The OAC is pleased to be presenting the Southern Ontario Ice Climbing Festival! If you’re an avid ice climber or someone who’s never tried it before but think kicking crampons and swinging ice axes into frozen water could be your climbing destiny, then this fest’s for you!

We’ve also got all the really good stuff like cool prizes, hot meals, and icy cold drinks in the small town of Maynooth, Ontario. Only a hop, skip, and a three hour jump from Toronto, you’ll definitely want to bring your friends because this is a weekend to remember (and carpool karaoke is better with a friend). More of the lone wolf ice climbing type? We’ll have tons of clinics and belay buddies ready for you.

Mark your calendars for February 8 – 10, 2019 and keep an eye out for registration opening in a couple weeks. Clinic spots fill up fast, so you want to stay glued to @soicefest or the SOIce Facebook page for all the latest and be ready to pounce when the big announcement comes.

The Ontario Access Coalition has been proudly serving the Ontario climbing community for the past 9 years.  We have worked closely with landowners to ensure continuing access to beloved areas, advocated for proper crag etiquette amongst climbers, and promoted mentorship as the climbing population is booming.  We’ve helped establish bouldering as a celebrated activity at the Niagara Glen, held yearly crag stewardship days, and purchased land to keep climbing open at Old Baldy.

Our mission has always been to keep climbing and bouldering areas open.  The issue of access is at the forefront of our existence, and has been squarely incorporated into our name.  Today, we are eager to announce that we have a new name to go by: The Ontario Alliance of Climbers.  Our goals are the same as always — we are an organization of climbers dedicated to keeping this sport alive and thriving in Ontario.  Our name change does not signal a change in direction; rather, it prioritizes the fact that we are a climbing community, and that we strive to represent all climbers, of all disciplines, in Ontario.  With this new name, our identity as a climbing-focused entity is solidified, and we are better recognized by landowners and other organizations we work with.

Conveniently, you can still refer to us as the OAC.  We have been working hard to serve the climbing community for years, and we are excited to continue doing so under our new name.  You’ll notice that our social media accounts are already being updated, and you can find our new website at https://www.ontarioallianceofclimbers.ca/.

Keep an eye out for new communications coming from the Ontario Alliance of Climbers in the future!

We will be holding a Turtle Crag Information Session at Black Rock Coffee & Bar this Saturday, September 29th, at 6pm. We’ll be discussing the recent land access issues which have come to light concerning Turtle Crag, what we’re doing to help, and how you as climbers can affect the future of climbing in Ontario.
Patrick Lam will be leading the discussion, but come prepared with any questions you may have about climbing in Ontario and Turtle Crag in particular.
See our Facebook event for more details.

NO Climbing at Turtle Crag until further notice.  A representative of the OAC has met with the landowner, and we are working towards a solution together. We hope to have updates soon. Until then, it is vital that climbers avoid climbing at the Turtle to prevent further damaging relations.

The Ontario Access Coalition 2018 Annual General Meeting was held on June 28, 2018. Thanks to Joe Rockhead’s for hosting.
Read about the OAC’s access sends for 2017-2018 and the survey results here:
2017-2018 Access Sends and 2017 Survey Results [pdf]
Here are the highlights from the access sends:

CLIMBING AREAS

• New Niagara Glen portfolio manager
• Halfway Log Dump partnership continues

CLIMBING COMMUNITY

• Organized climber events:
  • Beaver Valley Climbing Festival
  • Southern Ontario Ice Fest
  • screening of​ “Dirtbag: The Legend of Fred Beckey”
• Deployed new OAC website
• Growing the OAC Facebook page
• Hiring a Fundraising and Outreach Coordinator

CONNECTING WITH OTHERS

• Organized community events:
  • Niagara Glen Earth day
  • Crag Stewardship Day (Conservation Halton)
• Participated in:
  • Ontario Trails Coordinating Committee>
  • Building the Niagara Escarpment Biosphere Reserve
  • Centre for Applied Science in Protected Areas Conference Presentation and Tour of the Swamp

We welcome new board member Mike Makischuk and returning board members Randy Kielbasiewicz and Patrick Lam, and look forward to a productive 2018-2019 year continuing to advocate for climbing access in Ontario!

