Access Fund Releases Bouldering Paper

April 5, 2004, Boulder, CO – The Access Fund has just released Bouldering: Understanding and Managing Climbing on Small Rock Formations. The document is the first of its kind, and is intended to provide a knowledge base for managing bouldering as a unique form of outdoor recreation. It contains an overview of bouldering, participant demographics, impacts caused by bouldering, and management considerations.

“The tremendous growth of bouldering in recent years has fueled many of the emerging access issues at numerous areas around the country including Bishop, CA; Joshua Tree, CA; and the Ross Lake Recreation Area of the North Cascades, WA,” said Shawn Tierney, Access Fund access-and-acquisitions director. “Given the growing popularity of climbing and outdoor recreation it is critical that management practices are in place to protect natural resources while allowing for diverse climbing experiences. The goal of this paper is to share information and encourage greater consistency in climbing management in the U.S.”

Copies of Bouldering are available to anyone working on climbing issues, and will be available in PDF format on the Access Fund website: www.accessfund.org. Copies will also be sent to land managers, educators, Access Fund regional coordinators, and local climbing organizations.