Minutes for the Sept 21st Meeting

On the Tuesday, Sept 21st meeting a list was started for Needles area routes in need of bolt and anchor repair.  The list will be posted on this website soon, and we invite comments for any discussions about what is being proposed.

There will be no meetings this fall.  We will have a meeting in early December, and also have a Holiday party in early-mid December.  Issues for December meeting include electing  members-at-large, and a new co-chair, which will be important as Bruce Junek will be in the Mediterranean most of next summer.  Brent Kurtzman is willing to help with the Pumpfest but not to be the main organizer, so someone needs to do that.

Rock and Ice recently contacted the Chair for comments on our last meeting.  This is how I answered.

The August Black Hills Climbers Coalition meeting an agreement was reached that the Needles area of Custer State Park would continue to have a ground up ethic, with all new routes put in on lead.  However, the ethic will now allow the use of hooking on lead, to encourage harder routes to be put in on steeper walls.  Power drills will continue to be banned for use in new route development by both Custer State Park authorities, and by strong consensus among Black Hills climbers.

A number of sport climbers, and even some traditional climbers, had expressed interest in discussing possibly opening up parts of the area to other options for route development.  But the discussions were too divisive, and those who wanted change basically didn't want to push the issue.   To keep harmony, everyone who wished for change said they would abide by whatever consensus the community as a whole could agree upon.

In the past, a few loose canons have disregarded the majority opinion regarding local ethics, and have caused lots of stress in the climbing community.  Virtually everyone has agreed that whatever the ethic, everyone needs to follow it.  It was agreed the best way to handle illegal route development was to work with the park rangers to bust the perpetrators who can get $500-$1000 fines, plus booted out of all SD state parks for a year.  Simply having a power drill in your possession within the park without a permit is illegal.

The Black Hills has so many climbing options outside of the Needles it makes sense to protect the unique character and stricter ethical guidelines within the Needles area.

Bruce B. Junek
Chairperson
Black Hills Climbers Coalition