Climbers know: Rodeo Wall needs some love. This August, join us in a project to make Rodeo Wall safer and better by cleaning the top of the cliff of loose rocks and rebuilding the climbing platforms at the base of the routes.

Rodeo Wall is a small limestone crag located some twenty minutes from downtown Jackson and two miles south of Hoback Junction. It is part of the Bridger-Teton National Forest, which comprises 3.4 million acres of some of the most spectacular public land in America. Like all public lands under the current administration, it’s also under assault: the Fiscal Year (FY) 2021 Forest Service budget for discretionary appropriations is $5.3 billion, a decrease of $155.6 million from the FY 2020 Enacted amount.

As the Friends of the Bridger-Teton National Forest website notes:

“The Bridger-Teton National Forest currently lacks the federal resources needed to meet the opportunities and challenges associated with growing recreation and visitor use in the Greater Yellowstone Area. Since 2009, the BTNF has lost nine full-time recreation positions and suffered a 63% decrease in their infrastructure and maintenance budget. This reality can affect our wildlife, our watersheds and our communities’ support for public lands.”

You can help.

On Thursday, August 27, The Teton Climbers’ Coalition will conduct an “adopt-a-crag” of the local climbing area. We encourage our climbing community to step forward and become an active steward of your public lands. Help us to preserve and protect one of our favorite local climbing area and show land managers that climbers are responsible stewards, which in turn promotes access.

Volunteers are needed to help with several projects, such as belay platform restoration and general trail maintenance. Please meet at the Rodeo Wall turn out at 3:00 PM to register and receive a project assignment. Due to limited parking, carpooling is suggested, but please wear a mask while carpooling, to avoid exposure to COVID-19. Bring a bottle of water, work appropriate clothes, closed toe shoes, gloves, sunblock, insect repellent and face mask (please wear any time you are within 6 feet of another human). Water station, refreshments and snacks will be provided. 

All volunteers must complete a Volunteer Application and Waiver. We encourage volunteers, if possible, to sign up online prior to the event. This will allow us to better plan. Please send your application to info@tetonclimbers.com. Last minute volunteers are also welcome!

The Teton Climbers’ Coalition is proud to partner with the Access Fund on the project. The Access Fund’s Adopt a Crag program is about giving back to the climbing areas we use on a regular basis. From the signs in the parking areas, to the established trail systems, to the rocks and boulders where we devote endless hours, climbers are frequent land users, and it is important that we make an effort to maintain and care for that land. Adopt a Crag encourages climbing communities to engage local land managers, landowners, park service employees and forest rangers in conversation about ways to preserve and protect their favorite climbing areas. It is this dedication to climbing areas that shows land managers that climbers are responsible stewards, which in turn promotes access.