April 2, 1972
The American Alpine Club is deeply concerned
about the past, present and future of all
mountain-related activities. Unlike most other
forms of recreation, the very essence of rock
climbing and mountaineering depends on the
natural scene, a nonrenewable resource. The
current popularity of climbing is causing
tremendous human impact upon the mountain
environment. The future of climbing is dependent
upon a minimum impact approach. It has become
apparent that humans can do anything given
enough equipment, time and luck. This approach
is not mountaineering. Just as foreign to the
climber is a rigid codification of ethical
behavior. The solution to mountain problems must
begin at an individual level. We therefore urge
the individual to consider the cumulative
effects of his or her mountain activities and to
tailor his or her own code of ethics in such a
way that traditional mountaineering values are
preserved for future generations. This means
respecting the varying traditions of climbing in
different geographical areas. It also means
avoiding the use of off-road vehicles,
mechanized climbing aids and, at , such
traditional items as fires, horses, pitons and
aircraft .We believe that self-restraint and
discretion must be employed by each individual
in order to preserve the dignity of both our
mountains and our sport.
back to top
May 18 1974
The AAC is a national public foundation
concerned with the education and scientific
aspects of the mountain environment. We believe
that public lands should be always open for
recreational uses compatible with preservation
of the natural environment. Should preference be
deemed necessary among recreational users, it
should be given to those whose means of access
have the least adverse effect on the land and
are least inconveniencing of other recreational
users. This would give high priority to
individual and small groups traveling on foot
and low priority to large organized groups using
pack animals, or to those using motorized
transportation regardless of relative
inaccessibility. Climbing, like other activities
such as sport fishing and whitewater boating, is
dependent on the occurrence of specific natural
areas. Climbing should receive priority over
other uses where its opportunities are limited.
The right of recreational use of public lands
does not include the right to destructive use of
nonrenewable resources or those of slow
regenerative capacity. We encourage the use of
climbing techniques which leave no trace of a
climber's visit. In areas of fragile rock and
ecosystems, routes should follow the natural
lines so as to be least noticeable. Restrictions
on length of stay may be necessary in
use-sensitive areas, but allowance should be
made for the extension of time for camping when
inclement weather prohibits safe climbing.
Recreational users have an obligation to leave
public lands as they found them for enjoyment of
future users. Users should obliterate any signs
of their stay and carry out all waste. We
recognize that certain areas of unique natural
value should be designated as wilder-ness,
research or natural areas where human visits
should be rare. Wherever these coincide with
principal climbing areas, all effort should be
made to delineate boundaries and develop
management practices to allow these areas to
coexist. No public official has a right to
impose overly elaborate permit procedures that
in effect abridge the right of access to public
lands to non-motorized, noncommercial use, or to
any part of the public domain no matter what is
thought to be the personal risk to the user.
The right of recreational access to the
public domain is recognized to carry with it a
concomitant personal risk to the user. While it
is desirable that all recreational users, and in
particular, hikers and climbers entering
wilderness areas, attempting difficult ascents
or undertaking winter mountaineering, have a
reasonable level of competence and preparedness;
we recognize that such is impractical to control
by regulation. A public agency should do no more
than warn users of potential risks. Where
regulations governing access and use are deemed
necessary these regulations should be written
and widely disseminated. There should be regular
official procedures for review of such
regulations by representatives of principal
users groups.
The American Alpine Club does not view
mountain search or rescue as public obligation.
Should rescue operations be deemed necessary at
any time, they should be the voluntary act of
those participating, unless the involved party
or their kind have specifically requested rescue
efforts at their own expense. Although we
commend the development of programs for
responding to emergency situations, we do not
believe it is a necessary obligation to the
public to retrieve those whose own acts, poor
judgment or bad fortune have placed their lives
in jeopardy.
