Recently, climbers at Bow Lake have reported possible access issues. No Trespassing signs have been popping up around popular access points and at the base of the cliff. One group of climbers was also left an anonymous letter on the windshield of their parked car, informing them that they had parked in a spot they shouldn’t have.

We’d like to remind everyone that parking should be done off of Hwy 28 on Lower Faraday Road. Parking is also permitted in the Faraday Township Fire Station parking lot, but be sure not to obstruct emergency vehicle access.

The OAC is in the process of contacting the land owners and confirming public access to the crag. A public update will be made once we have clarified the situation.

We exist to help iron out any wrinkles that arise between climbers and land owners. If you are ever approached by someone who objects to your presence at a crag, please respond politely and appropriately. Gather the name and contact information of the individuals in question, and assure them that the OAC will be in contact with them. We want to maintain strong, positive relationships with our land owners to ensure that climbing access remains open for everyone. If there are ever any questions about crag status, we will work with the suitable bodies to determine what the boundaries are. Please contact us first before posting to social media. This will allow us to build solid connections with the community and verify that the correct information gets passed around.

Thank you, and happy climbing!

This new website is the culmination of many months of work by our website team. We hope you will find it to be a useful resource. We intend it to be much easier to navigate and for it to contain useful information for our stakeholders—climbers, land managers, and the community in general.

While upgrading to the new website, we seem to have inadvertently sent out notification emails about each of the changes that went into the website. We apologize for this unfortunate glitch.

The OAC has been in contact with the Grey Sauble Conservation Authority (GSCA) regarding parking at Old Baldy Conservation Area. The GSCA has confirmed the status of parking at Old Baldy Conservation Area. The parking area itself is on GSCA land while the access trail is located on an easement (right of way) and does not trespass on private land.

Please follow these rules:

• Park in the Conservation Area parking lot.
• Do NOT park on the laneway leading to the parking lot entrance.
• Do not leave the trail between the parking lot and Old Baldy.
• Be on best behaviour.
• Be stewards of the area.
• Maintain good relations with all landowners and direct them to the Grey Sauble Conservation Authority if asked any questions.

On Sunday October 8th 2017, an individual was seriously injured in a climbing related incident at Devil’s Glen Provincial Park. The rescue response was led by local Emergency Medical Services, who arrived on the scene promptly. Several climbing parties guided the response team to the victim and helped clear debris, facilitating and improving evacuation conditions for the response team and the injured climber.
Evacuations from most Ontario climbing areas, including Devil’s Glen, are always complicated endeavours. Climbers must recognize that evacuations are difficult and often lengthy. Therefore climbers must also recognize the importance of their personal and party safety and take appropriate precautions while climbing in Ontario. Helping our fellow climbers in time of need is a deeply ingrained part of our climbing culture. We ask all climbers to join us in wishing the best possible outcome for the injured climber.
The Ontario Access Coalition extends a sincere thank you to all Emergency Medical Services and individuals who took part in the successful evacuation. As representatives of the Ontario climbing community, the Ontario Access Coalition looks forward to working with Emergency Response Services, land managers and local communities to facilitate continued improvement of evacuations and high angle rescue scenarios.

On Sunday October 8th 2017, an individual was seriously injured in a climbing related incident at Devil’s Glen Provincial Park. The rescue response was led by local Emergency Medical Services, who arrived on the scene promptly. Several climbing parties guided the response team to the victim and helped clear debris, facilitating and improving evacuation conditions for the response team and the injured climber.

Evacuations from most Ontario climbing areas, including Devil’s Glen, are always complicated endeavours. Climbers must recognize that evacuations are difficult and often lengthy. Therefore climbers must also recognize the importance of their personal and party safety and take appropriate precautions while climbing in Ontario. Helping our fellow climbers in time of need is a deeply ingrained part of our climbing culture. We ask all climbers to join us in wishing the best possible outcome for the injured climber.

The Ontario Access Coalition extends a sincere thank you to all Emergency Medical Services and individuals who took part in the successful evacuation. As representatives of the Ontario climbing community, the Ontario Access Coalition looks forward to working with Emergency Response Services, land managers and local communities to facilitate continued improvement of evacuations and high angle rescue scenarios.