Ontario’s Healthy Parks, Healthy People Survey—Nov. 25th Deadline
The Province of Ontario is collecting public feedback on how they can improve access to and raise awareness of nature’s health benefits. Part of Ontario’s Healthy Parks, Healthy People initiative, the deadline for submitting feedback is Nov. 25th, 2019. As someone who visits our provincial parks, the province wants your feedback. Let them know what rock and ice climbing means to you, in your own words. Let them know if you’d like to see more Ontario Parks opened up for climbing activities. 

Submit Your Feedback

Access Updates: Campden & Halton
On November 8th, OAC volunteers hosted the Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority (NPCA) for a chilly but sunny day of climbing at Rattlesnake. It was a great chance for the NPCA to learn about climbing and the potential for sustainable climbing in areas like Cave Springs (aka Campden).On November 15th, Halton Conservation hosted a meeting attended by Randy Kielbasiewicz and Mike Makischuk of the OAC, Burlington Fire and the Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority.  Topics included an updated evacuation plan for Mount Nemo created by the Burlington Fire representative, climbing access to the currently closed Campden Crag, and discussions regarding climbing at Conservation Halton Properties. 

OAC 2020 Calendar
The 2020 OAC Calendar has been printed & will be available in a MEC near you in just a few weeks. The calendar makes a great gift and all funds go towards projects like the Rattlesnake bolting project. Stay tuned for more details soon!

A special thank you to Dennis Barnes, Jessica Best and Bonnie De Bruijn for coordinating the calendar creation & to all of the photographers that submitted their beautiful photos!

There’s more to outdoor climbing than just roping up. 
We all have a role to play in keeping climbing access open to all of our favourite crags in Ontario.

If you’re already a lifetime member, thank you for your support! We’d like to ask you to consider a donation to further our work with the community and on the frontlines of climbing access.Make a donation to support Ontario crags and climbing

If you aren’t a member, please join us! We work hard to advocate for climbing and are on the ground keeping access open to over 1500 routes and boulders in Ontario. A lifetime membership is only $5, but getting in our good books is priceless.
Become a lifetime member

Member Exclusive: Giveaway Alert!
Win tickets to see National Geographic Live Mark Synnott: Life on the Vertical at Roy Thomson Hall on Sunday, Nov. 24th at 7pm. See the big wall rock-climber of the highest order. He’s made legendary first ascents of some of the world’s tallest, most forbidding walls, from Baffin Island to Pakistan. Today, he uses his skills to break scientific ground, reaching incredibly inaccessible environments in search of rare species. It’s all in the spirit of adventure and exploration to educate about these sites of strange, remote beauty.

The first 5 OAC members to email info@ontarioallianceofclimbers.ca by 1:30pm on Friday. Nov. 22nd. will each get a pair of tickets for this weekend’s show! Use “NGL Tickets” in your email subject line! 

Join Us at Reel Rock 14—Dec. 3rd
Join the OAC for Reel Rock 14, hosted by True North Climbing. You can catch this exciting lineup of films at the Ted Rogers Hot Docs Cinema on December 3rd. The first showing is at 7pm and, by popular demand, a second show has been added at 9:45pm.Want to get in touch with us? Maybe you have a question about something you read here. Or maybe you’re at the crag and need a little extra support on how to minimize your impact. Email us at info@ontarioallianceofclimbers.ca; we’re here to help!

Dear amateur and professional photographers, have you ever wanted to see your work published and hung on walls? We are putting together our annual Ontario Crags calendar and we need your help! Please consider donating a photo to help raise awareness and funds in support of the Ontario Access Coalition.

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 and seasons as possible — ICE, SPORT, TRAD and BOULDERING are all honoured here. Valid photo submissions must have LANDSCAPE orientation (i.e. horizontal), and be of climbers at Ontario crags only (of course!).

Please send your best shots to submissions@ontarioaccesscoalition.com by SUNDAY, OCTOBER 6th for a chance to have your photo featured and credited in the calendar! Chosen entrants will get a free copy of the 2020 calendar as well as a credit complete with your name and website.

Please see additional rules of submission here:

Thanks in advance for your efforts to support the OAC!

This past Sunday, August 18, emergency services and nearby climbers successfully evacuated a climber from the far end of the Swamp, following a ground fall. The climber sustained non-life threatening injuries.

Please take this opportunity to refresh and update your safety systems while climbing. Some safety tips: Remember, the most important safety tool you have is your awareness and attention. Consider bringing a headlamp when you go to the crag, as well as wearing helmets. Renew your wilderness first-aid training—not all of our crags have cell phone service, and the furthest point of the Swamp is more than an hour from definitive care.

The OAC communicates on your behalf with emergency services about evacuations from our local crags. As always, thanks to our emergency responders for their excellent work!

We’d like to send out a big THANK YOU to everyone who came out to our first community discussion at Climber’s Corner last week.  We had great turnout and a productive conversation, with proof that the Ontario climbing community is dedicated to ensuring we’re following best practices and building a strong reputation as climbers. 

Meeting minutes can be found at here for those of you who could not make it:

We are also announcing our second community discussion to be held at Grand River Rocks next Wednesday, July 24 at 7pm!  Come on out to learn about local access issues and make your voice heard!

Rock climbing access at Devil’s Glen (DG) is facing steep environmental, social, and logistical challenges.

In response, the Ontario Alliance of Climbers would like to invite you to a community discussion about the important issues that are facing our beloved crag. Thursday, July 11th, we’ll be meeting at Climbers Corner in Collingwood from 7-9pm. 

