Survey Response, Rock Climbing

From Rick, Denver County, Sept 9, 2008:

Overall, how supportive are you of the Plan's recommendations?
Neutral.

1. Are there any outstanding issues that you don’t think the plan addressed?
I think climbing is not well addressed in these plans. Climbing is an activity that is often associated with mountains even by non-climbers, kind of like expecting to see surfers at the beach in LA county. Climbing is also a subset of mountaineering. Other mountaineering activities could be hiking/walking, scrambling, snowshoeing, skiing. Those activities are not explicitly prohibited. If I am hiking and I get on steeper terrain, I may have to put my hands on the rock for balance, am I doing a prohibited activity that can result in jail time? What if the trail gets so steep that I must use my hands to pull myself up?

2. Are there any recommendations that you would like to add?
Denver's policy on no climbing in Mountain Parks is at odds with a City that promotes its vicinity to the mountains and the activities inherently associated with the mountains. This policy has closed down many decades old climbing areas which is not a positive image for our neighbors in surrounding counties or visitors.

3. Are there any statements or recommendations with which you strongly disagree?
Under "Accessibility and New Uses" I would like to strongly object to grouping rock climbing with camping, dogs off leash and mountain biking. Since climbing is a subset of the mountaineering similar to hiking, it should be viewed in the same context. These other activities place a much higher demand on the environment than responsible rock climbing or hiking for that matter. One of the ways "Leave no Trace" ethics recommend travelers to minimize their impact is by traveling on rock. Rock climbing can be done without chalk marks and using "clean anchoring" systems which leave no visual impact.

4. Which recommendations do you consider most important in the short term?
Trail maintenance and evaluating new areas for climbing.

5. Which recommendations do you consider most important in the long term?
Same as above.

Other comments:
I would suggest that DMP examine climbing policies of the National Parks Service, Boulder, Jefferson County open space and the city of Colorado Springs. All of these places have various policies which allow rock climbing.

See Susan Baird's responses on Rock Climbing at earlier post.