The Climbing Advocate Awards recognize the stewards, conservationists, community organizers, and advocates who help knit the climbing community together. We’re all better off for being able to count these talented, motivated, and hardworking individuals among our numbers. Every year, we 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 equitable access. Meet the recipients of our 2022 Climbing Advocate Awards. 

Josephine Sterr
Organizational Leadership Award

While Josephine Sterr’s skill set ranges from stewardship to rebolting to fundraising, her biggest impact has arguably been organizing and empowering local climbing organizations to safeguard their foundational health and strength. Her passion for organizational leadership makes her an invaluable asset in any setting. In her 17 years of climbing advocacy, Josephine has served on the boards of three LCOs, grown two of those LCOs to add executive directors and accountants, and led major stewardship projects. 

Doug Hemken
Stewardship & Policy Award

For more than 30 years, Doug Hemken has been fighting for sustainable access, connecting more people to nature and inspiring them to protect and conserve the lands they love. He has served on the board of Wisconsin Climbers Association since its inception, leading access and stewardship initiatives for the majority of his tenure. Hemken has persevered since the 1990s in his efforts to help the state’s climbing community expand climbing access through his tireless work with private landowners and state land managers. 

Leandra Hernandez
JEDI & Stewardship Award 

Leandra Hernandez has dedicated her time, effort, and energy as a climbing advocate to ensure all climbers have the opportunity to share in the joys of climbing. In her time on the board of directors for Salt Lake Climbers Alliance (SLCA), she co-founded and co-facilitated its Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (JEDI) committee and worked to bridge the gap between the organization and other affinity groups. Her work with SLCA led her to Salt Lake Area Queer Climbers (SLAQC), where she now serves as co-leader. Her work has improved access for Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) and queer climbers in the Salt Lake City region.

Chris Vultaggio
JEDI & Landowner Support Award

Chris Vultaggio is an accomplished photographer and video editor who donates his time and professional skills to the Gunks Climbers’ Coalition (GCC) to bring new climbers into the advocacy movement. His short film Conserve: Climbing and Stewardship in the Shawangunks focuses on the impact of climbing and what we can do as climbers to help protect this fragile landscape. He is also a dedicated advocate for equitable access, working with GCC to arrange free clinic spots for underrepresented climbers at Gunks Fest and pushing the climbing community to address important JEDI issues. 

Audrey and Curtis Gale-Dyer
Land Management & Stewardship Award

The Red River Gorge Climbers Coalition (RRGCC) owns and manages an ambitious amount of land—over 1,200 acres of forested Kentucky wildlands. The organization couldn’t do it without the stellar efforts of Audrey and Curtis Gale-Dyer, official land managers for RRGCC. Their work includes securing grant money for stewardship projects, organizing volunteer days, maintaining and executing a comprehensive stewardship plan for all of RRGCC’s properties, and so much more. Their accomplishments at RRGCC exemplify the heights of what an LCO can achieve for land conservation and climbing access. 

Emily Seelenfreund
JEDI & Adaptive Access Award

Climbers are a powerful force for protecting the places and the sport we love—and the more climbers there are, the more powerful our movement becomes. Emily Seelenfreund is leading the effort to bring more climbers with disabilities into the climbing community in the San Francisco Bay area. Her organization, Paracliffhangers, improves access for climbers with disabilities to a range of outdoor climbing areas, including the Berkeley Hills, Yosemite, and more. She also leads the organization’s efforts to partner with land managers to improve accessibility for people with disabilities of all kinds. Her work also extends to indoor climbing, where she works with local gyms to facilitate meetups that routinely draw in members of the para community who have never climbed before. 

Adriana Boylan
Bolt Replacement & Mentorship Award

Adriana Boylan is on a mission to make climbers—especially women and youth—the most powerful advocates they can be. She encourages more women to get involved in central Oregon’s rebolting community through education and volunteer efforts. She also founded the Cascades Academy Climbing Club at the middle school where she teaches, and she’s currently working with her students to build WAG Bag stations around Smith Rock. On top of it all, she is a committed member of the High Desert Climbers Alliance (HDCA) board of directors. Boylan is an inspiring leader in the central Oregon climbing community and a role model for climbing advocates everywhere. 

