The WCCC has moved...to a NEW WEBSITE!

 

The Western Colorado Climbers' Coalition has moved to a new website. 

Please find us at our new home for the latest news, events and local resources.

https://WesternColoradoClimbers.org/

WCCC Cleanup: Sunday Sept 26th at Dave Loves Donna Bouldering Area

 

We will be meeting up at Dave Loves Donna area and working from there.

WHEN: Sunday, September 26th at 10:00am

PLEASE BRING: Work gloves, water/snacks and closed toe shoes. Trash bags and hand tools (if needed) will be provided.

DIRECTIONS: From the U.S. 50/CO Highway 141 junction, drive 6 miles up Unaweep Canyon. The pulloff is on the right hand side.

BONUS: Everyone who shows up to the clean up will be receiving raffle tickets for the raffle at Climbers Beer night on October 7th.

Can’t wait to see you out there!

Dave Loves Donna Boulders area on Mountain Project

Another Event! Rock Climbers' Beer Night on Thursday October 7th

Visit the event page on Facebook for more details!!

CLEANUP EVENT: National Public Lands Day Sept 25th

 

To celebrate National Public Lands Day, our friends at the Colorado Canyons Association are hosting a cleanup on Saturday, September 25th. They will be focusing on cleaning up the Potholes campground and the surrounding areas in Escalante Canyon.

Climbers are frequent visitors to Escalante Canyon and we are part of a diverse user group which visits Escalante Canyon. Relationships with local land owners have become strained recently due to increased usage (higher traffic, speeding, illegal camping, etc). Activities such as this cleanup demonstrate to both local and federal land owners that we are invested in this area and we are willing to pitch in to care for it.

We at the WCCC hope to see you there!!!! 

When: Saturday, September 25th from 9 AM - 1 PM

Where: Meet at the Potholes Recreation site

What you’ll be doing: Escalante Canyon is a beautiful landscape with many great places to camp. With heavy visitation, however, many of the campsites have become over-used and damaged. We’ll be removing unnecessary fire rings, cleaning up trash, and maintaining heavily-used areas, particularly around the Potholes area. These efforts will benefit the health of the landscape, wildlife, and visitors alike!

Please bring: Snacks, water, work gloves, eye protection, long pants, and closed-toed shoes

We’ll provide: Trash bags, tools, and light refreshments

Please visit the CCA website for more information

 

Clean Up & Night Climbing

Triangle Boulder Area - Friday July 23, 2021

Come join the WCCC for another clean up! This month we are heading out to the Triangle Boulder area. We will be starting the clean up at 6:00pm and will work until about 7:30ish.

Also be ready for some night bouldering afterwards!!

Please bring closed toe shoes, gloves, and water for the clean up. Additional tools and trash bags will be provided. Please bring pads, climbing shoes, and headlamps for the night bouldering. Flood light will be provided but more are encouraged if you have them. Hope to see you there!

Visit the Event page on Facebook

https://www.mountainproject.com/area/107355400/triangle-boulder-area

 

Clean Up & Night Climbing at the Bone Park Boulder

Sunday June 27th

Come join the WCCC for a clean up at the Bone Park Bouldering area on 6/27/21. We will be starting the clean up at 6:00pm. After we are done with the clean up we are planning on sticking around and doing some night bouldering. Please bring closed toe shoes, gloves, and water for the clean up. Additional tools and trash bags will be provided. Please bring pads, climbing shoes, and headlamps for the night bouldering. Flood light will be provided but more are encouraged if you have them. Hope to see you there!

Visit our Event page on Facebook

https://www.mountainproject.com/area/106357938/bone-park-boulder-area

Event Recap: Dynamite Shacks Cleanup May 22, 2021

 

On Saturday May 22nd, the WCCC hosted a cleanup event at the Dynamite Shacks bouldering area. Randall Chapman, a local climber and former WCCC Board Member has been organizing an annual cleanup for over a decade and we were happy to help carry on this tradition. 

The Dynamite Shacks bouldering area sits on property owned by the City of Grand Junction. The City donated trash bags and paint supplies to help facilitate our cleanup. Daylight Donuts even donated two dozen donuts to fuel our efforts!

15 WCCC members spent the morning re-painting the Dynamite Shack buildings and cleaning up trash and broken glass.

We look forward to seeing YOU at our next event. 

Stay tuned to our website and social media channels.

Dynamite Shacks Cleanup - Saturday May 22nd

 

What:    Dynamite Shacks Cleanup

When:   Saturday May 22, 2021  10:00am to 1:00pm

Where:  Bouldering areas located across from Lunch Loops trailhead

The WCCC will be working at the Dynamite Shacks & Bullet Hole bouldering areas just south of downtown Grand Junction. We will be painting the buildings to remove graffiti and picking up trash throughout the area.

Visit our Facebook page for more event information!

