NRAC’s annual Diversity in Guiding Grant has partnered with Climbing for Change for the past two years to award two BIPOC recipients the funds needed to obtain their AMGA Single Pitch Instructor certification. It's not to late to apply for the scholarship!
CRITERIA: Funds will be awarded to any BIPOC-led local or regional diversity, equity, and inclusion work or project.
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The Dr. Paul Nelson Memorial Scholarship is awarded annually to a student-climber who exemplifies the passion that defined Paul’s life and contributions to the New River Gorge region. It's not too late to apply for the scholarship!
CRITERIA:
THIS SATURDAY NIGHT!
We are kicking off the season with Reel Rock 17, and you're invited! Join us for an evening of community, prizes, and excitement as we kick off the spring season by showing "Reel Rock 17" at The Outpost Campground in the New River Gorge on 𝗦𝗮𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗱𝗮𝘆, 𝗔𝗽𝗿𝗶𝗹 𝟭𝘀𝘁, 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝟳:𝟬𝟬-𝟭𝟬:𝟬𝟬 𝗽.𝗺. (No, this is not an April Fools' joke!) You can grab a ticket in advance (link in bio) or at the door. We are asking for a suggested donation of $15 per ticket. 100% of the proceeds from the event will go toward preserving our well-loved climbing areas! Doors: 7:00 p.m. Film: 8:00 p.m. We'll also be raffling off some great prizes from our sponsors and have snacks and drinks available for donation. 📍The Outpost Campground: 843 Fayette Station Rd, Fayetteville, WV 𝘏𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘺 𝘔𝘰𝘯𝘥𝘢𝘺 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘕𝘙𝘈𝘊 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘮𝘶𝘯𝘪𝘵𝘺! You may have noticed that we have been focusing a lot on climber impacts over the past week and different strategies that you can use to help minimize your impact.
𝗧𝗼𝗱𝗮𝘆 𝘄𝗲 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗴𝗼𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗼 𝗯𝗲 𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗮𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗼 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗽𝗲𝗯𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝘄𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗳𝗿𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗱𝘀 𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗰𝗶𝗳𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗵𝗶𝗴𝗵𝗹𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮 𝗳𝗲𝘄 𝘄𝗮𝘆𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘄𝗲 𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗶𝗺𝗶𝘇𝗲 𝗶𝗺𝗽𝗮𝗰𝘁 𝘄𝗵𝗶𝗹𝗲 𝗯𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 So, how do you start to boulder smart?? 𝘿𝙚𝙘𝙠 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙥𝙖𝙙𝙨! Avoid digging up the landing zone or stacking rocks, etc. to make the base of the boulder suitable for landing. Instead, stack and double up pads to create the flat zone that you are looking for to be kinder to the natural habitat of the area! 𝘾𝙡𝙚𝙖𝙣 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙘𝙝𝙖𝙡𝙠! Tick marks and chalk build up are like trash, so please try to clean up the boulder that you are climbing on! You can use a brush and even small amounts of water to clean your chalk or tick marks that may have been left by you or previous climbers. 𝘿𝙤𝙣'𝙩 𝙩𝙖𝙠𝙚 𝙨𝙝𝙤𝙧𝙩𝙘𝙪𝙩𝙨! I know, everybody loves a shortcut but when it comes to the crags you are visiting please stick to the most heavily used trails between boulders. Avoid using social trails that trample vegetation over time. 𝙇𝙚𝙖𝙫𝙚 𝙣𝙤 𝙩𝙧𝙖𝙘𝙚! It may seem obvious, but before leaving the area be sure to scan for any left behind trash like wads of tape, wrappers, plastic bottles etc. You can even restore a more natural look to your landing zone by placing some pine needles, leaves, twigs before you head off! We hope you can take these quick tips on your next day out at the crag! Let's continue to help 𝗞𝗲𝗲𝗽 𝗪𝗩 𝗪𝗶𝗹𝗱 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗪𝗼𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿𝗳𝘂𝗹 and share this post with all your climbing buddies! **The information in this post was gathered from Climbing.com, “How to Reduce Your Impact While Bouldering” "I've only lived in the New River Gorge area since 2015. Still, it's certainly been long enough for me to see how much our presence in these beloved outdoor spaces has impacted some of my favorite climbing areas.
