern Ontario
http://www.climbers.org/access/index.html
Become an Access Partner.
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/accesspartners/
Remember to enter your name in the database list.
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darkside
Dec 3, 2003, 11:09 AM
Post #2 of 5
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Registered: Sep 15, 2001
Posts: 1687
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Hello
First of all, thank you for taking the time to read this. I will be
asking for a little more of your time but I'm sure you'll agree it is
for a good cause as I explain further. Pretty much every climber has
heard of access problems these days, it is a fact of modern climbing.
I have been involved in access for some time now and was recently
asked to head the Access Committee here in southern Ontario. There
are many challenges ahead but I firmly believe that by working
together, we can make a difference.
The Access Committee is a national organization with local sections
much like the US has the Access Fund and local groups such as the Red
River Gorge Climbers Coalition or the Rumney Climbers Association.
Now imagine if with all our problems here in southern Ontario we had
a way for climbers to work together in a way that was easy for people
to do. Let's face it though, climbers want to climb and not spend
countless hours solving problems. Climbers are something of a paradox
too, preferring to seek free camping yet willing to spend $50 on
shiny widgets instead of $5 to enter a climbing area. I was wondering
how climbers could help with access issues without actually having to
do an awful lot, commitment wise. One of the things I noticed in
similar organizations in the US was how people were willing to join
and lend their names to access efforts. The results may not always be
quite as happy as we may like but one thing is quite obvious, where
local climbers band together, issues are more likely to have a
favourable resolution than where climbers do their own thing and fail
to get involved. The RRGCC has numerous successes despite major
problems while the once famous mecca of Hueco Tanks stands as an
example of how sweeping closures can result from having a lack of
local climber input.
I have a number of ideas that may help but what I have for you here
is a list of supporters. Has anyone noticed how snowmobilers achieve
goals through forming associations. While climbers may not have the
numbers or corporate support, if we were all to put our names
together it would give the Access Committee a lot more clout when
making a presentation to a municipal council or negotiating with land
managers. The tool I have chosen for starting this is a Yahoo group
which I have titled Access Partners.
So what will this involve you doing? Simply join the group using the
button on the group home page, then using the navigation bar on the
left, go to the database page where you will see an access partners
database. Please add your name to the list along with additional
information as you wish.
What e-mails can you expect as a result? It is currently set so only
a moderator can send messages so the only e-mails you would receive
would be from the Access Committee. There may be a couple of updates
per year plus notice of any events such as trailwork, clean ups, or
BBQ's. In addition there may be special urgent messages where access
issues develop, though I hope to avoid these.
What does the Access Committee get out of this? We get to represent
you in our attempts to resolve issues. We have a resource to approach
when we need help to deal with a problem. We have a better chance to
make a difference.
What do you get out of this? A better chance of maintaining access to
climbing areas. A chance to make a difference with very little
effort. A way to learn more about access and the environment we enjoy
so much.
So was this worth your time? Will you make that extra effort to join
the Access Partners and add your name to the database? I have another
favour to ask and an apology to make. In order to promote this
initiative, as much as I hate spam and chain letters, I need to use e-
mail to spread the news. Would you be so kind as to cut and paste
this message into a new e-mail and send to others in your address
book. Accordingly if you receive this more than once in your inbox,
please forgive me but it is for a good cause.
Any access questions on this can be directed to verticalg@yahoo.ca
Thank you for your time, and I look forward to having YOU as
an "Access Partner".
Access Partners home page
http://groups.yahoo.com/groups/accesspartners/
Grant Parkin
Access Committee Chair
Southern Ontario
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downshift
Dec 10, 2003, 7:01 PM
Post #3 of 5
(1965 views)
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Registered: Aug 1, 2001
Posts: 589
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This is a great initative. I encourage all Ontario Climbers to join.
Great work Grant!
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missedyno
Mar 11, 2004, 2:09 PM
Post #4 of 5
(1965 views)
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Registered: Nov 21, 2001
Posts: 4465
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bump! yes, Ontario climbers, please join so you are aware of the access issues and the work being done to resolve them.
encourage your friends who are not on this website to join as well.
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andypro
Mar 12, 2004, 3:41 AM
Post #5 of 5
(1965 views)
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Registered: Aug 23, 2003
Posts: 1077
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I was jsut thinking...with spring comming, perhaps a few reminders for ontario climbers (both old and new) should be in order. Then I came across this, and I'm gonna bump it, and also repost something that I posted a while ago that I feel is really important. If it's been covered (as I'm sure it has) I'm sorry, but jsut in case (I searched but dind't find anyhitng recent)...
A) I dont know if things have changed any since I last read about it, but access was getting touchier and touchier on the escarpment. As this is my primary place of climbing enjoyment, I'd absolutely hate to lose it (as I'm sure the rest of the So. Ontario/Western NY climbers would). Please please please pay attention to the rules! Dotn climb where your not supposed to, and be careful where you do. Which elads to B...
B) a reminder of the TR ban on Nemo. This was, as I udnerstand it, based on the abuse of trees as anchors along the rim. This is something I posted a while back and just wanna stick it up again. I origionally posted it in relation to fraggle, but it applies to alot of other areas as well. Again, I appologize if it's been covered, but it's really soemthing that needs to be beaten to death:
In reply to: Fraggle is a 100% natural area. All trad. There are no bolts. There are a FEW places where some yutz fresh out of the gym would want to put bolts, but they're not needed. If you feel like you dont want to run it out on the few faces there are, throw up a toprope. NOT ON THE TREES THOUGH!!!!! This cannot be stressed enough. There are rules set forth by the HRCA on slinging trees (proper methods of padding with rug or whatnot) but NEVER EVER ON A CEDAR! If you do and get caught, youll ruin it for us all. Theres no reason to sling trees if you want to toprope. Lead it or make your way down form the top a few feet and set up and anchor system. Cant stress it enough. PLEASE DO NOT SLING CEDARS ANYWHERE ON THE KELSO/FRAGGLE area. If you dont know what a cedar is, dont sling ANY trees.
Thanks for your time. Also...Joining darksides cause is a good one, and I recommend it to everyone it could pertain to. I just did.
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