State of the SLCA - 2024
2024 End-of-Year State of the SLCA
From the Executive Director
As we reflect on an incredible year and plan for 2025, we are grateful for the progress and milestones achieved in 2024 through the collective efforts of the Salt Lake Climbers Alliance and our community. One of our proudest moments was the recognition of the Alpenbock Loop in Little Cottonwood Canyon as the nation’s first recreational climbing area listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Complementing this achievement, we advanced the Alpenbock film, a project celebrating the club’s legacy and its profound impact on America’s climbing. This film aims to inspire Utahns to cherish and protect Little Cottonwood Canyon, and we are excited to continue raising funds to bring this story to the big screen in 2025.
Our advocacy efforts this year also focused on critical policy challenges. We worked tirelessly to address fixed anchor policies in wilderness areas, advocating for sustainable bolt management practices that balance climbing access with conservation. Notably, approximately 30% of climbing in the Uinta-Wasatch-Cache National Forest occurs within designated wilderness areas, underscoring the pressing need for clear and practical fixed anchor maintenance policies. Additionally, we collaborated with a wide range of land managers, including the U.S. Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management, state and city agencies, and private landowners, to support climbing access, land conservation, and recreation management. We also celebrated the passage of the PARC Act, which strengthens protections for climbing and recreational access on public lands. These policy wins highlight the power of climbers’ voices in shaping the future of outdoor recreation and reinforce our local efforts to align with and support these national policies.
Our stewardship efforts were equally impactful. The Anchor Maintenance Program maintained over 900 fixed anchors across 20 crags, supported by the nation’s only paid, professional anchor maintenance crew. This team’s expertise ensures sustainable climbing practices and the safety of climbers across the Wasatch. Expanded efforts included Logan Canyon, Rock Canyon, and even Indian Creek. The trail reconstruction at Beckey’s Wall/East Gate after the 2023 rockfall was a major highlight, completed in partnership with professional trail crews and community volunteers. Additional projects in Little Cottonwood, Big Cottonwood, and American Fork canyons addressed vital trail access and sustainability needs, laying the groundwork for future improvements in 2025.
This year’s Climbing Festival once again brought climbers together to celebrate the sport, featuring skills-based clinics with local guide outfitters for the ultimate climbers campout in the Uintas, fostering community, stewardship, and education. Events like these, along with our Climbers and Coffee series and the Utah New Router Symposium, have strengthened the community’s connection to each other and our mission.
We want to emphasize that our work is only possible with the continued support of our community - all of you. Thank you to our volunteers, corporate sponsors, individual donors, grant partners, and members—it truly takes a community to continue caring for the places we love to climb. Your support makes our work possible and ensures these climbing areas remain accessible and sustainable for generations to come.
If you’re inspired by what we’ve accomplished together, we encourage you to get involved. Whether through volunteering, donating, or participating in our events, every contribution helps protect and enhance Utah’s climbing resources.
Warm regards,
Julia Geisler
Executive Director, Salt Lake Climbers Alliance
