The article “Invasion of the Rock Jocks”
presented a stilted picture of the climbing community’s
commitment to environmental protection (HCN, 7/7/03: Invasion of
the Rock Jocks). While pointing out the importance of educating
young climbers and meeting the challenges of new trends in the
sport, the article fails miserably to answer its own questions. Are
there still climbers willing to come down from the mountains
— or boulders — to save the mountains? Absolutely!
In Utah, former mayor and climbing pioneer Ted Wilson has
led the charge for wilderness protection for many years, and serves
on the Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance board. The owner of Black
Diamond, a climbing company, recently took on the governor over a
backroom deal that hurt chances for important lands to become
designated wilderness. In fact, many local climbers I climb with
share my fanaticism about protecting our wilderness, cleaning up
after other user groups, and setting an example for younger
climbers. We’re not old-timers; we’re young
professionals in our twenties.
We hike many miles to
access climbing routes in wilderness areas, while ORV users cruise
by in defiance of the law. We volunteer to clean up camping areas
and trails. We donate substantial sums to protect open space from
development. We lobby our elected officials on a range of
environmental issues, including wilderness preservation.
Many climbers share the passion of HCN readers for conservation and
environmental protection. Let’s work together instead of
creating misperceptions that keep us apart.
Joshua
Ewing
Salt Lake City, Utah
The writer is founder of the Salt Lake Trail Cooperative.
This article appeared in the print edition of the magazine with the headline Dave Brower’s spirit lives!.
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