ACCESS FUND NEWS

Wilderness & Fixed Anchors: The proposed prohibition on fixed anchors in forest wilderness land was suspended, to allow a "rulemaking process" (i.e. negotiations), which may take a year.

Camp 4: Thanks to its Friends , Camp 4 is being considered for the National Register of Historic Places (!). Until the final determination is made, there are stricter limitations on development. The Sierra Club won a preliminary injunction against rebuilding Yosemite Lodge, so the National Park Service must now conduct an Environmental Impact Study, and consider alternatives.

Yosemite Valley: Several lower Valley cliffs will be closed for two years, during road construction on highway 140. They include the Rostrum, the Cookie, Elephant Rock, Arch Rock, and Reed’s Pinnacle.

Joshua Tree: A supplement to the draft back country and wilderness management plan was released in November. It recognizes the park as world renowned for its rock climbing, but protects it from over-use. The Access Fund believes the supplement is a reasonable compromise between climbers and environmental groups. Key issues in negotiations were the park’s carrying capacity for climbing routes, the experiences which should be protected for future climbers, climbers’ impacts on the human and natural environment, bolting in wilderness, and the use of field data for developing management strategies. There would be a climbing committee, which will advise the park on these issues, in particular proposals for new bolted routes in wilderness zones. The supplement has not been officially approved, and the Access Fund has some concerns about it – it is unclear how the permit-granting process would actually work, it still includes unjustified restrictions on climbing, many important management decisions will be made later by the National Park Service, there will be a cap on new routes everywhere, and there is no guarantee that any new routes will be allowed in wilderness areas. In other words the devil, as usual, is in the details. The deadline for commenting on the supplement has passed, but there’s no report yet on what happened.

- Vertical Times (summarized)
MEMBERSHIP

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MT. ARROWSMITH

In September, the Minister of Environment, Lands & Parks wrote to the Regional District of Alberni-Clayoquot (RDAC), and told it that its proposed plan for Mt. Arrowsmith regional park had to provide for all-season public parking, and public access which was "…somewhat consistent and [which would] connect to the old Arrowsmith trail, thereby providing a route through the park and overnight camping opportunities in the traditional areas for hikers and skiers." RDAC responded that public access will be granted on Arrowsmith, Rousseau, and lower ski area trails, and it will build a free public parking lot just outside the gate. Arrowsmith Ski and Park Limited operates the ski area, which includes both the park and surrounding land. It hopes to build lifts up to Cokely Peak, with up to 48 runs. To make this possible, RDAC has applied to extend the regional park’s boundaries; confusingly, this land is within the Regional District of Nanaimo (RDN). The Public Access Resolution Committee supports year round free public access throughout the park when the ski area isn’t operating, and is lobbying the RDN and the provincial government for protection of much of the crown land bordering the regional park, including the peak of Arrowsmith and Mt. Cokely.

- Wild Isle #5 (summarized)
MISCELLANEOUS
Dave Jones continues work on a new Selkirks guide. If you have any information, contact Dave at dj@uilo.ubc.ca or (604) 276-2684.
Squamish Rockclimbs should be out in time for the climbing season, and Whistler Rockclimbs will follow. Both by Elaho Publishing/Kevin McLane.
Interested in climbing in Korea or central India? Contact Dave Way (daveway@hotmail.com).
CASBC web site: http://www.bivouac.com/casbc
Access News #16: March. Access to Skaha, the climbing strategy for Squamish, and other hot news. Needed: information on access developments in your area, significant ascents, new routes or cliffs, and upcoming special events and competitions.
Climb Nova Scotia: We have been in touch with this group, which looks after climbs and climbers there. There’s a guidebook, and both summer and winter climbing. They’re thinking of purchasing a power drill, for use by members. There aren’t many bolted routes in Nova Scotia yet, but there is some potential. (We assume no climber there owns a Hilti yet.) They’re wondering about how to manage this, and what responsibility they would have for its use/misuse. If you can help, contact Sean Cassidy (SCASSIDY@jacqueswhitford.com).
Little Smoke Bluffs: CASBC is considering arranging for occasional cleaning/maintenance of the new toilets, starting in the spring.
SKAHA – 1998 CLIMBS

An eventful year at Skaha. The sudden closure of Braesyde in March, and the scramble to get it reopen it for Easter weekend, weren’t a great start. However, the new guidebook provided a lot of stimulus, especially to the growing community of local climbers. A slew of new routes appeared, many in the 5.12/13 range. They include:

Teen Wall (Great White)
Breakfast of Champions (5.13a) – an extended Acid Test, with the crux at the top (Peter Arbic).
Air Test (5.13b) – a dramatic sustained line up the middle of the wall (Hugh Lenney).
Teen Edger – Hugh continues work on an extension to this route.

Doctor’s Wall
Building a Mystery (a.k.a. Spanking the Monkey, after a guidebook error) became a bit of a trade route. Mike Doyle added the 10 m from the belay to the clifftop (Improbability Conquered, 5.13c).
Todd Guy established a direct line (5.13a) between Doctor Megatrip and Building a Mystery. Destined to be a classic.

The Wave
Not Fade Away – Peter Arbic established a direct start (Quicksilver, 5.12d) and Mike Doyle redpointed a direct finish (No Visible Means of Support, 5.12d). The combination of the two is also 5.12d (?).

A steady trickle of moderate routes was also established. Dave Jones’ unusually low profile left a few lines for others to pick, including:
Blipvert Tower – Terry Schmidt added two routes on the south side (5.7 and 5.11). John Fantini put up two on the west side, one of which is 5.12b.
Little White – This cliff was rediscovered. Some abandoned projects were climbed at 5.12a/b, and there has since been a cleaning frenzy. Once the dust settles, this crag will rival Morning Glory for quantity and quality of its 5.11/12 routes.

A lot of rock at Skaha remains to be examined. However, solving the parking issue to ease access concerns would be a big step toward realizing Skaha’s full potential.