The Spring Fling is a day spent contributing to crag maintenance and strengthening our relationship with Conservation Halton.  We’ll spend the morning picking up trash, celebrate our hard work with lunch, and then spend the afternoon climbing.  Register now to participate in this day of giving back to the climbing community!

Sunday, May 3rd, we’ll be picking up trash at two crags just like last year – Rattlesnake Point, and Mount Nemo!

Come join us in this day of giving back, meet some new climbing friends, and enjoy the sunshine!  This event is open to all ages — and yes, we can sign volunteer forms for anyone trying to log volunteer hours  Register now so we can get your name on the list and account for your free volunteer lunch!

Or, visit Ontario Gear Co. or Climb Smart Shop to pick one up in person!

If you subscribe to our newsletter, you should have received our 2024 Winter Occasional recently, with a recap of the year. Did you miss it? Here’s what happened!

2024 Climber Survey

Every year we put out a survey to learn about the everchanging climbing community. We launched our annual survey at the end of November, and we’re keeping it open until January 3rd. Help us get to know you better, so we can represent you better!

Click here to fill out the survey now. You could be a winner!

Ewan W. and Taryn K. were the lucky respondents randomly selected to win $50 MEC gift cards for filling out the survey. We will have another prize drawing on January 3rd for some OAC t-shirts, so make sure you fill it out now if you haven’t yet! It only takes 5 minutes =)

2024 OAC Annual General Meeting

This year’s AGM was held in November, and saw us elect Tori Silvera and Tyler Coffin as the OAC’s newest Directors. Congratulations, and welcome to the Board!

Please join us in extending a big thank you to Randy Kielbasiewicz and Mike Makischuk for their many years of service on the Board. Keep an eye out for them on the wall!

We had 36 attendees for our virtual meeting, and covered highlights from crags across Ontario. Some notable news items include:

– The release times for Turtle Crag permit booking will move to 7pm in 2025 to better serve the majority of users.
– A reminder that NO topouts at the Niagara Glen are permitted on any boulder, in order to preserve vegetation with increased climber traffic.
– The OAC is working with the Alpine Club of Canada on options to improve access at Eagle’s Nest in Bancroft.
– There has been a TON of new development in the Ottawa Region, Sudbury and Thunder Bay. Put these places on your list for next year!

You can watch the full recording of the AGM on our YouTube channel by clicking here.

Volunteer with us!

Are you passionate about helping us secure access to climbing in Ontario? We’re always looking for more volunteers to help out! Right now we’re looking to fill a few specific volunteer roles:

Newsletter Author

Perma-potties Project Manager

Beaver Valley Climbing Festival Organizer

Message Jeremy at jeremy.fortier@ontarioallianceofclimbers.ca if you’d like to get involved!

Please keep in mind that some smaller communities, including Grey County, have issued official requests that non-residents or seasonal visitors avoid visiting.  We’ve listed resources for the Public Health Units and municipalities that correspond with the various crags in our document — please use these to determine if there are any regional restrictions.

Currently, climbing is permitted on crown land, where access is tolerated.

Old Baldy is re-opening to visitor access on June 6, but at the time of this posting, climbing will not be a permitted activity. We are in direct communication with Grey Sauble Conservation concerning this. Please stay tuned for updates.

Climbing is still not yet permitted on Conservation Halton properties, which include Rattlesnake Point and Mount Nemo — but we are working with them to determine when we can do so safely. 

Bouldering is also not yet permitted at the Niagara Glen, but the NPCA is actively working on a plan to reintroduce it.  We hope to be able to share news of progress here soon!

We previously established a list of guidelines to help climbers decide whether to climb, and if they choose to climb, how to do so responsibly. You can access the complete list of guidelines here. A condensed version suitable for use as a poster is also available below.

If you do go out, this is an important time to make a good name for the climbing community!  Take the time to educate yourself on the best practices for climbing during this pandemic.  Remember to take care of the crag, yourselves, and others.

Please keep in mind that as our situation is constantly changing, it is important to be in the know before you go.  Stay up to date and do your research before you head out.  Please respect all government guidelines and be considerate of vulnerable communities.  Stay safe!