Rock Climbing Programs

Introduction To Some Rock Climbing Programs

As one of the fastest growing outdoor activity, rock climbing owes much of its distinction from numerous rock climbing programs and organizations. These mostly not for profit organizations cater to the needs of newcomers as well as long standing members and rock climbing enthusiasts, by providing information, details of the rock climbing routes, rock climbing programs and equipments.

Among the most notable rock climbing programs is the Sierra Club.

The Sierra Club is actually an American environmental organization founded by a well-known philanthropist John Muir in May 28, 1892. This organization composes of the country elite and famous, bent on achieving environmental friendly goals. To date, Sierra Club composes of thousands of members by chapters. Several of Sierra Club’s Mission Statement played a huge factor in the proliferating a good number of rock climbing programs, most especially the Leave No Trace principles. Furthermore, a good number of early Sierra Club members are also rock climbing enthusiasts, conducting several mountain outings since 1911. And during World War 2, several of the Sierra Club’s distinguished personalities joined the 10th mountain division, lending their extensive mountain expertise to the war effort.

One of the rock climbing programs Sierra Club help promote is the Leave No Trace principle. In 1970, when Sierra Club was advocating their stance about minimum impact camping, the United States Forest Service, the Bureau of Land Management, together with the National Park Service started an environmental program that teaches minimizing impacts on the natural environment when on outdoor recreation. Though it started with other areas of immediate problem, as it build its scope, Leave No Trace also became part of the rock climbing programs that is extensively taught to rock climbing newcomers.

Sierra Club isn’t strictly about rock climbing. But other rock climbing programs, such as the American Alpine Club, delves more into rock climbing, or outdoor climbing in general. Founded in 1902 by Charles Ernest Fay, the American Alpine Club (or simply abbreviated as AAC) is today the foremost authority of mountaineering and rock climbing in the United States. It deals with issues pertaining to outdoor climbing and mountain adventure, and represents as a whole the concerns and points of interests of the organization and the rest of America’s climbing community. The organization places importance to several subject of rock climbing: subjects on adventure, scientific research and education.

Another of the largest (the third in fact) rock climbing programs is The Mountaineers. More as a rock climbing awareness group, this club is catered to anyone wanting to join and has the mutual feeling about rock climbing and mountaineering in general.