Our Capabilities
How we get the job done and protect America’s climbing.
[PHOTO CREDIT] Climbing in the Gunks. Ancestral lands of Munsee Lenape © Tomas Donoso
A sustainable future for climbing.
Threats to America's climbing come in many forms—private climbing areas gobbled up by development, special interest groups desecrating public lands, climber impacts degrading the environment, landowners fearful of liability, the list goes on. Our approach to protecting climbing is as multifaceted as the threats.
How we get it done
Public Lands Policy & Advocacy
Nearly 60% of climbing areas in the United States are located on federally managed public lands. With a sustained presence in Washington, D.C. and boots on the ground at parks and forests across the country, we work with lawmakers, policy makers, and land managers to protect these incredible landscapes.
[PHOTO CREDIT] Tommy Caldwell, Chris Winter, and Erik Murdock outside the White House with Brenda Mallory. Ancestral lands of Nacotchtank (Anacostan) and Piscataway. © Access Fund.
Stewardship & Conservation
Any time humans are out on the land there will be environmental impact, and climbing is no exception. Access Fund has the tools and expertise to help local climbing communities manage their environmental impacts so that climbing landscapes can thrive.
[PHOTO CREDIT] Ten Sleep, Wyoming. Ancestral lands of Crow, Cheyenne, and Sioux. © Kris Ugarriza.
Land Acquisition & Protection
Access Fund is a certified land trust that provides local climbing communities with loans, grants, and acquisition expertise to swiftly purchase threatened climbing areas when they go up for sale.
Grassroots Organizing & Advocacy
When a climbing area in your backyard is threatened, who will be there to help? Access Fund organizes and empowers local climbers to join together into local climbing organizations, which are often the first and best line of defense when a climbing area in your backyard is threatened.
[PHOTO CREDIT] Indian Rock, California. Ancestral lands of Ohlone, Miwok, Muwekma, and Confederated Villages of Lisjan. © M. Calabres.
Climber Education
Access Fund helps climbers understand how to minimize their impacts and navigate changes in the climbing environment, the political landscape, the climate, and our community.
[PHOTO CREDIT] Bears Ears National Monument, Utah. Ancestral lands of Navajo, Ute, Ute Mountain, Hopi, and Zuni. © Karson Leonard.
Risk Management & Landowner Support
Access Fund partners with private and public landowners on strategies to mitigate both real and perceived risks of climbing—giving them the confidence and protections they need to open their land to public access.
[PHOTO CREDIT] Pinnacle Boulders, New York. Ancestral lands of Ho-de-no-sau-nee-ga and Kanienʼkehá꞉ka. © Joe Sambataro.
Join the climbing advocacy movement
Every day, climbers across the country are taking action to protect the lands and outdoor experiences they love.
The only question is, where will you plug in?
[PHOTO CREDIT] © Andrew Burr