LAS VEGAS, Nev. (FOX5) – One of the top rock climbers in the world considered by many to be the greatest of all time now calls Las Vegas home and is passionate about protecting access to public lands. Friday, at Red Rock Canyon along with Congresswoman Susie Lee, Alex Honnold spoke about that effort: new protections for rock climbing routes and plans for new multi-state bike trails.
“I moved here for this opportunity and I’m hiking and climbing in these peaks four days a week, and I am constantly seeing groups of folks enjoying the outdoors here. It is just so important for the community, the climbers traveling here from literally all over the world, to enjoy these mountains,” shared Honnold. Red Rock Canyon is one of the premier rock-climbing destinations in the country with more than 2,000 routes.
“I actually personally have climbed from the very northern end to the very southern end over a 36-hour push, just up and down. Every single thing that you see. It’s awesome, like literally everything has climbing available,” Honnold gestured with the Red Rocks behind him. Honnold is best known for free climbing El Capitan in Yosemite National Park, that means no safety ropes. His daring, historic ascent was captured by a National Geographic crew and featured in the Emmy winning documentary Free Solo.
“There’s been classic climbing going on here since the 70s, and a lot of those roots are very popular. Historic. People climb them all the time now,” Honnold revealed about the beloved Red Rock area and the mountains around it. Those routes are made up of metal anchors drilled into the rocks for safety lines.
“Equipment like fixed anchors were going to be removed from federal wilderness areas,” reported Nevada Congresswoman Susie Lee who has climbed with Honnold at Red Rock. Lee jumped into action championing the Protecting America’s Rock Climbing (PARC) Act protecting more than 50,000 climbing routes on public lands in 28 states. It passed unanimously in the House and Senate.
“There are not that many winning issues like that, but everybody loves outdoor recreation,” Honnold contended. Representative Lee also co-sponsored the Biking on Long Distance Trails (BOLT) Act which will add 10 long-distance bike routes across the country.
“This is trails that would go from Nevada to Utah to Colorado,” Lee explained. Congresswoman Lee says right now they are trying to identify trails for the multi-state bike routes and welcomes people to contact her office with suggestions.
Lee says these laws are so important because Nevada’s outdoor recreation industry accounts for about $8.1 billion annually, ranking our state 10th in the nation in outdoor recreation. It also is a rapidly growing industry.
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