ROCK Project Visits Salt Lake City and Inspires New Generation of Climbers

-Climbers come together to remove graffiti on boulders in Little Cottonwood Canyon-

April 30, 2015 (SALT LAKE CITY) – Black Diamond Equipment^®, a global innovator in climbing, skiing and mountain sports equipment and apparel, along with partner the Access Fund, organized the second stop of the 2015 ROCK Project Tour with a successful, sold-out event in Salt Lake City, April 10-12. ROCK Project is designed to inspire and educate the growing populations of gym climbers to embrace responsible habits and behaviors when they make the transition outside. The highlight of the weekend was bringing together local climbers and professional athletes to remove graffiti from a prized climbing area.

“We are extremely grateful of the effort that has been initiated by Black Diamond and the Access Fund,” explains Julia Geissler, executive director of the Salt Lake Climbers Alliance (SLCA). “ROCK Project gives people a chance to be a part of the climbing community on a local and national level.”

The Salt Lake City stop of the ROCK Project Tour included a stewardship project organized by the SLCA in partnership with the U.S. Forest Service. Approximately 100 participants including professional climbers and SLCA members joined forces to remove graffiti in a popular climbing location in Little Cottonwood Canyon, which has become a haven for vandalism and graffiti.
Other highlights from the weekend included Momentum Climbing gym hosting climbing clinics and presentations by professional climbers Whitney Boland, Paige Claassen, Sam Elias, Hazel Findlay, Daniel Jung, Joe Kinder, Daila Ojeda, JP Ouellete, Chris Schulte, and Barbara Zangerl. With four indoor climbing gyms and close proximity to dozens of outdoor climbing areas, Salt Lake City is one of the nation’s fastest growing climbing communities, making it an ideal venue for ROCK Project’s message of environmental stewardship and crag etiquette.

“ROCK Project raises awareness on how we can all be better stewards of the fragile climbing environments we visit,” states Rich Connors, manager of Momentum Climbing.

In addition to the ROCK Project’s graffiti removal efforts, clinics and presentations, more than 200 climbers attended the Momentum Climbing fundraising party where roughly $3000 was raised for the Salt Lake Climbers Alliance and the Access Fund.

The ROCK Project Tour makes its next stop in New York City, May 10-12, at Brooklyn Boulders. An all-star cast of professional climbers will attend, including Alex Honnold, Sasha DiGiulian, as well as a fundraising party for the Access Fund and Gunks Climbers’ Coalition and a stewardship project scheduled in the Mohonk Preserve. For information on the New York City stop of the ROCK Project Tour, please click here.

Upcoming 2015 ROCK Project Tour stops include Seattle (September 4-6), Denver (October 2-4), and Atlanta (November 6-8). 



About Black Diamond :


Black Diamond Equipment is a manufacturer of equipment and clothing for climbing, skiing and mountain sports. By consistently building innovative, standard-setting products and actively preserving the mountain/canyon environment, Black Diamond Equipment has assumed a leadership role in the international outdoor community.

For more information on Black Diamond Equipment, visit BlackDiamondEquipment.com 

About The Access Fund:


The Access Fund is the national advocacy organization that keeps climbing areas open and conserves the climbing environment. The Access Fund supports and represents over 6.8 million climbers nationwide in all forms of climbing: rock climbing, ice climbing, mountaineering, and bouldering. Six core programs support the mission on national and local levels: climbing management policy, stewardship and conservation, local support and mobilization, land acquisition and protection, risk management and landowner support, and education.

For more information visit www.accessfund.org.


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