back to top
February 15, 1974
To Authors and Publishers of Climbing
Guidebooks:
The American Alpine Club believes that the
education of climbers in the wise and careful
use of the alpine environment would be greatly
furthered if advice concerning sound
environmental practices were contained in the
books which climbers actually carried into the
field with them. Partly because of the
difficulty of devising a set of prescriptions
valid for all the varied regions of this
continent and partly because of the aversion of
many climbers to formal codes, the AAC has
refrained from publishing one. Nonetheless, the
directors are deeply concerned about the problem
of adverse impact on the mountain environment of
the ever-growing numbers of climbers and have
repeatedly urged climbers to adopt a minimum
impact approach. The alpine environment is an
exceedingly fragile one. Delicate ecosystems
have only a brief growing season between the
melting of the last snows and the onset of long,
harsh winters. The margin for recovery from
damage is slight, and human impact can do
irreparable harm. Federal and state agencies, as
well as private owners, are increasingly
concerned about protection of this environment,
and in some areas limitations on use are being
imposed. As climbers, our continued access to
the mountains will depend upon the care with
which we treat them. We would, therefore, like
to urge you to consider ways of impressing upon
users of your guidebooks the necessity for the
sort of self-restraint necessary to prevent
environmental degradation. Among good alpine
environmental practices to recommend, depending
on local conditions, are the following:
- Observing local regulation and the
guidelines of Federal agencies or private
owners.
- Helping to prevent trail erosion. Cutting
across switchbacks creates serious erosion
problems. Making duplicate paths should be
avoided. Trails which cut across a slope where
the angle is low will cause less erosion than
hose which cut across it where it is steep.
- Protecting the trees. Continuous use of
belay and rappel anchors can damage and even
kill trees. Tree climbing should not be a
substitute for routes on rock.
- Protecting the alpine meadows. In general,
the lower forested areas or the rocky alpine
areas are more tolerant of use than the
delicate subalpine meadows and are therefore
preferable for campsites.
- Packing a stove. In many alpine and
subalpine areas, downed wood is in short
supply. The lower, dead branches of alpine
trees are part of the natural scene and should
be allowed to remain. Blackened campfire rings
left in place are a sign of human impact on
the wilderness environment; on the other hand,
dispersing fire rings will damage the
environment if many users are doing it.
- Avoiding polluting. Soap pollutes streams
and lakes. Excrement should be buried a short
distance into the topsoil where natural
processes will decompose it. All trash and
garbage should be packed out. If it is buried,
animals will dig up the soil to get at it.
- Packing out litter left behind by the sort
of thoughtless user who will always be with
us, no matter how high the general level of
consciousness becomes.
- Using restraint in the employment of
climbing aids such as pitons and bolts which
can permanently de the rock and degrade the
route for subsequent climbers. Your
cooperation in this endeavor will be a great
service to American mountaineering.
back to top
September 20, 1975
As the national organization representing one
of the major uses of the parks, the sport of
mountaineering, The American Alpine Club has
strived to promote in mountaineers an awareness
of their individual responsibility for
minimizing their impact on the natural
environment. Although concerned with promoting
the use and enjoyment of the parks by
mountaineers, where use and preservation of the
natural environment are in clear conflict, The
American Alpine Club believes that preservation
must take priority, and it continues to endorse
the authority of the Secretary of the Interior
and the National Park Service to take reasonable
measures to safeguard the integrity of the
natural areas committed to their charge.
In creating and adding to the National Park
system, Congress has repeatedly stipulated that
the areas designated were to be set-aside "in
their natural condition." If the second
injunction is to be honored, clearly "enjoyment
of the people" cannot connote any-and-all uses,
but rather such uses as are consistent with
preservation in the natural condition.
back to top
December 5, 1975
Except in a proven situation of compelling
national interest, The American Alpine Club is
opposed to the introduction of mining operations
within the boundaries of any national park,
monument, or designated wilderness area. Such
operations would be destructive of the
preeminent natural values for which the parks,
monuments, and wilderness areas have been
created and a violation of the expectation that
these unique areas will be forever preserved in
their natural condition.
December 4, 1976
While recognizing that registration by
climbers may be desirable under some conditions
and reasonably required by land managers, the
AAC is concerned that such registration in no
way abrogate the right of a climber to alter a
selected route in consequence of unforeseeable
conditions or other considerations arising
during the climb. Where required, registration
should be considered an informational procedure
and should not be used as a means of granting or
withholding permission to climb.
back to top
December 2, 1977
The American Alpine Club favors the
continuation of the traditional wilderness style
of mountaineering wherever possible. It opposes
the introduction of "enclaves" and developments
where these will have the effect of promoting
traffic and of defeating wilderness protection.
