Fresh off the presses – the 2026 Ontario Crags Calendar has arrived! Featuring local climbers photographed by local photographers, the OAC calendar is a tribute to everything Ontario climbing has to offer.  With a mix of climbers, crags, and disciplines featured, this is our annual fundraiser and celebration of climbing across the province!

Calendars can be obtained for a donation of $25, plus the cost of shipping via Canada Post*.  All proceeds from calendar sales go toward promoting, advocating for, and maintaining open access all across the province.

Get your copy now before they sell out! 

Want to save on shipping costs?  Pick up a copy at any of the following Ontario locations:

Basecamp Climbing – Bloor West and Queen West locations

Boulderz Climbing Centre – Etobicoke, Junction, and Mississauga locations

Climbers Corner

Climb Smart Shop

The Core Climbing Gym

The Guelph Grotto

Ontario Gear Co

Toprock Climbing

True North Climbing

Help us understand the Ontario climbing community by telling us about yourself, where you climb, and what your hopes are for Ontario climbing access. The survey takes less than 15 minutes to complete.

Complete the survey by midnight on November 30th to be entered into a draw to win a free OAC T-shirt!

The Ontario Crags Calendar aims to celebrate and highlight the wide variety of climbing that Ontario has to offer. We want to showcase everything from as many different crags, seasons, and climbers as possible — ICE, SPORT, TRAD and BOULDERING are all honoured here.  Let’s celebrate the diversity of our province and our community!  Valid photo submissions must have LANDSCAPE orientation (i.e. horizontal), and be of climbers at Ontario crags only (of course!).  In order to meet print standards, full size images must be clear and at least 8.5″x11″ at 300 dpi.

Submissions do not need to be dated from this year, but they DO need to showcase your love for Ontario climbing.  So make the most of this tail end of the season, or take some time to venture down memory lane and rediscover some forgotten gems!

The Crags Calendar helps us raise awareness and funds in support of Ontario access.  Please consider donating a photo!  Send your best shots to submissions@ontarioallianceofclimbers.ca by SUNDAY, OCTOBER 13TH for a chance to be featured.  Chosen entrants will receive a free copy of the calendar, credit complete with name and website, and a little slice of local fame

Please see additional rules of submission here:

Q4: In 2019, which Ontario crag did you climb at most often? In 2020, which Ontario crag do you aspire to climb at the most?

Q12: When you climbed outside in 2019, how many other people did you typically go with?

• Download: Full 2019 survey results (pdf)
• Download: 2019 survey highlights (pdf)

The Ontario Crags Calendar aims to celebrate and highlight the wide variety of climbing that Ontario has to offer. We want to showcase everything from as many different crags, seasons, and climbers as possible — ICE, SPORT, TRAD and BOULDERING are all honoured here.  We want to celebrate the diversity of our province and our community!  Valid photo submissions must have LANDSCAPE orientation (i.e. horizontal), and be of climbers at Ontario crags only (of course!).  

2020 hasn’t been your typical climbing year, and that’s okay.  Submissions do not need to be dated from this year, but they DO need to showcase your love for Ontario climbing.  So make the most of this tail end of the season, or take some time to venture down memory lane and rediscover some forgotten gems!

The Crags Calendar helps us raise awareness and funds in support of Ontario access.  Please consider donating a photo!  Send your best shots to submissions@ontarioallianceofclimbers.ca by SUNDAY, OCTOBER 4TH for a chance to be featured.  Chosen entrants will receive a free copy of the calendar, credit complete with name and website, and a little slice of local fame 

Please see additional rules of submission:

Climbers must reserve a 2 hour time slot. Overstaying your time slot will lead to potential fines/penalties and reflect poorly on the climbing community, so be sure to keep track of time! Reservations can be made at http://parkvisit.ca/ .

Conservation Areas, Provincial Parks and Managed Properties are under immense pressure with visitations at record levels. It is vital that climbers act as stewards and partners with land managers to help protect the areas we all love. Please remember to be safe, climb in small groups, and respect other climbers while following social distancing efforts.

If you would like to run as a candidate for the board of directors, please submit your bio to info@ontarioallianceofclimbers.ca by July 24.  Details for the virtual meeting will be announced August 1.  Hope to see you all there!

This is an opportunity to provide land managers and outdoor recreation service providers with insight into how you feel about the reopening of these spaces, and what policies would need to be implemented for you to feel safe recreating outside.

The survey is only open until July 10th. If you have the time, please fill it out to ensure all outdoor recreationists are represented!