The topics we’ll be discussing include:

1. The history and current state of rock climbing access at DG
2. DG’s primary access threats
3. What climbers are seeing when they visit DG
4. What we can do, as a community, to improve access
5. The formation of the Beaver Valley Climber’s Collective

So, come out for a few pitches and some productive conversation about the important issues that are facing our beloved Devil’s Glen!

We look forward to chatting with you!

Lions Head and Devil’s Glen climbing access is AT RISK. 

The OAC is currently in talks with Ontario Parks to address their concerns regarding the impact of climbers in these areas. 
As these sensitive discussions progress, please continue to be great ambassadors for our sport by minimizing your impact at all Ontario crags. Steps you can take include:

• Avoid visiting these crags in large groups.
• Please visit other areas when possible. Ontario is home to many great climbing areas. Please do your part by spreading the love to other, less traveled areas! 
• Continue to practice good crag etiquette and leave no trace ethics. This also applies to human waste. 
• Be proactive in communicating best practices to other climbers.
• Do not visit these crags without the appropriate level of skill. 
• Reminder: Lions Head is an advanced crag and it is not suitable for new climbers.

For more information, read our Gym-to-Crag best practices.

We’ll provide updates as conversations with Ontario Parks progress.

Every year, the Ontario Alliance of Climbers holds an Annual General Meeting. We appreciate Conservation Halton’s support in hosting us at Rattlesnake Point Conservation Area this past June 1st, 2019. The short formal portion of the meeting allows OAC members to elect Directors for the coming year (as legally mandated). Afterwards, the AGM gives us the opportunity to connect with the membership in a loosely structured Q&A discussion session.

Discussions during this year’s Q&A included:
* Why were glue-in bolts chosen for the Rattlesnake project?
* Does the OAC need help with (other) bolting projects?
* When is the OAC going to start buying crags?
* What are the different ways volunteers can support the OAC?
* Why does the OAC not provide funding to individuals engaged in retro-bolting?
* Does the OAC have policies in place about who can bolt?
* Are records being kept of hardware specs when bolting/retro-bolting is being done?
* Will more 2019 OAC calendars be available?

Thanks to those who came out to the meeting!

2019 AGM materials (Q&A, minutes, access sends)

Announcing the Rattlesnake Spring Fling!  We’ve been doing our best to keep things under wraps, but it’s time we spill the beans.  What we had been previously advertising as a Rattlesnake Crag Stewardship Day is actually going to be the OAC’s first Rattlesnake Spring Fling — our kick off to the start of the climbing season! 

Come join us on Saturday June 1st. This event is open for all climbers, and clinics are offered for anyone who’s never climbed outside before.  If you want to learn how to transition from the gym to the crag, this is the perfect opportunity for you! 

Come meet us, your advocates for access to all climbing in Ontario, and partake in our Annual General Meeting. 

We’ll also be unveiling a fresh makeover to the Rattlesnake area with several freshly bolted routes from 5.5 – 5.10!

It’ll be a day of climbing, learning, fun, and celebrating all Ontario has to offer.  

Available Clinics:

Rock Talk Mentorship Series Clinic: Communicating to Encourage Lasting Change FREE

You probably care about Ontario climbing. More and more people are leaving the gym and going to the crags. This is an incredible opportunity for us to pass along our values and traditions to the next generation. We have power to shape the behaviour of new climbers so that they respect the space and climb safely. 

From discouraging guitars and boomboxes to encouraging safe anchor setups, we will discuss and practice communication styles that have been shown to be helpful in changing people’s behaviour. There is a good chance you already have a good array of tools and techniques that work well for you. This is a chance to hear about one more and then you can decide if you want to use it. The clinic is based in behaviour change science and represents some of the most cutting-edge approaches to encouraging behaviour change.

Clinic time: noon – 1pm (before the AGM)

Intro to Rock $40/person

Open to all ages and abilities, this is a great opportunity to experience real rock climbing on the Niagara Escarpment. Certified guides and all necessary climbing equipment will be provided, no experience necessary.

All On the Rocks Climbing Guides clinics taught by professional climber Leslie Timms (owner of On the Rocks) and PCGI certified guides Adam Mitchell and Julie Weisz.

Clinic time: 9:00am – 12:30pm & 1:30pm – 4:30pm
Space is limited.
To register, email info@ontherocksclimbing.com or call 705 888 8723  

Fall Safe  $40/person HST included

Face your fear of falling on lead, become a better lead belayer and more efficient climber in this course catered to current lead climbers. Learn about outdoor lead fall hazards and proper lead belay methods in a variety of scenarios. Learn about fear management and how to overcome the mental hurdles of lead climbing. This course will offer a variety of tips to help you become a more confident and safe sport climber, so you can take your climbing to the next level.

All On the Rocks Climbing Guides clinics taught by professional climber, Leslie Timms (owner of On the Rocks) and PCGI certified guides Adam Mitchell and Julie Weisz.

Clinic Time: 1:30pm – 4:30pm

Space is limited.
To register, email info@ontherocksclimbing.com or call 705 888 8723  

Sport Climbing – Gym to Rock Clinic $99+HST

This 1/2 day clinic is being offered by ONE AXE Pursuits.  The clinic will review the skills needed to make a safe transition from sport climbing in the gym to sport climbing outdoors, including: how to safely lower off a climb; stick clipping the fist bolt; stick clipping past a crux on the climb; outdoor safety hazards; and the outdoor climbers code of conduct.  Clinic participants must be indoor lead climbing certified.

Clinic times:  8:30am – 12:30pm &  1:30pm – 5:30pm 
Spots Available: 8 people per clinic
To register, email info@oneaxepursuits.com