The New River Gorge will host climbing activists from all over the country on October 1-3. The Access Fund has locked in those dates for its 2010 Summit, which typically attracts anywhere from 50-100 climber activists and representatives of local climbing organizations, such as NRAC.

"This is sort of a sequel to the Land Conservation Summit we had last year at the Red River Gorge," said Access Fund Grassroots Coordinator, Amy Ansari. Such summits bring climbers who are working to preserve access together to share ideas and network.

The connections made and ideas shared at these summits are often invaluable on local levels. "It’s so helpful to see and hear what other people are going through," said NRAC Board member, Jay Young. "Sometimes, somebody else already went through it, and they can provide a perspective into your issues that might otherwise never have occurred to you," he explained.

But there may be benefits above and beyond that for the hosting local climbing organization (LCO). As NRAC President, Gene Kistler, pointed out, "The last time the Access Fund held an event of national significance here was in 1999 - their Board of Directors meeting. At the time we were embroiled in discussions about the proposed Climbing Management Plan in the Park, and that meeting was a catalyst for great things." The Park's Superintendent and Chief Ranger both attended the meetings. "They walked away with a very positive impression of climbers in general and climbing within the Park specifically," said Kistler, Just those few days helped lay the groundwork for the relationship NRAC shares with the Park right now.