2021 Authorized Guide Services -- Updated List

 Hi, everybody. As you probably know, as owners of several crags in Unaweep Canyon, we require any and all commercial, educational or nonprofit guided groups or sanctioned events to be authorized by us (WCCC). This authorization includes a signed agreement to our policies as well as proof of insurance to protect WCCC and Access Fund. [Updated 3-11-2021]

Although many guide services are being held back by the pandemic, we have granted authorized use to the following for the coming year:

• Colorado Mountain College
• Grip Bouldering 
• National Outdoor Leadership School
• Eureka! Science Museum
• Glenwood Climbing Guides
• Peak Mountain Guides
• Skyward Mountaineering

If you represent a guide service and I have missed you, please let me know at evetallman@gmail.com.

Also:  If you are out in Unaweep and you encounter unauthorized commercial groups, please let us know! It's a-ok to ask for credentials. THANKS for helping us to steward our fabulous crags!

Details on the BLM "Adopt A" Program

 

The Western Colorado Climbers' Coalition is working on an application for the BLM's new "Adopt A" program. We are planning to use 9 Mile Hill as our project site. Details are still being worked out, but here's a peak at the information we have so far. 

Please stay tuned to our social media channels and to our website for more information coming soon!! 

WCCC Draft Meeting Minutes--March 15, 2021

Western Colorado Climbers’ Coalition Meeting Minutes – March 15, 2021 –DRAFT 

The meeting was conducted via Zoom. There were 25 participants on the call. Participants included: Board members Jesse Zacher, Paul Stoner, Rich Connors, Matt Lisonby and Eve Tallman. Other participants included: Cody Abshear, Michael Schneiter, Marty, Sam, Kent, Fritz, Daniel Garman, Thierry Legrain, Krystyna Dillard-Crawford, Amanda Bornschleger, Michelle, Dan Ben-Horin, Andrew, Ashton Johnston, Sara Brooker, Cameron Bourne, David Jenkins, Marlee, Abe Herman and other unidentified participants. 

Rich began the meeting with a brief description of the communication channels the WCCC uses to reach out to the climbing community, including emails, Facebook posts, Instagram, and posts to the WCCC blogspot website. The board agrees it should aim for quarterly updates in addition to periodic messages to the community. 

Jesse presented a brief history and an update on access to Escalante’s Cabin Wall, which is on ranch-owned private property. He talked about the recently-installed fence with a climber-specific no-trespassing message. Jesse talked about the increased traffic in the canyon and speeding vehicles. Rich suggested climbers were singled out because they present an easy target for the ranchers. Jesse described his conversation with the ranch owner and revealed the owner did not know about the fence and closure but was not surprised the ranch managers had taken that course of action. Jesse suggested the speeding vehicles were a specific concern of the ranch. Jesse reviewed the history of actions WCCC had attempted in the past, including offering to install signage, but he indicated the ranch was not interested. In the past weeks, the rancher had appealed to the sheriff and BLM law enforcement and tickets were issued to speeders and illegal campers. 

The prospect of distributing the newly-printed WCCC leaflets encouraging climbers to drive slowly, respect private property, camp appropriately and more, was discussed.

Matt asked if WCCC should write a letter to the ranch owner. David Jenkins, a climber and official with the BLM, stated he had contacted the state BLM director and the National Parks and Conservation Association about the closure. Paul asked about what the closure is trying to accomplish. Kent recalled the changing nature of the relationship between climbers and the ranch managers over the past 20 years. He said the tone used to be friendly but now there are too many users. He suggested that speeding is the rallying point for the ranch. Kent concluded by giving the example of Joe’s Valley and how climbers can lead by good example as an exemplary user group. Sam stated he had experienced large groups of 30 and more people from institutions from the Front Range. Jesse said that Colorado Mesa University (CMU) sets a good example, training outdoor users to employ Leave No Trace ethics. Dan from the BLM stated that climbers are not well-represented in the 2017 resource management plan; he stated the main uses of the canyon are heritage tourism and picnicking. He said a three to five-year plan for camping management is underway. Dan was asked if he could provide statistics from the sheriff and BLM law enforcement officer regarding the types of tickets issued (speeding, illegal camping, etc.). Jesse asked if signage for the BLM climbing areas would be possible. Eve asked about limits to commercial group size and allowable use and whether there is a climbing management plan. 

Marty presented his Adopt-A-Land program that will target the Nine Mile bouldering area in Unaweep Canyon. He stated there will be a training for best practices for the land stewardship project. He said he would like to expand the program to include Escalante. More information about the Adopt-A-Land program will be forthcoming. 

Jesse brought up the board’s interest in recruiting new board members. Marty asked about anchor replacement and Jesse described the process by which anchors can be replaced with support from the American Safe Climbing Association. 

The meeting ended at 7:15pm. 

--Submitted by Eve Tallman, Secretary [corrections or edits can be emailed to: western_co_climbers@hotmail.com]

Escalante's Cabin Wall is Closed to Climbing

Please follow our Facebook Page to learn the latest as we negotiate this closure. A Zoom meeting will be held on Monday, March 15. To sign up for the meeting invitation, please go to this link: https://forms.gle/e3yS6ThXscdhcVrr9 Thanks for your concern and patience!