I'll never forget when I sent "Bimbo Shrine" at Kaymoor. I recall using this right-hand side-pull slot hold that a friend had pointed out for the sequence to work and for me to snag the send... At the time, the hold had no chalk and was incredibly hard to see. However, whenever I return, I find that same hold plastered with chalk, feeling worse every time I grab it. I share this not to complain that no one is brushing the holds. Instead, I share this to highlight how different an experience it is now to enjoy the same route, landscape, or climbing area. It is different because the impact has accumulated. As a result, my experience in this space and those who come after me will likely always be different. They won't have the joy of finding that secret hold for themselves (or with help from a friend!). That said, 𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗮 𝗳𝗲𝘄 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗜 𝗽𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝗱𝗼 𝘁𝗼 𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗶𝗺𝗶𝘇𝗲 𝗺𝘆 𝗶𝗺𝗽𝗮𝗰𝘁 𝗼𝗻 𝗺𝘆 𝗳𝗮𝘃𝗼𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗲 𝗰𝗹𝗶𝗺𝗯𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘀 𝗶𝗻 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗮𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗡𝗲𝘄 𝗥𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝗚𝗼𝗿𝗴𝗲: -I choose to avoid climbing in highly populated areas on the weekends or during peak times. -I try to brush all the holds on the boulder or routes I climb on. -I volunteer my time to organizations such as NRAC for trail improvement projects. I hope my actions inspire the actions of others so that we all can have an enjoyable outdoor experience for years to come." -Kristi, Outreach Committee Chair Photo by Lukas Jaekel In an effort to remove parking and people from the shoulder of southbound Route 19, just north of the meadow river, the West Virginia Department of Highways has created a new parking area on the left side of Deitz Road.
To get there, turn off Route 19 onto Underwood Road and left onto Deitz Road. You should see the parking lot on the left. This lot can fit about 20 vehicles, so please carpool to the crag! Parking is not permitted on the shoulder of Route 19! Hope everyone is enjoying the great weather this week! As climbers, it is important for us to recognize the impacts that we have on the areas that we visit and enjoy. For that reason, we want to highlight some things that you may not think about when you are out enjoying your day at the crag!
Last week, we highlighted a few things you can do to reduce your impact by respecting the land, established trails and vegetation that you come in contact with. 𝘓𝘦𝘵'𝘴 𝘨𝘦𝘵 𝘢 𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘵𝘭𝘦 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘤𝘪𝘧𝘪𝘤 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘯𝘦𝘹𝘵 𝘴𝘦𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘤𝘭𝘪𝘮𝘣𝘦𝘳 𝘪𝘮𝘱𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘴 𝘣𝘦𝘭𝘰𝘸⬇️ -𝗦𝗼𝗺𝗲 𝗺𝗼𝘀𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗹𝗶𝗰𝗵𝗲𝗻𝘀 𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝘁𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝗮 𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆 𝗹𝗼𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗴𝗿𝗼𝘄, 𝗿𝗲𝗺𝗼𝘃𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗺 𝗸𝗶𝗹𝗹𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗺 -𝗠𝗼𝘃𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗿𝗼𝗰𝗸𝘀 𝗱𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗼𝘆𝘀 𝗵𝗮𝗯𝗶𝘁𝗮𝘁. 𝗧𝗿𝘆 𝘁𝗼 𝗮𝘃𝗼𝗶𝗱 𝗺𝗮𝗻𝘂𝗳𝗮𝗰𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗯𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱𝗲𝗿 𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘀 𝗼𝗿 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗰𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗿𝗼𝗰𝗸𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘁 𝗮 𝗿𝗼𝘂𝘁𝗲 -𝗬𝗼𝘂 𝗺𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝗸𝗻𝗼𝘄𝗻 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘀𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 𝘂𝘀𝗲 𝗮 𝗪𝗮𝗴𝗕𝗮𝗴 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗽𝗼𝗼𝗽, 𝗯𝘂𝘁 𝗱𝗶𝗱 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗸𝗻𝗼𝘄 𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗽𝗲𝗲 𝗺𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝘁𝗼𝗼? 𝗗𝗼𝗻’𝘁 𝗽𝗲𝗲 𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿 𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗴𝘀 𝗼𝗿 𝗶𝗻 𝗼𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘀 𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝗿𝗮𝗶𝗻 𝗶𝘀 𝘂𝗻𝗹𝗶𝗸𝗲𝗹𝘆 𝘁𝗼 𝘄𝗮𝘀𝗵 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝗮𝗹𝘁𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗮𝗰𝗶𝗱𝘀 𝗮𝘄𝗮𝘆 We hope you can take away these points and share them with others, the more we share this valuable information the more we can help to preserve and sustain our most beloved lands! -𝙎𝙃𝘼𝙍𝙀 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙥𝙤𝙨𝙩 𝙩𝙤 𝙝𝙚𝙡𝙥 𝙨𝙥𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙙 𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙘𝙖𝙢𝙥𝙖𝙞𝙜𝙣! As climbers, it is important for us to recognize the impacts that we have on the areas that we visit and enjoy. For that reason, we want to highlight some things that you may not think about when you are out enjoying your day at the crag!