Link to survey:
https://brock.ca1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_799N0OEnC2LLiCN

We have two $50 MEC gift certificates and some OAC swag to raffle off, so fill out your response today! The last day for entry submission is Sunday, July 19th. Raffle winners will be announced on August 1st.

Complete the survey here:
https://survey.ontarioallianceofclimbers.ca/2019

Systemic racism is not unique to the United States; discrimination against Black and Indigenous peoples is prevalent in Canada’s past and present as well. We acknowledge that climbing is not immune to systemic racism, which affects members of our community in both subtle and overt ways. We also recognize that access to the outdoors and the resources to climb are luxuries that are not available to everyone equally.

We would like to thank our community members who reached out to us about our stance on recent events. We hear you.  We apologize for not speaking up sooner.  We are learning, and we are changing. 

We changed our name to the Ontario Alliance of Climbers because we want to unite the Ontario climbing community. Being representatives of our community, we cannot ignore important social issues that impact our members.

We have a lot to learn about how systemic racism affects our ability to ensure access for our members, and how we can work to dismantle it. Areas of influence we’ve identified include: 

The groups we work with
We will pay attention to the companies and organizations we accept support from, and those that we support. We will refuse to work with anyone who fosters racist or discriminatory behaviours. We will also help elevate outdoor initiatives which support Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) and equality in climbing when we are able to. If you are interested in contributing something in this realm, please reach out to us at info@ontarioallianceofclimbers.ca. We’d be happy to work together to find a way to assist you.

The events we host
We have a zero-tolerance policy for racist and discriminatory behaviours at our events.  All OAC functions are safe spaces for our community. We will work to promote diversity and inclusion at our events, and we will investigate ways to lower barriers for entry.

The composition of our board of directors
We acknowledge the lack of diversity on our board of directors. This is something we cannot change without your help. We are a small, volunteer run organization filled with people who are passionate about climbing and climbing access. We want you to know that we are not just welcoming of all volunteers, we encourage your participation.  Help us by getting involved. Take a seat at our table. We want to hear what you have to say, so that we can understand how to represent the community best. Please join us.  Send an email to info@ontarioallianceofclimbers.ca if you would like to get involved.

Our community involvement
We have decided to create a Nominations Committee to actively reach out to community members to get involved with us.  As a volunteer organization, we are always eager to have more voices join us.  Unfortunately, not everyone is aware of the opportunities to get involved.  We’ll take a more active role in soliciting the public when we think someone may offer a different perspective or skill set, and we’ll work to increase our diversity.  Please feel free to nominate community members you think would be an asset in our continued fight for open access!

Our continued growth and education
We know that the movement doesn’t end when the protests do. This is a lifelong learning opportunity. We will make race and inequality subjects of ongoing discourse. We have always kept an eye on international crag access issues to stay informed and to learn from activities elsewhere. It is our responsibility to add issues of inequality which impact the outdoors to our discussions, whether they have occurred locally or far from home. We will continue to help each other learn by sharing resources and having tough conversations. 

The messages we share on social media
We do our best to ensure that our messaging is always thoughtful, considerate, and respectful. We have made efforts to showcase the diversity of the Ontario climbing community in our posts, and will continue to do so. If you have images you would like to share with us, please tag @ontarioallianceofclimbers or send them to submissions@ontarioallianceofclimbers.ca. We love having the opportunity to meet our members and celebrate the outdoors with them. Moving forward, we will no longer be silent on issues of equality. There is no room for racism and discrimination in our sport.  Please help us when we make a mistake. We are learning, just as many of you are.

There are many resources others have already created to help us learn to be better allies for BIPOC in the outdoor community. If you are looking to understand how you can help, please consider these materials that we have found to be insightful:

https://www.outdoorresearch.com/blog/article/how-to-be-an-ally-in-the-outdoors

https://www.theatlantic.com/sponsored/rei-2018/five-ways-to-make-the-outdoors-more-inclusive/3019/

https://www.saltlakeclimbers.org/news/2020/6/11/racism-and-racial-justice-at-and-beyond-the-crag

We look forward to continued progress in the fight for equity. We will do our best to keep the needle moving in the right direction. The outdoors is a place for all, and we look forward to seeing you out there.

Sincerely,

The Ontario Alliance of Climbers

Randy Kielbasiewicz, Co-Chair
Mike Penney, Co-Chair
Patrick Lam, Director
Mike Makischuk, Director
Kacy Wilson, Director
Tony Berlier
Jessica Best
Tyler Coffin
Jeremy Fortier
Dustin Johnston-Jewell
Jenna Rines
John Vellone