The 2018 Beaver Valley Climbing Festival is THIS weekend!  We’re excited to celebrate Ontario climbing with you in the year’s biggest party.  We have a great line up of clinics, vendors, and raffle prizes in store — all capped off with a night of live entertainment from the lovely Ariana Gillis.  What more could you ask for?

Monika Wii on Bear on a Wire by Will Tam

Last year we came close to our 300 person max capacity, and we recommend registering now to secure your spot.  Climbers from all over Ontario — and even outside the province — will be arriving to partake in the festivities.  Your $44 registration fee covers camping, food, and live entertainment, plus all proceeds go directly toward maintaining open climbing access in Ontario.  Help protect the lands you climb on WHILE enjoying them!

Don’t hesitate, get your name on the list now — Sign ups after noon on Friday must be done on-site and the price will be raised to $45.

See https://www.ontarioallianceofclimbers.ca/bvcf-2018/ for more details and to sign up.

The OAC invites all members to partake in our 2018 Annual General Meeting on June 28, 2018. It’s a great opportunity to ask questions about the organization and our on-going projects, in addition to sharing your input on the future direction of the OAC.  We’ll be holding the election for board membership, talking about the past year’s accomplishments, and discussing what’s on the horizon. 

The meeting will be held at Joe Rockhead’s Indoor Rock Climbing Gym (29 Fraser Ave, Toronto, ON) on Thursday June 28th at 7:00 PM. There will be a discounted climbing day pass ($10+hst) for all attendees!  OAC membership is required for the discount.  Come climb and stay for the evening!

To be eligible to vote at the AGM, one is required to be a member of the Ontario Access Coalition. To allow for the processing of new members, please ensure applications are submitted prior to June 11th. Please visit our membership page at https://www.ontarioaccesscoalition.com/join/ for further details.

The OAC is very interested in increasing its capacity by attracting new ideas, leadership, and energy. At this meeting, we will elect three members to the Board of Directors (for a two-year term each). As always, we are also looking for portfolio managers and general volunteers. While members can be nominated to the Board at the AGM, any nominations submitted by June 11th will have their profiles distributed to the membership in advance. This will facilitate a structured voting process. Interested members are encouraged to contact the OAC in advance.

Potential board members should have:

• An interest in (learning about) outdoor climbing access issues in Ontario
• A varied skill set with a self-starter attitude
• A positive, proactive team-based approach to problem solving

As a board member the individual will:

• Attend monthly board meetings
• Lead projects and/or access portfolios
• Participate in developing and executing the OAC’s strategic goals

Further details will be provided to members 14 days prior to the AGM. If you do not receive notification by email, please send us a note ( info@ontarioaccesscoalition.com ).

Calling all creatives! We’re looking to bring new energy to this year’s Beaver Valley Climbing Festival with an update to our festival logo. Do you have ideas for a new way to represent the BVCF and celebrate Ontario climbing?

The winner will receive admission for TWO to the festival and a $250 MEC gift card — so that means you and your belayer can get in for free! Plus you’ll get recognition for redesigning a logo which will soon be recognized by the entire Ontario climbing community.

Here’s what we need from you:

File Format:

• PREFERRED: Vector eps file (such as an Adobe Illustrator eps) with all fonts converted to outlines. This file format is preferred because vector-based art can be resized without degrading shape or colour.
• Also acceptable: Raster image file (such as an Adobe Photoshop file). The logo must be a minimum of 2″ wide or 2″ high (whichever is the larger proportion) at 300 dpi. The image file may be delivered in any of the following formats: psd, tiff, png, or jpeg.

Ideally, two separate files should be submitted:

• Colour logo. 4-color (CMYK) logo is preferred if possible
• Single colour version (black & white) with no tints or screens (i.e., 100% black, no gray)

Submissions will be accepted from now through July 8th 2018. Please send your entries to submissions@ontarioaccesscoalition.com with ‘BVCF Logo Contest Submission’ in the subject line. We’re looking forward to seeing what you’ve got!

(Post updated on June 3 to include new MEC prize and new deadline.)