𝘏𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘩𝘰𝘸 𝘮𝘶𝘤𝘩 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘯𝘢𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘢𝘭 𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘳𝘰𝘤𝘬 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘪𝘯 𝘥𝘪𝘳𝘦𝘤𝘵 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘢𝘤𝘵 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘴𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘭𝘪𝘧𝘦𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦? It is probably hard to quantify!! For this reason it may seem apparent that when we are utilizing the land that we are so fortunate to have, we are also slowly damaging it over time. So… what can you do to help reduce your impact? -𝗠𝗶𝗻𝗶𝗺𝗶𝘇𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘃𝗲𝗹 𝗶𝗻 𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝘀𝗲𝗻𝘀𝗶𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝗻 𝗼𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿𝘀, 𝘀𝘂𝗰𝗵 𝗮𝘀 𝗰𝗹𝗶𝗳𝗳 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗯𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱𝗲𝗿 𝘁𝗼𝗽𝘀. -𝗔𝘃𝗼𝗶𝗱 𝗰𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘀𝗼𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗶𝗹𝘀! 𝗨𝘀𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗺𝗮𝗶𝗻 𝗽𝗿𝗲-𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗶𝘀𝗵𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗶𝗹𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗱𝗼 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝘄𝗮𝗹𝗸 𝗱𝗶𝗿𝗲𝗰𝘁 𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀 𝗯𝗲𝘁𝘄𝗲𝗲𝗻 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗯𝗹𝗲𝗺𝘀 𝗼𝗿 𝗺𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝘀𝗵𝗼𝗿𝘁 𝗰𝘂𝘁𝘀 𝗼𝗳𝗳 𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗶𝗹 𝗼𝗻 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗮𝗰𝗵. -𝗕𝗲 𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗱𝗳𝘂𝗹 𝗼𝗳 𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗽𝗹𝗮𝗰𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗽𝗮𝗱𝘀, 𝗽𝗮𝗰𝗸𝘀, 𝗴𝗲𝗮𝗿, 𝗲𝘁𝗰!! 𝗔𝘃𝗼𝗶𝗱 𝗽𝘂𝘁𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘀 𝗼𝗻 𝘃𝗲𝗴𝗲𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗼𝗿 𝗶𝗻 𝗮 𝗽𝗹𝗮𝗰𝗲 𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝗼𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗺𝗮𝘆 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗲 𝘃𝗲𝗴𝗲𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝘁𝗼 𝗴𝗲𝘁 𝗮𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱 𝗶𝘁. We hope you enjoyed our first Episode of climber impacts, look out for more to come! 𝘿𝙤 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙠𝙣𝙤𝙬 𝙬𝙝𝙤’𝙨 𝙡𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙮𝙤𝙪’𝙧𝙚 𝙘𝙡𝙞𝙢𝙗𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙤𝙣?
As a part of our 𝘒𝘦𝘦𝘱 𝘞𝘝 𝘞𝘪𝘭𝘥 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘞𝘰𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘧𝘶𝘭 𝘊𝘢𝘮𝘱𝘢𝘪𝘨𝘯, we want to highlight the importance of recognizing Indigenous communities! In the 18th century, peoples of the 𝘚𝘩𝘢𝘸𝘯𝘦𝘦, 𝘋𝘦𝘭𝘢𝘸𝘢𝘳𝘦, 𝘔𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘰, 𝘊𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘰𝘬𝘦𝘦, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘔𝘪𝘢𝘮𝘪 𝘵𝘳𝘪𝘣𝘦𝘴 lived and hunted within the gorge. As they migrated, they would utilize rock shelters, also known as overhangs throughout the Gorge that are popular with climbers today. -𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝗱𝗼 𝗰𝗹𝗶𝗺𝗯𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗮𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗰𝘁 𝗰𝘂𝗹𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗮𝗹 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗼𝘂𝗿𝗰𝗲𝘀? When climbers walk under the cliff line, they disturb the micro-root systems that bind the soil full of indigenous artifacts together. Rain comes along after the soil is loosened and removes artifacts from their original location, effectively ruining the context needed to inform us about the use of such artifacts. The Park has modified climbing routes in the past to save archeological sites that were disturbed by climbers. -𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝗰𝗹𝗶𝗺𝗯𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗯𝗲 𝘀𝘁𝗲𝘄𝗮𝗿𝗱𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝗶𝗻𝗱𝗶𝗴𝗲𝗻𝗼𝘂𝘀 𝗵𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆? We encourage climbers to diversify their climbing locations to protect archeological sites. Always practice “leave no trace” and do not remove anything, including indigenous artifacts, you find within the park. While climbing, think about the native peoples who were stewards of the land you’re on for thousands of years, and think about how they utilized the very climbing features you enjoy today. Shout out to Jessica Lynch, Museum Technician at the New River Gorge National Park and Reserve, for sharing this information with the community! 𝘽𝙚 𝙨𝙪𝙧𝙚 𝙩𝙤 𝙨𝙝𝙖𝙧𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙥𝙤𝙨𝙩 𝙩𝙤 𝙡𝙚𝙩 𝙤𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙨 𝙠𝙣𝙤𝙬 𝙖𝙗𝙤𝙪𝙩 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙞𝙣𝙙𝙞𝙜𝙚𝙣𝙤𝙪𝙨 𝙝𝙞𝙨𝙩𝙤𝙧𝙮 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙉𝙚𝙬 𝙍𝙞𝙫𝙚𝙧 𝙂𝙤𝙧𝙜𝙚! |
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