BURST
In the latest in a sweeping series of regulatory changes, the U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI), the governing body that oversees most federal lands—including renowned climbing destinations like Yosemite, Red Rock, Zion, and Joshua Tree—has announced a maximum distance of no more than five feet (1.5m) between fixed bolts on all sport climbs. The DOI has also mandated that all existing sport routes be retroactively bolted to abide by this ruling.
The motivations of the administration are unclear, but judging from a statement that a DOI spokesperson gave to Climbing, the decision appears to result from an increased need for safety, in light of severe staffing shortages on federal lands, which will impact search, rescue, and recovery capabilities. (Though a federal judge recently ordered the rehiring of thousands of fired government employees, including NPS rangers and other public lands staffers, the Trump Administration is taking this decision to the Supreme Court for a potential reversal.)
“The inflated budget that goes to support our nation’s pristine wilderness is a burden on the American taxpayer,” the DOI spokesperson told Climbing. “These ‘parks’ will soon be much more minimally staffed, with a growing focus on resource extraction. In light of the rescue-service cuts, we need to make changes to ensure visitor safety.”
These new regulations are not designed to “hinder the experience of law-abiding Americans,” argued the spokesperson, but to make it “easier to climb mountains” and “ensure that outdoor ‘explorers’ are recreating with maximum safety.”
Reportedly the DOI is also considering a potential blanket ban on traditional climbing, after being informed about the inherent risks of the discipline and the room for user error when placing removable protection. “Generally, this administration is inclined to agree with anything that adheres to ‘tradition,’” the spokesperson said, “but our understanding is that in this instance the term ‘tradition’ equates to risk, and this is unacceptable. The outdoors should provide maximum wealth and benefit to humans, not test them.”
It is unclear if boulder problems will have to abide by the mandate. When Climbing queried the spokesperson, he didn’t seem to be aware of the discipline, but claimed it was only “common sense” that any stretch of rock more than five feet apart must be protected with fixed bolts.
“It has come to our attention that rock climbing is a source of risk, injury, and thus taxpayer burden in federal land,” the spokesperson concluded, “and this conflicts with our administration’s primary mandate [which is] to harvest as much value as possible from the environment.”
“That is, of course, until we successfully gut Earth of its remaining natural resources, and the outdated concept of ‘outdoor adventure’ is experienced via virtual reality.”
Happy April 1st!
The post New Law Proposes Maximum 5-foot Distance Between Climbing Bolts on U.S. Federal Land appeared first on Climbing.