I’ve been a rock climber for over 11 years now and throughout all my experiences, I’ve come to realize that the sport helped shape my appreciation for natural environments. Because of rock climbing, I’ve grown to educate and advocate for natural and protected environments and it has always made me wonder how other rock climbers perceive these outdoor areas they interact in. To address these pivotal questions I decided to interview various members of my climbing community including Sam Adams, Jake Handerhan, Kevin Floss, Bob Zinni, and Dani Dobrot.

I wanted to dig deeper into this idea of rock climbers’ interpretation, level of respect, and knowledge for preserving outdoor environments so I began to pose the questions:

• Does rock climbing correlate with environmental awareness?
• How do we encourage an environmental perspective that uplifts, unites, and transforms climbing communities?
• What are the environmental issues that rock climbers face?
• What’s being done to address these issues and what may be the solutions?

Rock climbing is so much more than just a sport. As rock climbers and outdoor recreationalists, we have to think about the natural environments first. I encourage you to find an outdoor activity that brings you closer to the natural environment. Like a classroom, outdoor activities can help educate someone to better respect and protect the environments they interact in. Expand your border and allow the personal interactions with the environment to teach you what it has to offer.