2020 End of Year Report

We made it. Despite all the hardships and obstacles of 2020, the need to take care of our climbing areas only became more important, and it proved to be our most impactful year to date thanks to our community.

Take a look at the report below to see our full impact and what your donations, volunteering, event attendance, and memberships supported. And if you haven’t seen it already, be sure to check out our newly produced video “Our Crags, Our Community” produced by Vince Nett.

Here’s to a new year!

2020 End of Year Report

Announcing our 3rd Annual Soirée!

We're not letting 2020 ruin our biggest community event and fundraiser of the year! We've worked long and hard to bring you all your favorite parts of our annual soirée to your home.

Dress to the nine, pick up some discounted food and beverages, and settle in for an evening of breakout sessions from athletes and experts, newly produced BCC videos, community networking, and awards. Not to mention our Neptune Giveaway last call and announcement, and massive silent auction with ~100 items to bid on.

Grab your tickets now and start making plans for a night in, or if the weather's nice, organize a socially-distant backyard gathering with fellow friends and climbers. After a long and difficult year, let's bring together our community of climbers and have some fun in the name of stewardship.

Event Page

Route Names

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.

Successful Eagle Fledge in Boulder Canyon!

The Golden Eagles in Boulder Canyon successfully fledged a chick this year! After months of staying in the nest the young eagle took flight in early July. The BCC and a crew of volunteers have been keeping a watchful eye on the progress since March of this year, culminating in a nest visit last week. A small team made up of a Forest Service biologist, local climber-biologist, and BCC staff member had the unique opportunity to rappel in to the nest to collect data up close and personal.

The BCC has been involved with the Boulder Canyon eagle monitoring project since its formation a decade ago. We partner with the Arapahoe-Roosevelt National Forest to help their biologists collect data on the birds and to balance climbing resource closures. The active management approach we take gives the eagles the space they need to have a successful nest and minimizes closures to crags. This project has been very successful in showing that climbers and land managers can work together to accomplish goals that benefit everyone, including the ecosystems we climb in.

A big thank you to all the climbers who observed the Boulder Canyon closures this year!

Eagle Rock is reopened for climbing!

The Climbing Community Can do Better. We Can do Better.

We at the BCC are taking a moment in solidarity and will be pausing our usual content. The mission of the BCC is to mobilize the local community and partners to care for the environments we impact as climbers, and enrich the outdoor experience for all. There are real injustices happening to the Black community due to generations of oppression, and we feel that taking up space with anything unrelated will only further shelter us from this issue. The only posts you may see from us this week will be elevating Black voices and causes in our community and country.

Additionally, The staff and the board has donated $1200 dollars from our staff and board’s own personal checking accounts to contribute to a Black-owned climbing organization that provides programming for BIPOC youth. We have also donated another $400 to other national advocacy groups. To be clear, we are a nonprofit ourselves, and will be donating from our own personal funds. Charitable giving is a part of the core values of our board and staff and we have come together to support our community through tragedy before - This is no different. We encourage you all to do the same for organizations supporting similar work in our community. If you're wondering what else you can do to support, check out this link for ways to become informed, engaged, and to take action on a national level. https://www.obama.org/anguish-and-action/.

The work doesn't end here. 

We are not where we want to be when it comes to dismantling systems of oppression. We have taken some small steps, but, when it comes to anti-racism there is always more to learn and incorporate into our daily thoughts and actions. In early May, our Executive Director held a "Diversity and Womxn of the BCC" meeting with the Board of Directors to discuss how we can build a bigger table to welcome more people into the community. We'll continue to assess structural changes so Black and Brown voices can thrive in our organization and community. The climbing community can do better. WE can do better. Black lives matter and Black futures matter.

Other Resources:

Black-Owned Businesses to Support in and Around Denver

Colorado Freedom Fund

ACLU of Colorado

Denver Black Lives Matter

Wag Bags for Climbers at Movement Boulder and Earth Treks Golden!

