Meagan here, writing to you as a fellow climber to ask you to join me in solving one of the greatest threats to climbing of our generation—overcrowding and climber impacts.

Climbing at Lovers Leap, CA, ancestral lands of Central Sierra Miwok and Washoe. © David Wetmore

I’ve personally loved seeing the growth of climbing over the last 10 years, watching more and more young people experience our incredible sport. I started out climbing indoors, and I’ll never forget how transformative it was to climb real rock for the first time, on a crisp, fall day at Little Rock City. To be out in nature, powerful and self-reliant.

But climbing outdoors also comes with responsibility.

When we’re out on the rock, it’s easy to assume that it’s someone else’s job to care for these places. But sadly, most land managers don’t have the resources to fix deteriorating trails, save native plants from being trampled, empty overflowing toilets, or clean up after us. In many cases, land managers have no choice but to restrict access—they simply can’t keep up with the crowds.

But it doesn’t have to be this way. Access Fund and their network of local climbing organizations are helping climbers all across the country get organized to care for these special places. But they need our help.

Sometimes, when you look at how much work they've done over the years, it's easy to forget that Access Fund is a member-powered nonprofit. They simply can’t function without members of the climbing community stepping up. We are the horsepower that makes their work possible.

Right now, Black Diamond is matching all donations to Access Fund. I am going to make a donation today to make sure my gift goes 2x as far to protect climbing areas. Will you join me?

Climbing gives us so much. And we owe these special places more than just a debt of gratitude. It doesn’t take much. If every climber gives $20, we’ll be well on our way to a more sustainable future for climbing.