However, where established use patterns are
proving destructive of fragile alpine terrain,
the Club endorses the construction of huts or
other shelters, with the recommendation that
their use be mandatory.
back to top
April 15, 1979
The Board of Directors of The American Alpine
Club has voted to offer a reward of $500 for
information leading to the arrest and conviction
of persons causing injury to climbers engaged in
their legitimate pursuits. For example, this
reward would be offered for information leading
to the arrest and conviction of a person
throwing rocks down a climbing cliff and
injuring a climber on the cliff below, or
someone discharging a firearm in a reckless
manner and injuring a climber while engaged in a
climbing activity. The AAC reserves the right to
determine whether or not a particular incident
justifies the offer of such a reward. Once a
reward is offered by the AAC, it will remain
open until revoked by the AAC in a manner
similar to that of the original offer, which
usually will be publication in The American
Alpine News or in a mountaineering publication
of general circulation. The AAC reserves the
right to determine when a reward should be given
to a person supplying the information leading to
the arrest and conviction of a person causing
injury to a climber. Generally, the reward would
be earned by the person who first communicates
the information which is effective in leading to
the arrest and conviction of the offender by a
court of competent jurisdiction.
back to top
December 5, 1980
The American Alpine Club is opposed to the
use of snowmobiles and off-road vehicles as a
means of recreation in mountain areas. Off-road
vehicles destroy terrain, disturb wildlife and
damage delicate ecosystems. These are important
values which our national parks, monuments and
forests were established to preserve. The noise
of such vehicles is disturbing to wildlife and
destructive of the quality of recreational
experience which others have come to seek in a
natural setting. It is the opinion of the Club
that the terms under which our national parks
and monuments were established, limit
recreational uses to those activities which are
consonant with the preservation of these areas
in their natural condition. The national forest
values of range, water supply, wildlife,
recreation, and even timber management are all
adversely affected by unrestricted ORV activity.
The Club further believes that national
well-being will be improved in all ways by
encouraging more personal physical exertion on
the one hand, and reducing the use of fossil
fuels generally.
back to top
September 28, 1996
Whereas the Board of Directors of the
American Alpine Club recognizes that all
technological developments can have both a
positive and negative effect on the sport of
climbing, we urge those entering into the
mountain environment to consider the use of the
cellular telephone as a communication device and
not a substitute for skill and knowledge in the
fundamentals of climbing. The cellular telephone
is in and of itself not a safety device, nor
does it guarantee the delivery of any perceived
or needed services in the mountains.
back to top
AAC Policy Statement on the Use
of Fixed Climbing Safety Anchors in Wilderness
for the Forest Service Negotiated Rulemaking
Process
Throughout its almost 100-year history The
American Alpine Club has been a consistent and
active voice for preserving the mountainous
regions in the United States in their natural
state. Mountaineers and rock climbers were among
the first people ever to visit these remote
mountain ranges and wild areas we today know as
wilderness. Through their explorations and
adventures, climbers came to appreciate the
wildness of these lands and became one of the
most ardent advocacy groups fighting for their
protection. The American Alpine Club testified
on behalf of the Wilderness Act of 1964, and has
steadfastly supported wilderness designation and
appropriate management so that others in the
future may continue to experience these areas in
their natural state.
For as long as climbers have journeyed to the
mountains and cliffs, they have used different
types of climbing safety devices to protect
their ascents and descents. The first recorded
use of metal devices to assist in the ascent of
a rock face in the United States occurred in
1875 when George Anderson placed primitive iron
spikes in holes drilled into Yosemite’s Half
Dome. The modern piton first came into
prominence in Germany and Austria early in the
1910s, and was used as early as 1914 in the
United States. Use of a fixed piton as a rappel
anchor was documented as early as 1920 on the
first ascent of Lizard Head Peak in Colorado. In
the early 1930s climbing literature reported
that rope slings were the most prevalent rappel
anchor in use. The first expansion bolt used in
this country occurred in 1939, when a Sierra
Club party placed four of them in areas where
piton placement was not possible to safeguard
the first ascent of Shiprock in New Mexico.
