Comment from Kuklov, Vadim
Vadim KuklovSupportIndividual
Summary: The commenter, a private individual and climber, supports the recognition of climbing as a wilderness activity and the allowance of fixed anchors. They advocate for streamlining the authorization process for new routes and providing programmatic authorizations for established climbing areas.
The past 15 years of my life have been spent having memorable and transformative experiences climbing on public lands. I have personally replaced anchors, installed new ones, and explored new routes in ways that have added to the local climbing community. I strongly advocate for smart policy that protects future generations of climbers and allows them to have similar experiences.
I support the recognition that climbing is an appropriate Wilderness activity and that fixed anchors, critical pieces of the climbing safety system, are allowable in Wilderness. I also support provisions to allow climbers to place or replace fixed anchors without authorization in the event of an emergency. I appreciate that the policy protects existing climbing routes that were developed before the PARC Act was passed into law. Legacy Wilderness climbs should remain available in order to preserve America’s rich climbing legacy.
Please improve policies to expedite timely replacement of fixed anchors in order to avoid unnecessary barriers to climber safety. The authorization process for new climbing routes that require fixed anchors should be easier to navigate. Please provide a clear path for programmatic authorization, or preauthorization, at climbing areas that do not necessitate case-by-case special use permits.