Today’s episode is a tribute to one of the most influential characters in the climbing community and the original climbing advocate: Armando Menocal. Armando was a civil rights lawyer turned climber and is known by many as the dedicated founder of Access Fund. He passed away in October 2024 at the age of 83 after a battle with cancer. This episode is a short collection of words from some of his closest friends and colleagues honoring his memory.
Armando’s experience and leadership as a civil rights lawyer representing underserved communities translated well to advocating for climbing access on public lands amid fierce controversy during the rise of sport climbing in the ‘80s and ‘90s. His vision for an inclusive climbing community—embracing all styles, including sport climbing and fixed hardware—helped shape the landscape we enjoy today and contributed to the recent passage of the Protecting America’s Rock Climbing (PARC) Act.
Enjoy this heart-warming episode celebrating Armando’s kindness and his vision for the future of climbing. Thank you to Brady Robinson, Rick Accomazzo, Allen Sanderson, David Rosenstein, Kika Bradford, and Rick Thompson for contributing to this episode.
Brady Robinson- 3:20
Rick Accomazzo- 27:54
David Rosenstein- 31:40
Allen Sanderson- 34:41
Kika Bradford- 38:57
Rick Thompson- 44:43
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Today’s episode is a tribute to one of the most influential characters in the climbing community and the original climbing advocate: Armando Menocal. Armando was a civil rights lawyer turned climber and is known by many as the dedicated founder of Access Fund. He passed away in October 2024 at the age of 83 after a battle with cancer. This episode is a short collection of words from some of his closest friends and colleagues honoring his memory.
Armando’s experience and leadership as a civil rights lawyer representing underserved communities translated well to advocating for climbing access on public lands amid fierce controversy during the rise of sport climbing in the ‘80s and ‘90s. His vision for an inclusive climbing community—embracing all styles, including sport climbing and fixed hardware—helped shape the landscape we enjoy today and contributed to the recent passage of the Protecting America’s Rock Climbing (PARC) Act.
Enjoy this heart-warming episode celebrating Armando’s kindness and his vision for the future of climbing. Thank you to Brady Robinson, Rick Accomazzo, Allen Sanderson, David Rosenstein, Kika Bradford, and Rick Thompson for contributing to this episode.
Brady Robinson- 3:20
Rick Accomazzo- 27:54
David Rosenstein- 31:40
Allen Sanderson- 34:41
Kika Bradford- 38:57
Rick Thompson- 44:43
On today’s episode, Erik Murdock returns to take a deep dive into an issue that Access Fund and the climbing community have worked on for decades: how fixed anchors are managed in Wilderness areas. It’s an issue that requires context, history, and nuance, which is what this episode delivers.
Erik begins with a thorough history of climbing in America’s Wilderness areas, then we get into the finer details of why managing fixed anchors in these places is a big deal right now. As Erik explains, recently released guidance from the National Park Service and US Forest Service will have serious implications if implemented. Join us for a deep dive into this issue, and submit your comment to the NPS and USFS on their management guidance before January 30th here.
5:12- The early conversations around wilderness - are fixed anchors allowable or prohibited?
8:28- Erik's opening on fixed anchors and wilderness
27:04- Why are fixed anchors being managed now?
30:42- Managing fixed anchors outside of wilderness
41:13- Climbers supporting past wilderness designations
51:23- Protect America's Rock Climbing (PARC) Act
59:26- Minimum Requirements Analysis (MRA) in more depth
1:04:35- Will fixed hardware be removed from existing routes?
1:09:27- Where do we go from here?
Wilderness Climbing FAQ: https://www.accessfund.org/latest-news/wilderness-climbing-faq
Bolt Prohibition Action Alert: https://www.accessfund.org/latest-news/action-alert-stop-the-bolt-prohibition
National Park Service Comment Submission Form (due by Jan 30th, 2024): https://parkplanning.nps.gov/commentForm.cfm?documentID=132387
US Forest Service Comment Submission Form (due by Jan 30th, 2024): https://cara.fs2c.usda.gov/Public/CommentInput?project=ORMS-3524
The Climbing Advocate
Today’s episode is a tribute to one of the most influential characters in the climbing community and the original climbing advocate: Armando Menocal. Armando was a civil rights lawyer turned climber and is known by many as the dedicated founder of Access Fund. He passed away in October 2024 at the age of 83 after a battle with cancer. This episode is a short collection of words from some of his closest friends and colleagues honoring his memory.
Armando’s experience and leadership as a civil rights lawyer representing underserved communities translated well to advocating for climbing access on public lands amid fierce controversy during the rise of sport climbing in the ‘80s and ‘90s. His vision for an inclusive climbing community—embracing all styles, including sport climbing and fixed hardware—helped shape the landscape we enjoy today and contributed to the recent passage of the Protecting America’s Rock Climbing (PARC) Act.
Enjoy this heart-warming episode celebrating Armando’s kindness and his vision for the future of climbing. Thank you to Brady Robinson, Rick Accomazzo, Allen Sanderson, David Rosenstein, Kika Bradford, and Rick Thompson for contributing to this episode.
Brady Robinson- 3:20
Rick Accomazzo- 27:54
David Rosenstein- 31:40
Allen Sanderson- 34:41
Kika Bradford- 38:57
Rick Thompson- 44:43
