Fixed anchors in wilderness—the National Park Service gives the OK.
For the time being, the National Park Service will not oppose fixed anchors in Wilderness.
For some time, there’s been a buzz, and somewhat of a buzzkill, regarding the potential banning of fixed climbing anchors in Wilderness. The challenges in regulating such things are many. Fixed anchors are often located in hard-to-reach places. Some fixed anchors, sure, are front and center—most are not. Fixed, too, might be webbing slung around a chockstone in a far-off couloir only accessible and useful to those seeking a remote adventure. Without the use of fixed anchors or the ability to establish them, most climbers, and some ski-mountaineers, could be caught out or worse.
Last year, fixed anchors in Wilderness were at risk of being banned outright or managed to death. As was reported, fixed anchors were slated to be considered “permanent installations.” Such a designation would have meant the possibility of banning fixed anchors in some Wilderness or requiring a somewhat cumbersome review process to establish new or maintain pre-existing fixed anchors.
Yesterday, the Access Fund broke the news with a press release titled, “National Park Service withdraws proposal that threatened climbing access and America’s climbing legacy.”
In short, at least in National Parks, fixed anchors will not be considered permanent installations. The Access Fund cited a letter, signed by a bipartisan group of Senators and the Secretaries of the Departments of Agriculture and Interior, establishing that the proposed rules would not benefit “America’s 8 million” climbers. The letter went on to claim that the agencies tasked with oversight were already overburdened and underfunded. The groups also stated a policy change would “endanger climbers.”
The group also claimed climbs of historic significance would no longer be accessible, writing, “We are hearing that this new determination could threaten over a century of precedent, hinder the establishment of new climbing routes, and complicate maintenance of fixed anchors.”
No matter where you stand on the issue, one thing is clear: The climbing community is politically organized.
Well, that’s a relief. Hopefully other land agencies will follow suit.
Yes, anchors are man made structures, so run counter to the idea of designated wilderness. But so are trails, bear bag poles and latrines. All of those exist in Wilderness areas because not having them leads to user damage of the area. All of them are also much more impactful than a climbing anchor.
Since it is (almost) impossible to rappel from a face without leaving something behind, it’s good to be able to have user groups and volunteers provide the best, most appropriate solution for that climb.