Mentorship in Climbing Area Development

The Salt Lake Climbers Alliance created the nation’s first professional anchor maintenance crew in 2020 upon the request of the Forest Service. The goal was to minimize risk to those doing the work and to ensure a high quality product. Our anchor maintenance program has been built on decades of feedback and development by our volunteers, many of whom were professionals in the work at height and engineering space. A lot goes into our program; from engaging with land managers and public land policy, to staying organized with data and supplies, hiring and training anchor technicians, planning what needs maintenance, performing the actual work, fundraising, communicating with and engaging the public, and so much more.

Having operated this program for a number of years, we are now in a place to be able to share our lessons learned with other communities interested in the future of fixed anchors at their local crags. Vernal, Utah is one such place. Vernal is in a unique position. Whereas in the Wasatch, climbing has been around since the 1960s, the climbing area development potential in Vernal is relatively new. Therefore, there are opportunities to develop climbing areas with a vision towards the future sustainability of the resource and for a broader community benefit. The forward thinking climbers of Vernal have brought in the SLCA to help consult and share about the nuts and bolts of our anchor program as well as other climbing area infrastructure considerations like trail access and parking as they create their own resource. Check this newest local climbing organization out at Dinoland Adventure Project. We are honored to be invited and also learning along the way in this new mentorship space. We will keep you all informed as the project and partnership unfolds. This effort is supported by the Utah Division of Outdoor Recreation whose mission is to help Utahn’s live healthy and active lifestyles through outdoor recreation.

UPDATE:

During May 30-31st, the SLCA held its first two day clinic with Vernals local climbing organization Dinoland Adventure Project (DAP). During this two day workshop, the SLCA hosted micro clinics like: Glue-in bolts, group safety and Job Hazard Analysis (JHA), rope skills and route development skills. This workshop passed along years of knowledge and lessons learned. By doing so, we hope that the DAP community has an efficient path forward to building their program and climbing resources in Vernal. This collaboration is a great example of the climbing community working together for a sustainable future in crag development and design.

Side note: Our resources on working at height, quality control, and things to consider for new-routing are all publicly available on our website here.

Workshop Photos Below