As we start venturing back out to the crags and boulders along the Front Range (safer at home climbing recommendations here), keep in mind that many trailheads and parks still have limited services due to COVID-19. There are a number of public bathrooms that will remain closed for the time being, so as climbers we need to be prepared for when nature calls.

BCC has placed new wag bag stations at Movement Boulder and Earth Treks Golden that are available for all climbers to swing by and pick up wag bags at. For Earth Treks, the plastic job box is by the bike rack to the left of the front door. The combination for the two locks is 0515.

Please limit yourselves to taking one bag per person in your group so that there are plenty to go around for other climbers. Also consider making a donation to the BCC so that we can continue to provide wag bags, free of charge, to climbers at this location and select crags in the Front Range.

BCC would like to extend a big thank you to Movement Boulder and Earth Treks Golden for their commitment to stewarding our local climbing areas and letting us store wag bags at their location.

Climbing during COVID-19

We are entering a new phase of the COVID-19 pandemic in Colorado. As our state and counties begin to transition to the Safer-At-Home guidance, the BCC is shifting our request to the climbing community. Our original guidance asked climbers to steer clear of crags and we want to thank all the folks who did their part to help limit the spread of the virus during such uncertain times. We know that wasn’t easy, but many of you stepped up to the plate and did what was best for the greater community and our land managers are grateful for it.

We understand that to many of our community members climbing is so much more than just another activity or sport. To many of us, climbing is part of who we are and intimately tied to our identity in this world. As we start the process of transitioning to our new normal, the BCC believes that responsible climbing can be a part of that process. We ask that those who decide to go climbing keep a few things in mind. 

First, COVID-19 is a health crisis that has affected millions of people. It may not affect every single person in our community the same, but for many, it could mean life or death. Please put the health of others at the top of the priority list when deciding to go rock climbing. Second, this pandemic has put enormous strain on our local land managers. Many of them are being asked to handle higher than usual visitation rates while having fewer staff and resources. They are constantly having to evaluate restricting access as a management tool. It is paramount that climbers follow all rules and guidelines set by land managers to ensure access is not jeopardized. Keep an eye on our social media pages and website in the coming weeks and months for future updates, as we will continue to pass along information from land managers and health officials as it relates to climbing.

This is a long term situation and we need climbers to adapt to the pandemic and adjust behaviors accordingly. Sometimes, staying home rather than climbing will be the right call. Other times going out to crags might be acceptable with proper planning and precautions. We ask that if you decide to get out, please consider these guidelines for climbing during COVID-19, and know that it is a guide for you to make the best decisions for you; it is not meant to be a definitive guide on what to do.

Graphic by @coitcreative

Download this infographic and share with others!

A few resources for consideration:

Access Fund - Climbing During the Coronavirus

American Alpine Club - Climbers Take Action Against Coronavirus

Salt Lake Climbers Alliance - The Million Dollar Question

Leave No Trace - Rock Climbing and Group Use

What Stewardship Looks Like Right Now

Since its inception, the BCC has focused on stewardship work to accomplish our mission. For a decade this organization has worked to manage climbers’ impact on trails, cliffs, watersheds, and wildlife. Our approach involves having boots on the ground at crags and utilizing the many community volunteers to get the work done. That all came to a screeching halt in March due to the spread of COVID-19.

In a normal April, the BCC would have a fully operational FRCS crew working on a heavily impacted trail or base area. We would have volunteer rebolters replacing rusty bolts in Boulder Canyon. There would be folks stocking wag bag stations from Clear Creek to Boulder Canyon. But this is not a normal April. We have had to adapt our programs to fit the current environment and unfortunately that means we can’t run things like usual. Instead, we are doing our best stewardship work from home offices and without the help of so many of our volunteers. We have been taking this time to evaluate the effectiveness of our work and how we can improve. Better tracking for projects, new educational material and management plans are the topic of many discussions. We are planning for how we can have the biggest impact in a shortened season and hit the ground running when the time is right. It hasn’t been all desk work either. Wag bag stations are staying stocked, our eagle monitoring program is running and many hikes have turned into site visits for future projects. 