Dan Greenwald
Stewardship & Land Manager Collaboration Award

Dan Greenwald works tirelessly to protect and conserve the unique climbing areas in northern New Mexico. From working with United States Forest Service officials to installing peregrine nesting signage to coordinating major trail days with the Bureau of Land Management, his ability to work with land managers and reinforce positive climber relationships is a valuable asset to the local climbing community. A dedicated mentor to climbers in the Taos area, Greenwald also holds workshops and training in his own garage to pass his skills along to others. 

Crystal Hudelson & Keith Murakata
JEDI & Stewardship Award

Climbers of Color (CoC) has made an incredible impact on climbing access for the BIPOC community, and two of its most influential advocates are Crystal Hudelson and Keith Murakata. Their involvement with CoC began with cohosting BIPOC climb nights at local gyms and blossomed into their current positions as “Codirectors of Rock” at CoC. They now focus on developing instructional programming for climbers, photographers, and guides that promotes a collaborative and nurturing learning environment. 

Ryan Kuehn
Stewardship & Conservation Award

Ryan Kuehn’s specialty, acquired over the last nine years of trail work, is designing and building technical trails that can stand the test of time. Today, he serves as the stewardship director of Boulder Climbing Community, where he leads a trail crew to build technical, sustainable trails throughout the Front Range of Colorado. As his friend and compatriots like to say, if you’ve ever climbed in the Front Range, it’s almost guaranteed you’ve stepped on a rock that Kuehn quarried, carried, or set into a stone staircase himself.

Upper Peninsula Climbers Coalition
Land Conservation Award

In 2022, Upper Peninsula Climbers Coalition (UPCC) leaders approached a local family to gauge their interest in selling Slugg’s Bluff, a crag on private land. The owners chose to donate Slugg’s Bluff to the climbing community, noting climbers’ consistent stewardship of the area—trail work, graffiti removal, and trash clean-up—as a deciding factor. Access Fund is thrilled to recognize UPCC for their role in securing Slugg’s Bluff and their dedication to protecting sustainable outdoor recreation opportunities in Michigan’s upper peninsula.

Climbing Resource Access Group of Vermont
Land Conservation Award

Since it acquired Bolton Dome in 2018, Climbing Resource Access Group of Vermont (CRAG-VT) has worked hard to open the crag for climbing and establish a sustainable trail network. The organization also went above and beyond by recording a permanent conservation easement on the Bolton Dome land. CRAG-VT worked with Access Fund to ensure the agreement strengthens conservation and recreation protections. They also worked with local Indigenous leaders to ensure the agreement wouldn’t interfere with Indigenous land uses.

Western Massachusetts Climbers’ Coalition
Land Conservation Award

Western Massachusetts Climbers Coalition (WMCC) brought together a group of partners, including Access Fund, to purchase Hanging Mountain in 2019. Once the site was acquired, WMCC put together a group of dedicated volunteers to kickstart sustainable trail work and other climbing infrastructure before the crag opened to the public. After opening in 2021, WMCC went into fundraising mode and paid off the loan Access Fund provided at the time of purchase. We are honored to recognize WMCC for their collaborative efforts to protect and conserve Hanging Mountain.

Petzl
Corporate Responsibility Award

We proudly present Petzl with a Climbing Advocate Award for its dedication to climber safety and climbing advocacy. Petzl’s leadership, support, and vision in creating the ReBolt Trip helped rebolters in the Southeast level up with training and gear. The event addressed a critical sustainability and safety need in our climbing areas. The event displayed Petzl’s hallmark innovation and expertise, leaving southern climbing advocates better equipped to tackle rebolting work in the Southeast.