Messages from the Board:
Eye opening incident, The Nest and More

A Reminder about Safety: 

A couple weeks ago on July 12th, Keith, a WABA board member and one of our veteran community members had an incident when out bouldering at Cathedral. A common activity (downclimbing and scrambling around a boulder field) led to a freak accident injuring his arm. Luckily, there was good enough reception to call for an ambulance and the group he was with was able to manage the situation and help Keith back to the parking lot. This is a great learning moment, that accidents can happen to anyone at any time, and that a properly stocked first aid kit (for ALL situations) is very important.

Thanks to Keith for sharing his experience, and take a look at his instagram for pictures of the stitches.

Take down-climbing seriously. Even from a short height, a slip can cause big damage.

This was the case last weekend (July 12th) when I was down-climbing a small boulder. Friends and I were at a boulder we were all going to work on. The problem I was going to try has a tough mantle that is high so I wanted to get a look at what the top looked like. I scrambled up a small boulder adjacent to it to check it out. The boulder was mossy and dirty, but easy enough to walk around on. While up there I was telling myself to be careful as it could be slippery.

I figured the best way to come down was the same way I got up. There was a tree beside this boulder so I thought I’d stem between them and step down. I placed my right hand and right foot on the tree, left hand on top of the boulder and lowered down so I could weight my left foot. Then as my left foot weighted, it slipped out and I fell sideways, with my arm going into a hole between the boulder and a rock. I hit the ground, got to my hands and knees and noticed what happened to my left arm.

My bicep was ‘de-gloved’ and the skin layer was pushed up about 3-4″ and cut from the outside, down by my elbow joint and up the inside of my arm, exposing muscle, fat and veins. It looked like tenderloin. I knew I was in trouble and called for my friends to help. I was really scared but they did an incredible job taking care of me and calming me down. We called 911, I got wrapped up and we walked down to the parking lot to wait for the ambulance.

Thinking back I was very lucky to only come out with 30 stitches. The fall was from 3-4′ but it could have been much worse. I was also lucky that we had first aid kits and that there was cell service.

This story is a reminder that the mountains are serious. I think back to what I could have done different; taken another way down, jumped to the ground, called for a spot or pulled a pad. In the moment I thought I was being careful, but it doesn’t take much.

My take away from this experience is down-climbing is dangerous. Carry an updated first aid kit and consider bringing a GPS messenger.

Stay safe out there, top to bottom.

Another Nest update

Almost all the bolts have been removed from the vandalism incident last year at The Nest. We are currently waiting for a stretch of dry weather to allow the filling and camouflaging of the unsightly drill holes.

Featured Climb and or Crag:
WABA Weather App

Our board member Brian has been hard at work creating a customized weather app for our website that showcases area specific weather for bouldering areas.

Using data from Environment and Climate Change Canada and Weather data by Open-Meteo, we now provide weather forecasts and past weather for Cathedral, Big Choss, The Highwood, and Skyline. Simply navigate to the Weather Forecast page, click on a location, and the weather data for that area will be loaded and displayed, as below. You can click on the individual days to see the weather data for that day. We show temperature and precipitation data, which means you can check on conditions before driving out.

If you have any feedback on how we can continue to improve this website feature, please let us know.

Spotlight on Climbing Ethics or Access Issues:
Stashed Gear and Pads, Big Rock

Stashed Gear/Pads

There have been reports of stashed pads in some of our local bouldering areas. Some of these pads have been stashed for extended periods of time and are becoming seriously damaged. Given the state of some pads and the length of time they have been there, it seems like these have been abandoned. Rodents and in some cases goats/sheep have chewed the pads/traps covering them causing small pieces of foam and fabric to be strewn about as well as harming the animals by ingesting the materials. Please do not store pads or other gear at bouldering areas, it is unsightly, harms wildlife, creates micro trash, and is illegal. See below for specific examples of issues with stashing gear as well as excerpts from relevant government regulations.

Acephale and stashed gear

In 2019, the Climbers’ Access Society of Alberta (CASA) was contacted by Alberta Environment and Parks (AEP) requesting the immediate removal of all stashed gear at the sport climbing area Acephale on Heart Mountain. At the time, a conservation officer observed an abundance of stashed gear at the crag and ordered its removal. In this case, CASA were contacted by Parks and asked to carry out the gear removal themselves in a short timeline, allowing the gear to be reclaimed by its owners. A huge effort from volunteers hauled out their own gear as well as a large amount of abandoned and unused gear from the crag.