Photo of Stewardship Manager Daniel Dunn from the stewardly home office, where drills and spotting scopes are the best paperweights

You might be wondering what you can do to help at this time. One of the biggest impacts individual climbers can have right now is doing their best to practice LNT principles. Staying on established trails, packing out any trash, using wag bags, and respecting closures to name a few. Many land managers are overwhelmed and understaffed due to the COVID situation. By being responsible climbers, we are doing our part to ease the strain on those resources and continuing to promote a good relationship between our community and those who manage climbing areas. As restrictions begin to lift, come volunteer with us to work on trails, replace bolts and stock wag bags. The BCC will continue to prioritize stewardship in the future and we will need your help to reach our goals.

You can also contribute to our future stewardship work by becoming a BCC member, or buying a suggested donation ticket to our Virtual Film Fest this Friday! The BCC’s stewardship work relies on funding from members, donations, and community events, and events in particular have been hit hard by the current crisis. The BCC will continue to prioritize stewardship in the future and we will need your help to reach our goals.

Blob Rock, Bitty Buttress and Security Risk Reopened

The Boulder Climbing Community is happy to announce that the seasonal closures on Blob rock, Bitty Buttress and Security Risk in Boulder Canyon have been lifted for 2020. We want to remind climbers that Eagle rock is still closed to climbing and any activities until July 31, 2020. 

Each year the BCC and USFS Boulder Ranger District partner to monitor nesting Golden Eagles in Boulder Canyon. The active management strategy is designed to give the eagles the space they need while choosing a nesting site and allow climbers to regain access to unaffected areas once a nest has been chosen. For this system to work we need climbers to be informed and respect any active closures. We normally use a number of volunteers to make this program happen, but given the current situation and social distancing protocols we are having to rely on a small, select group including BCC board members and key community members.  The BCC is committed to the stewardship of our climbing areas and continuing to run all of our programs as we are able.

While Blob rock, Bitty Buttress and Security Risk are now open to climbing, we are asking all climbers to please make responsible decisions about whether to visit them or not. We still feel that the best thing climbers can do right now is to stay home, but if you insist on climbing please follow all regulations and social distancing guidelines. 

If you are wondering about other active closures in the Front Range check out our closure page for all the latest information.

Flatten the Curve - Steer Clear of the Crags

The mission of the BCC is to mobilize the local community and partners to care for the environments we impact as climbers, and enrich the outdoor experience for all. Our people are at the heart of what we do, and we feel we have a responsibility to do what’s in the best interest of our community.

That being said, let’s all do our part to flatten the curve, and stay away from crags for the foreseeable future. Many of us have already made the responsible decision to not travel for climbing, especially to gateway communities, and given the current circumstances of this rapidly evolving situation, we believe local crags should be out of the question as well. 

Climbing is simply too popular in the Front Range to abide by social distancing protocols at local crags, as made evident by reports we've gotten and articles published over the past few days. There are tens of thousands of climbers in the Front Range, and it’s impossible to keep track of who’s climbing where and when. Not to mention the many shared surfaces involved in climbing (holds, ropes, anchors, food, etc...). There’s also new evidence to suggest that the virus could remain active on rock and steel for up to 72 hours (see link below). Obscure and remote crags are reportedly being packed by climbers, and even if you're able to truly isolate yourself at one of these spots, an injury or rescue could mean taking away crucial medical resources and hospital beds that are already in high demand. We owe it to our climbing partners, healthcare workers, vulnerable family members and friends, and community members to play it safe and not be an unknowing carrier.

All of our climbing gyms are closed, Rocky Mountain National Park is closed, and things will continue to escalate before they get back to normal. If we all do this together, it will undoubtedly save lives, and get us back to our crags and our friends and family sooner.

