Climbers not high on new regulations

Having the right tools for the job becomes that much more important when the job is hundreds of feet off the ground.

But now because of a national U.S. Forest Service ban on bolts, pitons and any fixed anchors used by rock climbers, the right tools may not be available.

"They (the Forest Service) are trying to down play it but the fact of the matter is that they are removing all climbing," said Mike Clifford a 30-year climber. "Someone from on high is interpreting the Wilderness Act of 1964 in a way so that climbing is eliminated."

The Forest Service's regulations, which went into effect June 1, do not allow for foreign objects to be fixed permanently to rock faces which is in line with the 1964 law that prohibits the installation of permanent fixtures on primitive federal lands.

The regulations affect 40 premiere climbing areas including Mt. Charleston in 400 wilderness areas across the country.

The main thrust of the regulations is to protect the wilderness areas across the country, said Kris Absher, a Forest Service spokesperson.

"Some people are purists and the way that they interpret the 1964 act matches those feelings," Absher said. "The good thing is that the way that the law works allows for local Forest Service branches to make their own decisions on the bolts."

Absher said for now that bolts already in climbing areas will remain, but new bolts are not allowed.

A decision on whether the new bolts will stay will come either at the end of July when a new forest supervisor is hired for the region which includes Mt. Charleston, or when the current forest plan is revised later this summer.

"Either way there will be opportunities for the public to be involved in the decision," Absher said.

The relationship between local Forest Service officials and climbers is good despite the ban on new bolting, Clifford said.

"We haven't had any problems with local officials from the Forest Service or the BLM (Bureau of Land Management)," Clifford said. "The concern is over the way these regulations are interpreted nationally and how they affect climbers access."

Access for climbers in BLM managed areas like the Red Rock Canyon Recreation Area is not an issue. The BLM allows climbers to use bolts in the rocks there.

"Wherever we can climbers prefer to use removable bolts but sometimes that's impossible," Clifford said. "A good example is Red Rock where the sandstone won't hold temporary bolts."

J.T. Taylor, a climber and employee at Powerhouse Indoor Climbing on West Charleston Boulevard, said the last thing that a climber wants to do is ruin the environment.

"We don't want to have to use fixed anchors but at the same time there are miners on public lands," Taylor said. "It seems like if the destruction of public lands is making the government money it's OK."

Clifford agrees that national parks and wilderness areas seem to pick and choose what activities are good for the environment.

"In Yosemite (national park in northern California) they are considering building a hotel in the middle of the park," Clifford said.

Yosemite and other national parks, like BLM lands, are not under National Forest Service regulations but many areas already have climbing regulations.

"We have no set regulations in our parks," said Dennis Burnett, National Parks spokesman. "We leave it up to specific park officials to work with their community in deciding what climbing regulations will be put in place."

With the Forest Service's bolt ban in place some climbers may turn to indoor climbing apparatus. Taylor said that he likes the practice climbing that an indoor wall affords him but would much rather be climbing outside.

"The indoor wall is great," Taylor said referring to Powerhouse's indoor wall. "We get a lot of climbers in here using it, especially with how hot it is outside."

Enforcement of the bolting regulations is left up to the Forest Service's park rangers, Absher said.

Clifford points out that if the regulations are enforced and climbers do not use bolts, their safety will be severely compromised.

"It's kind of like jumping out of an airplane," Clifford said. "You can jump out without a parachute but it's a lot safer if you have one."

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