RMNP and stashed pads

In Rocky Mountain National Park (RMNP) in Colorado, according to the US National Park Service (NPS) “Stashing any climbing gear, including crash pads, is prohibited inside RMNP”. Bouldering in RMNP can quite often include strenuous approaches, sometimes exceeding 4km and 500m gain (comparable to Old Goat, Big Choss, and The Gateway). Stashed pads are often left for long stretches of time and quickly degrade due to environmental exposure, and chewing from animals such as rodents, leaving behind small pieces of foam and fabric and harming the wildlife that ingests the materials. “Leaving climbing gear behind harms wildlife, damages wilderness areas, and is illegal”. Upon discovery of stashed pads by park rangers, the pads are removed from the area, and since 2023, are not reclaimable by their owners.

Under sections 9.1(1)(c) and 9.1(2) of the Alberta Provincial Parks Act “A person shall not store, cache or otherwise leave any equipment, supplies or other material on, any land in a park or recreation area” and “the real or personal property … becomes the property of the Crown”

Under Sections 31(1)(b) of National Parks General Regulations under the National Parks Act “Any person occupying or using a public area in a Park shall when vacating the area, restore the area to its natural condition as nearly as possible”

Big Rock (NEW INFO AS OF July 2025)

As many of you may know, we have received direct communication with the Government of Alberta that “there is to be no unauthorized access to the rock surfaces and that climbing is now prohibited. ” at the Okotoks Erratic (Big Rock). As Big Rock is protected under the Alberta Historical Resources Act, has significance with Indigenous Groups, and is an important site for pictographs, it was determined that unauthorized access to the rock faces could damage and destroy this unique resource for future generations. Since then, signs have been posted at the parking area prohibiting climbing. It was implied that more signs will go up near the boulder.

However, WABA has also made some progress, we were able to have a meeting with the local Okotoks MLA, who was able to communicate valuable information regarding the current and future status of Big Rock. The MLA has told us that he will reach out to discuss the possibilities of a meeting between WABA and the Minister of Arts, Culture and Status of Women which directly oversees the management of the site. So far, we have not heard back and are waiting for a response. We will continue to update the community as information becomes available.

Events:
Pub Nights, Cleanups, and a Boulder Bash

Pub Nights

WABA usually hosts / co-hosts 2-3 Pub nights per year to provide a space for folks to come together and discuss their latest projects, new climbs, and developments within the bouldering scene over the past few months. This year it’s Calgary’s turn for the summer pubnight, next year it will be back out in Canmore. So far, we have had the best luck hosting our events at the local climbing gyms in Calgary, expect that to continue in the future. If you have any suggestions about future pub night events please reach out.

Outdoor Events

We have been working with Alberta Parks to understand the requirements for hosting an outdoor bouldering event. This process is a bit more complicated than originally thought and has derailed some of our previous plans. However, we want to build strong relationships with Parks, and we believe running a smooth first event is critical for this. Our board member Alessandro set up a meeting with Alberta Parks’ Special Event and Permitting Officer to learn more about the requirements and restrictions for events at the various different areas within Alberta. Stay tuned for details on events in the future.

Featured Alberta Crag:
Cathedral and KAYA

Our board member Scott has released two hard copy mini guides to The Highwood and Cathedral over the past year. Unfortunately, both of these mini guides are completely sold out, however if there is enough interest there is the possibility of doing a second printing for one of both guides. If you or someone you know is keen, pass the word on to Scott. In case it wasn’t obvious already, Scott is working on creating a new and updated paper guide to Alberta (excluding Frank, which should get its own dedicated guide, and areas further North). Alongside this, Scott is also working on adding updated/complete bouldering info to KAYA, starting with the more popular areas first. Timelines are uncertain at the moment, but ask Scott for more details if you are interested.

Donation / Patreon Information

As a non-profit association run by volunteers, any donations are greatly appreciated and will be used to fund: the purchase of tools for trail days, insurance for group events, website hosting, and ongoing development and access to local crags, including long term development such as better trail networks, signage, potential parking, washrooms, etc. Follow the link below to become a member of WABA or donate. 

Donate: https://westernalbertabouldering.ca/donate/ 

Become a Member: https://www.patreon.com/WABA708