Unauthorized route development recently occurred at Kelso (a Conservation Halton Park), including a retro-bolt of Alan's Layback (5.7 trad), as well as the establishment of additional sport climbs. @conservationhalton (CH) is the land manager of Kelso, Mount Nemo, and Rattlesnake Point. The access plan established with the OAC and the climbing community requires CH authorization for any development or maintenance occurring in their parks - whether it be new route development, tree cutting, trail building, or retro-bolting of existing routes. This recent route development at Kelso was done without authorization. CH has decided that these unauthorized routes will be removed and requested the OAC facilitate their removal. The bolts from Alan's Layback and another new route have already been removed by volunteers. “The addition of any permanent climbing hardware, creation of new routes, or modification of existing routes (or altering of/tampering with existing hardware – including rock climbs) is strictly prohibited without the express written consent of Conservation Halton” said AJ Leeming, Senior Manager, Programs and Services. “These actions can lead to the creation of unmanageable and possibly unsafe routes that could be detrimental to the environment and our climbing community. Anyone found or reported altering trails may see themselves removed from the park and potentially banned from CH parks via Tresspass notice.” The OAC and CH have an excellent working relationship that allows for the climbing we enjoy in their parks. It is very rare that land managers are as supportive of climbing as CH has been. When the OAC has discussions with land managers, we often reference our relationship with CH because of their tremendous support of the climbing community and strong partnership. To maintain this access in Conservation Halton Parks, we must adhere to the terms of the access plan. That means if there is a desire to establish new routes, or a need to alter the environment and/or make any climbing hardware alterations, you must reach out to the OAC first. CH trusts the OAC's judgment, and is more than happy to consider any reasonable proposal we present.

Been meaning to ask us a question in person? Come say hi 👋 at Rattlesnake Point today! It's a lovely day for a climb and a hang. #ontario #climbing #ClimbingSafety #leavenotrace

Have you got your #bvcf2026 Early Bird ticket yet??? In case you needed more incentive to act now, we're holding a Patagonia prize pack giveaway! From now until June 5th, you can earn entries into our raffle. The grand winner will receive: a @patagonia Black Hole pack, Terravia hip pack, Trad cap, AND a $25 gift card to spend @wildrockptbo ! And one winner up will also receive a $25 gift card for Wild Rock Outfitters. Ways to enter: • Buy your Early Bird BVCF ticket! (Already bought yours? Yes, you're automatically entered!) • Share this post • Tag a friend in a comment on this post. Each comment is a new entry! Help us spread the word! #ontario #climbingfestival #giveawaycontest

We've got what you've been waiting for! 👀 Early Bird tickets for the 2026 Beaver Valley Climbing Festival become available to annual members TOMORROW morning at 7am! How's that for some surprise news? Active Annual Members get first access, and a reduced ticket price! Not a member? Go ahead and get your membership now, and buy your #bvcf2026 ticket before we sell out. Tickets go on sale to the general public on June 5th. No one throws a better climbing party, and we've got allllllll the best prizes for the raffle 🎟️🎟️🎟️ This year's BVCF is supported by our headline sponsor @patagonia . You won't want to miss it! 🔗 Link in bio for more details. #ontario #climbingfestival

Friendly reminder that it's still nesting season! If nests are found on or adjacent to routes, please pass the information along so we can avoid disturbing our cliffside neighbours. There is a rather defensive Canada Goose who has built a nest near the escarpment edge. The nest is right before or around the area of the emerging underground spring (Hardman Wall Area). Conservation Halton may mark the nesting area. There is no need to close any routes, but please be respectful of the birds, give them space, and do not disturb their nest. There is also a vulture nest near Old Time Zipper at Devil's Glen, and ravens have been seen going to raid eggs from the vulture nest. For most birds, nesting season runs through May and fledglings are often hatching now through June. Climb respectfully and enjoy this glimpse of nature's lifecycle from afar!

On May 3rd, climbers came together at Rattlesnake Point and Mount Nemo to participate in our annual Spring Fling crag clean up day! The past few years we were happy to see limited amounts of trash at these crags, but this year the hauls were quite large! Garbage found included broken chairs, random bricks, and steel bars in addition to the usual broken bottles and discarded wrappers. We had about 45 volunteers who diligently spent the morning picking up litter, celebrated with a pizza lunch provided by @conservationhalton , and then got some climbing in on a very sunny day 😎 We'd like to extend a big thank you to everyone who came out and gave back to the community, and to Conservation Halton for helping us host the event! We'd also like to extend a big thank you to @ontarioresoles who donated a half resole and rand repair to the volunteer who picked up the most trash, as well as two @orgearco gift certificates we raffled off 🏆 We can't think of a better way to kick start the climbing season, than with a great day of crag care 🥰 See you out there on the walls! #ontario #climbing #leavenotrace #volunteer