Outdoor Indoor Rules
Use Ontario Access Coalition’s Code of Ethics When Climbing Outdoors
It’s 2018 and there will be more climbers at the crags than ever before, thanks in a large part to the amazing opportunities people have to be introduced to climbing through climbing gyms. But climbing outdoors is much different from indoors, and there are some simple rules to follow that we can call a code of ethics or climbing etiquette. The following is a list of Ontario Access Coalition’s code of ethics and the reasons why it’s important to follow it everywhere. If you leave your trash on a table at the climbing gym, someone will throw it out. While we try our best to have good manners and clean up after ourselves, sometimes things get missed. But that’s not an option when we’re hanging out at crags. Whether it’s a banana peel or lid to a water bottle, be sure to pack it out.
At a climbing gym, you can yell, holler and curse like a crazy person at a music concert and everyone tends to be OK with it. But not outside. When you’re outside, keep your voice down, don’t yell, don’t play music, don’t bring a dog that will bark all day, but do keep your gear tidy.
The only rules indoors are to not walk in the red boxes when a climber is leading. Outdoors, there’s so much space to roam and explore that it’s easy to go for a little bushwhack. But imagine if every climber opted for the off-piste approach to the crag – the slopes, forest floors and small plants would all be in ruins. Trail workers spend a lot of time building trails, so give them the respect they deserve. Keep to the trails.
We all do number ones and number twos, so understanding where and when you should do your business is an important part of keeping the crags clean. In the climbing gym we hope you use the washroom, but outdoors offers so many options. If you head outdoors for an extended period of time, know how to It’s a simple thing to do in town with parking lots and condos for rent, but when climbers leave the boundaries of a populated area, some like to park and sleep-in-the-van anywhere they want. Every crag has designated parking areas, many of which you can’t leave your car in overnight, which means no to van living. Just drive down some quiet road and find a pull-out, or make a campground budget and go for comfort.
Climbing is dangerous, but systems and tools are in place so you can do it as safely as possible. In the climbing gym, there are bolts every metre and big pads to fall on. Outdoors, things are set up differently. So study topos, guidebooks and ask around about safety beta. Bring the appropriate gear up routes, wear a helmet, don’t take unnecessary whippers (it’s cooler to grab a quickdraw and clip it than fall too far) and protect boulder landings with as many pads as you need to. In the climbing gym, feed the gym dogs and water the plants. When you’re outdoors, there’s a lot of delicate life that you should avoid damaging. Don’t climb routes where birds are nesting, don’t flip rocks on the ground and disturb the critters beneath and don’t cut down trees. Nature is nice, and we climbers have to be good stewards of the land.—