Recent Events

Not sure what's in the wind right now, but there's been an unusually high amount of news relating to climbing access challenges in the Bitterroot, the west, the country the world. This of course hits close to home as we've seen an escalation in vandalism along with threats to climbing and climbers at Mill this year. This blog has remained intentionally quiet on that front so as not to undermine efforts being made to remedy the situation. However, it is important to point out that we are actively working with both the Forest Service and law enforcement to deal with several issues, including the ongoing covering of the trail, the destruction of the erosion control at the base of the climbs, and the theft and destruction of hardware. We will announce relevant news and progress as it becomes available.

Until then, we encourage you to email any incidents or observations to the g-mail address of millcreeknorthrim. Where possible, please include specific dates, times, and pictures if you have them. Such documentation will assist with our efforts. If you prefer, you can leave your information in a comment on this post. Specify in the comment if you want it published or not. We won't publish incident reports unless you say to.

If there's comfort in numbers, or if reading the following fires you up and motivates you to take action, like joining a coalition, the Access Fund, or signing a petition, then here's a summary of some of the recent items in the news that have, in part, sparked this post:

Congress to vote on big mining that will destroy Oak Flat climbing area in Arizona. more...

Long-running Southeast Triple Crown bouldering series loses one of its crowns. more...

Public access in jeopardy for historic Stanage Edge in England's Peak District. more... Petition link (This is like speaking up for the 'Gunks or Yosemite. It only takes 30 seconds to add your voice.)

On a positive note, Ten Sleep climbers have just formed the Bighorn Climbers' Coalition "dedicated to preserving, protecting and promoting access to climbing resources in the Bighorn Mountains and Bighorn Basin of Wyoming." Visit the site here. Read about its formation on DPM here.  Ten Sleep is a favorite destination for Montana climbers, offering world-class sport climbing. If you want to help out, consider becoming a coalition member. It's only $25 and will go toward establishing use plans and helping to ensure Ten Sleep climbing remains open for all.