Instead, let's share stories, video call our loved ones and old friends, get creative with our training, and give back to our community in any way that we can. Order takeout from your favorite restaurant, volunteer at your local food bank or pantry, donate to helpcoloradonow.com, go on a solo run, walk, or bike ride, learn a new language, or whatever else suits your fancy. We'll continue to share the most up to date information, find ways to keep us all connected, and serve our mission and the greater community in any way that we can. This is temporary, and we'll get through it together.

Yours truly,

The BCC Team

COVID-19 Updates Colorado

Ways to Give Back

Current Area Closures

How to Support Your Local Gyms and Gear Shops

Climbing Rock… Can Potentially Spread the Coronavirus

Campaign and COVID-19 Update

Last week was not your typical week... times are uncertain and changing everyday, yet you came together as a community to support our stewardship work for 2020. Together you raised $4500 that will build trails, replace bolts, monitor eagles, stock wag bags, and bring the community together. THANK YOU! We really, truly, are so grateful for everyone who donated, shared our campaign, and helped to spread the word about climbing stewardship.

This week and those to follow will not be your typical weeks either. Life is different for all of us right now, as is our climbing. Climbing for a lot of us is a release, a way to relieve stress, to connect with others and with nature, to grow as a person and as a community. While many of our businesses and gyms are closed, we are privileged to have access to amazing outdoor climbing areas in our backyard.

This all being said, just like we encourage stewardship and caring for our climbing areas and our environment, we encourage you to be stewards of the community and care for your loved ones and fellow community members in this difficult time. As climbers, here are some things we hope you'll consider in the coming weeks:

• Continue to support your local gyms and businesses if you have the resources to do so (keep that membership going, buy a gift card, etc.) The economic fallout is real and hitting those close to us already. Let's help soften the blow to the extent that we are able.

• We've seen a lot of folks using climbing and recreating outside as a form of social distancing, which it certainly can be if done properly. We are not health experts, though given recommendations from the CDC, we can safely say that climbing in large groups, in close proximity, at a popular crag is not effective social distancing. If you're headed outdoors, continue to follow CDC and state government guidelines (wash your hands, stay 6 feet apart from others, avoid touching your eyes, nose, or mouth).

• If you had a climbing trip planned, or are hoping to use some vacation time right now, please reconsider your trip if it involves going to medically underserved and remote communities that aren't well-equipped for large outbreaks of this magnitude. Use your best judgement and follow current CDC and state guidelines, and remember that while basic measures remain consistent, stricter guidelines are likely coming and changing every minute.

The BCC in the meantime is not going anywhere. Stay tuned for update to date information about local climbing, and for opportunities to bring the community together virtually. We hope that as a user group and community, we can be effective leaders in this crisis, just as we are in being stewards of our environment and crags. Dust off that hangboard, get creative, and let's do what's best of our fellow humans.

- The BCC Team

Sources and Guidelines:

CDC Preventative Measures

US Travel Guidelines

Colorado Guidelines

We're Hiring Trail Workers for the 2020 Season!

The BCC is hiring crew members for the Front Range Climbing Stewards 2020 Season! Are you or someone you know interested in working outdoors with your hands, mind and body to make climbing more sustainable? Consider becoming part of this program that is having an incredible impact on our crags while developing professional experience in trail work and stewardship of our public lands.

We’re hiring all levels: from experienced stone masters to folks with little to no trails experience. Full season and abbreviated summer season positions are available.

Full Job Descriptions Here

2020 Board Applications Are Live!

Are you a champion of the BCC? Would you like to further our mission by becoming a board member? We’re looking for folks who get excited about attending and organizing community events, advocating for stewardship, actively helping us reach our fundraising goals, and much much more. If you’re interested, check out the application at the link below!

