For the first time in years, Gooseneck’s South Cliff is climbable again thanks to a group of hard working volunteers!

Trisha Burch and Charles Roy have been leading the annual South Cliff Cleanup for a few years while on a mission to revitalize the crags former beauty including the installation of a new throne (outdoor toilet) in 2019, trail cleanup, access route redevelopment, endless scrubbing of existing routes and new route development.
This year, the event received an addition to its name and became the South Cliff Clean & Climb – meaning, participants finally got a whole day of climbing in now that the cliff has become clean enough to climb on safely and enjoyably.

On day 1, 12 volunteers divided into two crews – the “Rock Crew” led by Charles and Trish and the “Trail Crew” led by Rolly. The Trail Crew cleaned up mounds of deadfall and growth along the trail, added additional safety measures to the access route, built a couple natural seating areas and repaired parts of the road leading to the parking lot. The Rock Crew geared up and scrubbed climbing routes with wire brushes and other tools, safely removed loose rocks all while hanging in their harnesses all day long! On day 2, everyone got to climb on the routes that were cleaned, and it was glorious!

Providing people with the experience of what it takes to develop and maintain a crag is both valuable and rewarding. Many climbers may not realize that this work is done by volunteers who invest their own time and money to make climbing safe and accessible to the community and the amount of detail that goes into it.
By hosting trips like these, it brings the community closer together and develops a deeper appreciation for the sport. Not to mention, the banter, sharing stories and food around the campfire aren’t so bad either!

Special shout out to Rob Hester who previously led the South Cliff Cleanup, to Ray Hope, Jackie Hope and Randy Abbot for capturing amazing footage and to all those who helped answer questions about the area’s history. BIG thanks to everyone who has participated in this event and on their own time!

The ACC acknowledges that our activities take place on the traditional territory of Anishinaabeg, Cree, Oji-Cree, Assiniboine, Dakota, and Dene Peoples, and the homeland of the Métis Nation.
We respect the Treaties that were made on these territories, and we dedicate ourselves to move forward in partnership with Indigenous communities in a spirit of collaboration.
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