Each year, Access Fund’s Climbing Advocate Awards recognize the stewards, conservationists, community organizers, and advocates who bind the climbing community together. These awards are our chance—as a climbing advocacy movement—to honor some of the individuals and organizations who stand out for their exceptional commitment to building communities, stewarding climbing areas, and fighting for sustainable and equal access for all. Read on and meet the outstanding recipients of our 2025 Climbing Advocate Awards.

Mike Reardon - Bebie Leadership Award

While serving as executive director of the Carolina Climbers’ Coalition, Mike has driven many of the region’s biggest access wins, strengthened partnerships with landowners and agencies, and organized the community to steward a portfolio of climbing areas in the region. Just last year, Mike turned one of the Carolinas’ longest‑standing access challenges into a landmark success at Lower Ghost Town. And after Hurricane Helene devastated Western North Carolina in 2024, he took it upon himself to mobilize climbers to aid the greater community. These are just two examples that characterize Mike’s combination of perseverance, diplomacy, and genuine care, which have reshaped climbing access in the Southeast, and set a standard for advocacy that will benefit climbers for generations.

Kevin Johnson - Conservation & Leadership Award

After joining the Ragged Mountain Foundation (RMF) board in 2019, Kevin began brainstorming on how to secure permanent access to Pinnacle Cliff in Plainville, CT and the possibility of an outright purchase. When he took over as president of the organization in 2023, the gears really started turning as Kevin began bringing other land trusts and local partners into the fold and by early 2025, RMF was negotiating a purchase contract with the landowner. This milestone acquisition for climbing in Connecticut was coupled with another major win: adding fixed anchors along the Main Cliff at Ragged Mountain. Thanks to Kevin’s leadership and dedication to climbing advocacy, the New England climbing community has another incredible climbing resource permanently protected.

Marian May Perez - Equal Access & Leadership Award

May is a leader reshaping what climbing and its community can be through years of work building inclusive outdoor spaces. Co-founding Rise Outside, May has created opportunities for groups and individuals who have historically encountered barriers to the outdoors by providing free and low-cost programming in the Gunks and other climbing areas in the Northeast. This vision and mentorship continues to redefine what it means to make climbing accessible, welcoming, and community‑driven.

Maggi Dawson - Community & Land Manager Collaboration Award

For nearly a decade, and often behind the scenes, Maggi has been a steady, driving force behind Climbing Association of Southern Arizona’s (CASA) growth & programmatic successes. From leading the organization through the COVID-19 pandemic, to playing a pivotal role in the first climbing-specific infrastructure project in the Coronado National Forest, and operating CASA’s long‑running graffiti removal program, her collaborative spirit extends across the community through support of a number of affinity groups in Arizona as well, advancing climbing access, safety, conservation, and equity throughout the region.

George Lowe - Menocal Lifetime Achievement Award

As Access Fund celebrates its 35th year, we reflect on the people who enabled the organization to evolve from its early days as a volunteer committee into the dynamic, national force for climbing access and conservation that it has become. Of the many committed advocates and dedicated supporters Access Fund has been fortunate enough to have over the years, George holds a distinction no other can claim—Access Fund’s first recorded donation on December 1, 1989, and longest membership span: 33 active years over 35 years total. None of what we have accomplished would have been possible without the steadfast support of members like George, who embody the spirit of commitment to access and conservation that protects the places we love.

Marc “Petch” Pietrolungo - Stewardship & Mentorship Award

Petch has been a defining fixture of the California climbing community along the I‑50 corridor for over 30 years, dedicating himself to trail work, route development, wildlife protection, and community stewardship—most notably at Lover’s Leap. His leadership was on full display after the Caldor Fire, when he rebuilt the East Wall trail to restore safe access while supporting ecological recovery. Through his business, Lover’s Leap Guides, he has also strengthened the climbing community through inclusive education, mentorship, and employment opportunities. Petch’s decades of hands-on service represent an exceptional model of climbing, advocacy and community leadership.

