Rock climbers are rejoicing after Congress passed an act Thursday protecting outdoors access 鈥� specifically the way climbers get down from rocks in wilderness areas.
After scaling big walls or mountains, there often isn鈥檛 a safe way to walk down. So climbers use what鈥檚 known as 鈥渇ixed anchors,鈥� or metal bolts drilled into walls that they rappel off of.
鈥淚 think people are just relieved that they're not going to have to worry about getting to the top of a climb and having no way to get off,鈥� said Charlie Thomas with the Teton Climbers Coalition.
About a year ago, the National Park and Forest Services most anchors in wilderness areas, which could have restricted climbing in Zion and Grand Teton National Parks, along with the Wind River Range.
Some conservationists have argued that installing these anchors violates the Wilderness Act. But Thomas said anchors actually limit climbers鈥� impact on the environment.
鈥淭hey don't have to create some trail to get off of a climb that wouldn't normally exist,鈥� he said. 鈥淪o, if anything, it decreases the impact on an area.鈥�
Back in August, more than a dozen senators 鈥� mostly from our region 鈥� to protect access to fixed anchors.
The day before Congress passed the Protecting America鈥檚 Rock Climbing (PARC) Act, the National Park Service happened to it鈥檚 no longer working on its proposed policy to manage climbing. It said it will continue to regulate the sport on a park-by-park basis.
This timing was a coincidence, according to Erik Murdock, who is with the climbing advocacy group the Access Fund. It鈥檚 been a big week for him and other advocates.
鈥溾�奍 mean, the Access Fund has been trying to create a law to protect wilderness climbing for 31 years,鈥� he said.
Murdock added that this doesn鈥檛 mean there鈥檚 unfettered access to wilderness climbing. You still can鈥檛 use power drills to install anchors, and the sport will continue to be regulated in other ways. But he said he鈥檚 grateful that our elected officials 鈥渄id the right thing.鈥�
鈥�100% of our elected officials voted for it,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 mean, that's incredible.鈥�
Both Wyoming Senator John Barrasso and Colorado Senator John Hickenlooper helped get the rock climbing legislation passed as part of the This is also slated to restore campgrounds and create new long-distance bike trails, among other investments in the outdoor industry.
President Joe Biden is expected to sign off on it soon.
This story was produced by the Mountain West 暗黑爆料 Bureau, a collaboration between Wyoming Public Media, Nevada Public Radio (KNPR) in Las Vegas, Boise State Public Radio in Idaho, KUNR in Nevada, KUNC in Colorado and KANW in New Mexico, with support from affiliate stations across the region. Funding for the Mountain West 暗黑爆料 Bureau is provided in part by the .