Create a series of five to six visitor events throughout the...
Project overview: Share the story of the vertical wilderness through ranger-led programs about climbing history and techniques, geology, and environmental stewardship for visitors.
How your support helps: Yosemite Valley’s stately cliffs, domes and columns command attention and stoke wonder. Some people see the walls up close, stepping off the Valley floor to scale famous features, such as El Capitan. Most people take in the size and power of the rock from below, occasionally spotting ant-size adventurers inching up the gleaming granite.
Park managers view education as a powerful tool for protecting Yosemite’s resources, including the vertical wilderness. Through the Ask a Climber program, climbing rangers coordinate interactive educational activities that connect people on the ground with the world on the walls.
Conservancy donors have supported Ask a Climber almost every year since it began in 2009 as a partnership between the National Park Service and the Yosemite Climbing Association. Since that inaugural year, the originally volunteer-run endeavor has evolved into a popular, professional, seasonal program staffed by climbing rangers who offer talks, materials and interactive media that cover the geology of Yosemite’s cliffs and domes, climbing history, plants and animals that live on and around the walls, and more.
Over the years, rangers have adapted the Ask a Climber hours, activities, and location to maximize the program’s benefit to visitors. Typically, in spring, late summer, and early autumn, rangers set up telescopes and educational displays at El Capitan Meadow, where they can engage with people gathered to gaze at El Capitan and share safety and stewardship tips with climbers. In July and August, when the climbing season slows, rangers lead weekly interpretive walks. They also deliver presentations at campgrounds and to visiting NatureBridge students.
This year: In 2023 Ask-A-Climber will be providing additional education to climbers spending nights on Yosemite big walls, particularly around Leave No Trace ethics for big wall climbing. This will be a part of the permit issuing process as well as informal opportunities at the Ask A Climber. Ask a Climber will also continue to provide up to date information on how to get permits.
Curious about climbing? Check out our Climbing Hub!
Project partners: Yosemite National Park and Yosemite Climbing Association.