Comment from Satonik, Alexander
Alexander SatonikSupportIndividual
Summary: The commenter, a private individual, supports the recognition of climbing as a wilderness activity and the use of fixed anchors for safety. They argue that the policy should allow for the installation of anchors without arbitrary restrictions and advocate for streamlined authorization processes for new routes and replacements.
Installation of Fixed anchors saves lives, and tax payer money.
in 2022 i had a sever accident due to the failure of a temporary anchor in the wind river wilderness. the helicopter rescue alone cost over half a million dollars to the USFS. 20 dollars of permanent steel hardware would have prevented this accident.
Please allow climbers the ability to install anchors for climbing and rappelling as needed in a safe and prudent manner. please do not place arbitrary restriction on the numbers and locations of fixed anchors
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.