If you'd like to meet the BCC Board and Staff, we'll be hosting a Meet & Greet for board applicants at Upslope Brewing on March 4th from 6:30-8:30PM. For every beer sold, $1 goes to support the BCC, and we'll have a small silent auction going on with some gear and goodies as well. Hope to see you there!

Board Application

2019 End of Year Report

It’s been quite the year here at the BCC. One might even say our best yet… and we have even bigger plans for 2020! See our accomplishments in 2019, a financial snapshot, and all of our big plans for 2020 in the End of Year Report below.

Our accomplishments in 2019 wouldn’t have been possible without you all. We’re grateful to be part of such a wonderful and supportive community. Cheers to you all and cheers to another year!

2019 End of Year Report

The BCC is hiring a full-time Stewardship Coordinator

The Boulder Climbing Community is a small organization on a mighty mission to care for our local climbing areas. In 2020 we are going to increase our impact: double the bolts we replace, double our volunteer hours, and reach new people with wag bags. In order to make this happen, we are hiring a stewardship manager to start January 2020!

Do you love figuring out creative ways to get people to use wag bags? Have a knack for harnessing the power of volunteers to do amazing things? Like getting outside and doing site visits and trail work? Can you find the fun in databases? Do you have experience fundraising and working events? Most importantly are you a champion of the Boulder Climbing Community? If you are screaming yes at your computer to all of these, then you may be an excellent fit. Send resume and cover letter to outreach@boulderclimbers.org by December 3rd at midnight. 

Rocktoberfest comin' in hot

Support your local climbing community & join us for Rocktoberfest at REI Denver on 10/26! Come enjoy climbing music, food/drinks, & silent auction in our Vendor Village featuring Black Diamond, Mammut, Scarpa, & more.

Get pumped for open climb at the Pinnacle and check out some of the best local climbers at our Black Diamond 5.13 Climbing Competition. Proceeds from the event will benefit the Boulder Climbing Community who help protect and preserve climbing areas on Colorado's Front Range and beyond.

Tickets are FREE!

https://www.facebook.com/events/398019394195345/

Join us at our 2nd Annual Soirée on 11/21 at Neptune Mountaineering

This is our night to shine and bring the community together in support of the Boulder Climbing Community.

This is our biggest party of the year; we hope you come! We’re so stoked to be hosting this year’s event at Neptune Mountaineering. So let’s get fancy y’all!

Food, beverage, music, and entertainment will all be included in the ticket price. Come get your boogie on and leave with a full belly for less than a dinner at a decent restaurant!

We'll have our biggest and best silent auction ever, from a mountain of partners in the climbing and outdoor industry. Get that new rope you wanted from Mammut, a Patagonia Puffy, or an AIARE 1 course from CMS. We'll be showing a big list of silent auction items as we get closer to the event.

TICKETS:

A limited number of $39 tickets are available now, so scoop 'em up quick...

Prices go up to $49 on 10/21
Prices go up to $59 on 11/14

https://www.facebook.com/events/491558311624258/

Eldo visitor use planning meetings this week

Colorado Parks & Wildlife will host two identical sessions in Boulder to collect feedback on future park management options under consideration. The meetings will provide more information on the project and invite attendees to discuss in small groups, a series of future park management scenarios. Ideas raised in these groups will help inform the development of the Visitor Use Management Plan.

Session 1: Monday, Sep. 9, 2019 6 – 8 p.m. Unity of Boulder 2855 Folsom St., Boulder, CO 80304

Session 2: Tuesday, Sep. 17, 2019 6 – 8 p.m. Avalon Ballroom 6185 Arapahoe Rd., Boulder CO 80303

Learn how to replace bolts!

Have you ever been curious about how to replace bolts and anchors?

This is a two-hour hands-on clinic for learning bolt replacement techniques and tools

The BCC is here to help people to learn the best techniques for clean removal and replacement of climbing bolts. Tools, bolts will be supplied, there will be opportunities for participants to place and extract bolts.

Bring fingerless gloves, sturdy shoes and protection from the sun.

Sign up here