All forms of “fixed climbing safety anchors”
– a generic term used to describe slings, pitons
and bolts – were used extensively throughout the
country for many decades before adoption of the
Wilderness Act both in areas that subsequently
became designated wilderness and in
non-wilderness areas. Wilderness philosophers
devoted countless reams of paper to defining
wilderness and the activities that were
appropriate or inappropriate with the wilderness
spirit. Similarly, Congress devoted thousands of
hours of testimony to discussing the consistent
and inconsistent uses of wilderness. In both
instances climbing was always viewed as an
archetypal recreational use of wilderness, and
never once did either group mention fixed
climbing safety anchors as being incompatible
with wilderness designation. Considering that
many of the fiercest wilderness advocates were
climbers who regularly placed and used fixed
anchors, the failure to mention these safety
tools as prohibited objects should be
interpreted as a sign they were never viewed as
detrimental to wilderness values.
While widely used by American climbers, how,
when and by whom fixed slings, pitons and bolts
should be placed to safeguard climbing has been
an item of intense debate over the decades.
Pitons and bolts initially were judged by some
as “unsporting” tools that allowed the inferior
climber to triumph over peaks and rock faces
that should be left for better climbers (as were
crampons when they were first invented), but
with the passage of time accepted norms were
developed. Piton placement and removal largely
was discontinued in the 1960s and ‘70s due to
its long-term damage to crack systems and the
development of removable protection. A growing
“leave no trace” wilderness ethic developed both
regarding climbing safety equipment as well as a
general approach to the land that sought to
minimize impact on the natural environment.
However, even in the “clean climbing” era, fixed
climbing safety anchors still are used as a last
resort in areas where removable protection is
not possible to protect the climber’s ascent, or
to fashion a safe anchor from which to rappel.
In light of this history of fixed climbing
safety anchor use, The American Alpine Club
believes the following points should apply to
climbing in Congressionally designated
wilderness areas, Congressionally designated
wilderness study areas, and agency-recommended
wilderness study areas:
· Mountaineering and technical rock climbing
are time-honored and acceptable uses of American
wilderness lands that allow citizens to interact
both physically and mentally with nature in its
primitive state;
· Many alpine environments and mountain
ranges exist only in designated wilderness or
wilderness study areas, and many wilderness
climbing experiences cannot be replicated in
non-wilderness settings;
· Fixed climbing safety anchors are necessary
tools allowed by the Wilderness Act as
substantially unnoticed “imprints of man’s work”
that climbers periodically must use and leave in
place to protect the climber while ascending
and/or descending a route;
· Inadequate protection is one of the leading
causes of injuries and fatalities in climbing.
Climbers must retain the discretion to determine
what forms of protection to use – including the
use of fixed climbing safety anchors – to
protect themselves while climbing in designated
wilderness or wilderness study areas;
· Wilderness climbing, including the use of
fixed climbing safety anchors, should be managed
to preserve wilderness character and values, and
to ensure we leave future generations with an
enduring resource of wilderness;
· Management of wilderness climbing,
including the placement, use and removal of
fixed climbing safety anchors, should occur at
the local level through climbing management
plans, and should be based on objective
information about use patterns and resource
conditions. In all management actions, land
managers should chose the least restrictive
means possible of achieving a desired outcome;
· Wilderness climbing should be viewed by
climbers as a fundamentally different experience
than non-wilderness climbing. Climbers who
recreate in designated wilderness and wilderness
study areas should challenge themselves to
practice the highest form of “leave no trace”
ethic possible by using fixed climbing safety
anchors sparingly and only as a last resort when
other options are not possible to protect
climber safety; and
· Motorized equipment is specifically
prohibited in designated wilderness and should
never be used to facilitate placement of fixed
climbing safety anchors.
Adopted by The American Alpine Club’s Board
of Directors on November 12, 1999.
back to top |
