Project Update: Best Practices

Uniting the global climbing community to create a sustainable, equitable future for our sport

By The Climbing Initiative | January 25, 2021

Two and a half months ago, The Climbing Initiative announced a project to create the first international best practices for the development of climbing areas and communities.

All around the world, climbers have dedicated their time and resources to developing crags, forging relationships with locals, securing land access, building trails and platforms, creating norms of environmental protection, and working to develop inclusive climbing communities. Responding to international interest, we have invited authors to contribute their innovative ideas and lessons learned for the benefit of our entire global community.

We have been blown away by the amount of interest in the project, and we’re so grateful to the contributors who have signed on so far! More than 60 individuals from the following countries have joined us as authors, peer reviewers, and editors:

Australia | Chile | Ecuador | Fiji | France | Iran | Lebanon | Kenya | Mexico | Peru | Philippines | United States

Here are a few examples of the topics our stellar authors are starting to work on:

• Public access

• Protecting plant and animal species

• Communicating leave no trace ethics

• Encouraging diverse membership in the climbing community

• How to be a responsible climbing tourist

• Quantifying climbing’s economic impact

• Fundraising strategies for climbing organizations

• And more!

We’d love for you to join our project

Here’s what we’re looking for:

Authors

Individuals with experience in crag development and maintenance, environmental conservation, community development, economic impact, or building climbing organizations

Peer Reviewers

Leaders in the climbing community who would like to provide feedback on chapters

Experience Box Writers

Individuals with stories to share demonstrating key lessons given in the chapters

Editors

Enthusiastic supporters with solid writing skills and an eye for detail who would love to help us make these chapters as great as they can be

Photographers

Talented individuals who would like to have their photos featured in our project

Partner Organizations

Outdoor brands, media, and nonprofits interested in joining us and helping ensure the best practices reach as many people around the world as possible

To join our best practices project, please fill out the following form with details on your areas of experience and preferred role, and a member of our team will be in touch with you shortly.