Blue Ridge Conservancy - Land Conservation Award

Climbing access work in the southeast was born at Howard Knob. For decades, climbers, advocates, and conservation partners rallied to protect this area from development. Climbers camped in treetops to stop bulldozers and created the Triple Crown Bouldering Series to raise funds and awareness. Blue Ridge Conservancy finally brokered a successful deal last year to purchase this historic boulder field in Boone, NC and reopen access 30 years after its closure.

Red River Gorge Climbers’ Coalition (RRGCC) - Land Conservation Award

Decades of access wins and acquisitions, stewardship, & community engagement across the greater Red River Gorge region culminated in the largest land purchase of its kind by an LCO when RRGCC completed the Ashland acquisition in 2025. After 10 years of on-and-off negotiations, the historic purchase came to fruition, protecting 718 acres of land in the heart of the Red River Gorge’s Southern Region. Owning over 1,800 acres, and managing even more, RRGCC continues to lead the charge in property acquisitions by an LCO, now in its 30th year.

Chris Schulte - Athlete of the Year Award

Chris is not only a master boulderer, but also a writer, philosopher, adventurer, public land steward and climbing advocate. Chris has been a devoted friend of Access Fund, and he routinely participates in stewardship days at Indian Creek and lobbying trips to Washington DC. As a respected representative for the climbing community, his contribution to the passage of the landmark Protecting America’s Rock Climbing Act cannot be overstated. Chris consistently walks the talk by taking action rather than watching from the sidelines. As a longtime professional climber, Chris serves as a mentor to boulderers with his thoughtful ethics and Leave no Trace practices that respect indigenous people and the environment.

Matt Hudson - Land Manager of the Year Award

A pillar at the Obed for generations of climbers, Matt has been a stalwart supporter (and member!) of the climbing community for decades. Serving as a National Park Service Ranger for over 20 years, Matt has helped shape the Obed Wild & Scenic River visitor experience, including helping it grow into a celebrated national climbing destination. He started the “Climb with a Ranger” program and “National Parks in Your Backyard” initiative, both of which are focused on getting local residents out onto federal public lands to enjoy wild spaces and experience rock climbing. It is safe to say that Matt has introduced thousands of people to the joys of rock climbing in Tennessee. An exceptional partner, ranger, and friend to many, Matt’s contributions to the Obed are felt widely and deeply appreciated.

Movement Gyms - Corporate Responsibility Award

Through their Move With Purpose giving program, Movement Gyms has become a powerful leader in the climbing industry, investing not only in the people who climb, but in the places that make climbing possible, and the organizations that protect those places. Their generous support and partnership with Access Fund helps protect the landscapes we love and ensures that climbers can continue to find belonging, connection, and inspiration on the rock for generations to come. Movement’s leadership reminds us what it truly means to be a climbing community — taking care of each other and the places that bring us together.

Pat Goodman - Bolt Replacement & Community Organization Award

On top of a decade of bolstering the safety of climbing routes in the New River Gorge through hundreds of hours of fixed anchor maintenance, Pat has championed NRAC’s bolt replacement program in recent years, perfecting one‑to‑one bolt replacement techniques and training new volunteers to help with the ever-growing need for updated hardware. Pat’s quiet, consistent leadership has kept routes safe while respecting their history and building a stronger community of skilled stewards for the future.

Matt Carpenter - Leadership & Conservation Award

For 10 years, Matt has sat on the board of New River Alliance of Climbers (NRAC) and advocated for climbing access and stewardship in the New River Gorge region. Over the last three years, during his tenure as the organization’s president, Matt consistently worked on expanding the capabilities of NRAC’s programs, advocacy, fundraising, and internal workings. At the end of 2025, Matt was able to finally oversee one of NRAC’s most important long-term goals come to fruition— hiring for a paid executive director—taking a major next step in organizational growth and laying a foundation for the next generation of successful climbing advocacy in West Virginia.

Access Fund Announces 2025 Climbing Advocate Awardees