The Boulder Climbing Community is an organization committed to our community.
One way we can create a more inclusive local climbing community organization: crags and route names that are inclusive and welcoming. If local route names perpetuate racial, gender, and ethnic stereotypes; are misogynistic, homophobic, or transphobic, or cause harm to a marginalized group, we believe that working with route developers on changing these names is time well spent on the community we value and love.
Two members of our community, our executive director and one of our board members have been leading on this issue the past year. Our board member, Melissa Utomo, a web developer, is working daily to create awareness and opportunities for change. She was also recently a featured speaker on a virtual discussion around land, route names, and the future of climbing culture organized by Brown Girls Climb. Our executive director, Kate Beezley, works very part time with a local guidebook publishing company Fixed Pin Publishing. She worked with the Clear Creek Canyon Guidebook author, Kevin Capps, to redact a handful of route names in Clear Creek Canyon.
We believe at the BCC that words matter and that small changes add up to support the larger actions and efforts in our nation. There is a lot of work to be done, and we must be diligent and keep after it to see lasting changes. This is a marathon: we must train, inevitably face setbacks; we must work hard to actually have a chance of seeing the finish line. Our mission is to care for our local crags for all: changing the culture of our community to one that is inclusive and welcoming is critical to our mission. Our business is taking care of our climbing areas. But, we would rather close our doors than to take care of our beloved crags for a few privileged to enjoy. Our Front Range crags are for all.
Supporting changes to route names will make our community stronger. In the short term there will be difficult conversations, not everyone will support these changes, and that is okay. We are all on different stages of our journey. As a privileged and predominantly white community our work is to help each other find ways to create a more inclusive community. Would you join us in opening your mind to what it will look like to have crags that are welcoming to our differences? The climbing community is one that sees color, different abilities, variations in gender and experiences as joyous and opportunities to welcome and expand. But, we will need action to make this happen.
So, while we put out a statement in support of Black Lives Matter almost two months ago now, we want to refocus all of our gazes on the work to be done. Our board will meet this week to discuss and decide on next steps for our organization. In the meantime, as it relates to route names, Climb the Gap has a great open source reporting document where you can submit oppressive route names. Their plan is to put together a group of BIPOC individuals, particularly those that come from backgrounds that these names seem to target, in order to discuss further and eventually work with guidebooks and FA’s. We hope to lend resources and help in this process as it relates to our local crags and local FA’s and guidebook authors.
What can you, your business or workplace, or your organization do to help our Boulder Climbing Community become more inclusive? We would love to see in the comments some reposts of efforts to create a more inclusive Boulder Climbing Community. Let’s celebrate the good work we see! And inspire more work to be done.