Federal legislation that would preserve the practice of installing permanent climbing anchors in the wilderness — an activity that has long divided recreation advocates and conservationists — passed the U.S. House of Representatives last week.
The Expanding Public Lands Outdoor Recreation Experiences Act, known as the EXPLORE Act, is a package of more than a dozen policy measures aimed at improving outdoor recreation on federal lands. It bundles together provisions that would create more long-distance bike trails, streamline permitting for outfitters and fund parks and green spaces.
The act’s sentiment aligns with Wyoming’s embrace of outdoor recreation as a growing economic driver. Wyoming’s outdoor recreation economy increased to $2.02 billion, or 4.1% of the state’s GDP in 2022, according to the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis. The state created a trust fund in 2023 to allocate grants to outdoor recreation projects, and signed a law in March that will authorize a governing board to allocate those infrastructure and access grants.
Also included in the EXPLORE Act is the Protecting America’s Rock Climbing Act, which safeguards practices around bolting fixed anchors in wilderness. Climbing access advocates, who say the practice is necessary for safety in Wyoming destinations like the Wind River Range, cheered its passage.
The act “benefits climbers, our public lands, local communities, and all of us who love recreating and spending time in nature,” Access Fund Executive Director Heather Thorne said in a statement. She urged the Senate to follow suit “so that President Biden can sign legislation protecting sustainable wilderness climbing access into law.”
The EXPLORE Act passed by voice vote Tuesday. Wyoming’s Rep. Harriet Hageman supported it, according to her staff.
To bolt or not to bolt?
The debate over installing permanent climbing anchors in the wilderness dates back decades, but was reignited with recent federal proposals.
The Protecting America’s Rock Climbing Act that ended up in the policy bundle was introduced in March. The same month, U.S. Sens. John Barrasso (R-Wyoming) and Joe Manchin (D-West Virginia) introduced America’s Outdoor Recreation Act, which would also recognize that recreational climbing “is an appropriate recreational use” in wilderness and allow fixed anchors along routes.
Then in November, the United States Forest Service and National Park Service proposed guidelines for managing climbing. The directives explicitly prohibit fixed anchors as “installations” in wilderness areas.
While climbing advocates say fixed anchors are a mandatory safety measure and non-intrusive feature that blends in with rocks, wilderness advocates who oppose them say wilderness designations deserve the most stringent protections, and fixed anchors undermine The Wilderness Act’s foundations.
“I think it’s an incredibly slippery slope,” former executive director of the Jackson Hole Conservation Alliance Franz Camenzind told WyoFile. “What’s the next one, bikes in wilderness?”
There are many climbing routes in Wyoming wilderness, including in the Wind River Range, Bighorn Mountains and Absarokas, and climbing advocates say a prohibition would be detrimental to the sport.
Wide-ranging support
The EXPLORE Act addresses much more than climbing provisions. In a November congressional hearing, representatives and others stressed that the bipartisan package represents years of work to improve many aspects of outdoor recreation, including increasing accessibility for veterans and addressing outdoor recreation’s strain on things like housing. Many also emphasized the value of harnessing the industry’s economic might.
“Whether you are a hunter, fisher, rock climber, target shooter, paddler, adventurer, there is something in this legislation for you,” Rep. Tom Tiffany (R-Wisconsin) said. “That’s because the central theme of the EXPLORE Act is improving access for the hundreds of millions of people who recreate on our public lands annually across the country.”
During that hearing, National Forest System Deputy Chief Chris French acknowledged the Forest Service’s proposed guidance on rock climbing, but indicated the conflicting proposal did not create an insurmountable hurdle. “We are committed to our public comment periods and creating a workable solution for all users,” French said.
Fast forward four months, and the EXPLORE Act’s passage out of the House last week was followed by a raft of celebratory statements.
“America’s outfitters have been working toward this for years and couldn’t be more pleased,” America Outdoors Executive Director Aaron Bannon said.
“The EXPLORE Act will improve management for climbing and mountain biking, enhance how agencies manage outdoor recreation and invest in parks where they are needed most,” said Louis Geltman, vice president of policy and government relations for Outdoor Alliance.
“The way Americans recreate is changing at break-neck speeds,” said Becky Humphries, president and CEO of the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership. “The EXPLORE Act will ensure that our agencies and the public have the tools they need to keep up with the dynamic recreation patterns of our nation.”
“Many families struggle to safely or affordably access our public lands,” Robert Scott, deputy director of federal policy for Sierra Club, said. “Whether it’s inaccessible trails that people with mobility issues cannot use, a lack of parks within walking distance of a family’s neighborhood, or the increasing costs of planning large trips to visit a national park, all our communities deserve to enjoy nature and outdoor recreation amenities.”
The EXPLORE Act, he continued, “will unlock opportunities for many more families nationwide.”
The original NPS proposal to ban fixed anchors in all wilderness areas included not only bolts, but literally all fixed anchors like jammed camming devices, fixed rappel stations (webbing slings, pitons or other removable items like wired stoppers and such. Draconian to say the least, this proposal would have been impossible to implement and virtually impossible to find and identify existing fixed protection. Most support for the ban came from wilderness advocates who have no understanding of what wilderness climbing is and the threat to safe climbing that it represented. Fortunately cooler heads and calm organized advocacy from the AAC and the Access Fund in particular helped send this proposal to a well deserved trash bin. I do support the continuing requirement that all new bolts must be drilled by hand.
As someone who climbed in the Cirque way back in the 90’s and enjoyed the challenge of climbing unbolted routes, I have mixed feelings about bolting in wilderness designated areas. While bolting may make climbing safer and more accessible for some, it does alter the nature of the rock and the climb itself. Knowing where to place removable protection is part of the skill of climbing, and many questions arise about the placement and management of bolts in remote areas. It is necessary to consider all the implications, long term ramifications and fine print of allowing bolting before any blanket permission is granted for wilderness areas. Personally, I need to know more of the specifics and will seek to read all the bill myself.
Why is there even a debate on placing some bolt anchors in rocks for climber safety in locations only a few will ever access while the Nature Conservancy and the Green Team wants to cover Wyoming’s beautiful open spaces on federal land with acres of solar panels and wind turbines?
Thanks Katie. The biggest thing that needs to happen for the Wind Rivers is a permitting system from July 15 through August 31.