Gate Buttress Work Concludes for the Season

Hello all,

Dave Lewis here from Singletrack Trails giving an update about the Dihedrals approach. Firstly, we finished this a couple of days ago and it turned out sweet! (Singletrack Trails is a professional trail crew hired by the SLCA for the season.) There is now a stepped path heading to the base of the 4th class approach, protecting the fragile hillside and giving an easy to follow, casual approach. 
Over the past month Lindsay, Jeff and I have put in around 600 combined hours to complete this, plus numerous hours from volunteers showing up at Adopt a Crags and throughout the week. Again, I have to say thanks to those who volunteered. We couldn't have done it in the allotted time without you. Thanks also to our funding partners including: SLCA members, American Alpine Club, Petzl Foundation, Utah Office of Outdoor Recreation Grant, Recreational Trails Program Grant, Salt Lake County, Access Fund, REI, and more.
As far as the stats of what we completed this fall, we ended up with 440' of new trail. We put in 111 steps, over 300 sq. ft. of wall, and another 60 linear feet of wall to retain dirt tread. We also have 86 sq.ft. of armored drains to funnel the water away from the trail. We would frequently spend a day or more quarrying and transporting rock just to have enough to build for a day. A lot of thought, hard labor and skill goes into these builds, but it's a labor of love. 
As climbing gains in popularity, it's essential that we address the increase of foot traffic and create sustainable access that is easy for folks to follow. It's not about sanitizing the experience, it's about protecting the land. Building these trails are time consuming and expensive but are very important, especially in Urban interface areas. Over the last month we've watched a steady stream of climbers coming and going throughout the day to the Dihedrals, probably an average of 30, sometimes more. That's a lot of traffic, and the erosion from the previous trails was evident. We have closed and rehabbed the old trails.
This is my 3rd year on this project and I feel I've become an integral part of it. It's been a pleasure! The SLCA is proof of what a well organized local climbing organization can accomplish. This is your donation money at work, at least part of it. Obviously WARI has been busy keeping you safe. See a list of the routes they’ve worked on here. I'm psyched on this community of climbers and the level of involvement of you all. You guys rock! Remember to donate to your LCO and the Access Fund so we can continue to work towards less impactful, safer experience. Cheers! Dave Lewis

Photo by Kyle Daly

November 11th, 2018

A huge thanks to the outstanding professional trail crew members who worked with us this year including: Lindsay Anderson, David Lewis, Jeff Bahnson, Annabelle McClure, Carolyn Prescott, and Allen Jircik for their hard work! They couldn't have done this work without all the volunteers who helped carry rock to the site for them to build with along with funding support from grant partners and sponsors. - Julia Geisler, SLCA Executive Director