Episode #31- Peter Monks

The Climbing Advocate

Our guest for today’s episode is the president of the Bay Area Climbers Coalition (BACC), Peter Monks. Peter recently took over as president in January of this year and he shared an impressive amount of information and stories about the organization. Holding the responsibility over the land of “micro crags”, the BACC has done a remarkable job building a rapport with the local community and with an array of different land managers. The BACC has made it a point to be community-facing. Through their educational programming and community events, they highly value bringing people together. We discussed their gym-to-crag events at length, how they structure them, what attendees can expect to get out of them, and how other LCOs can bolster their educational programming. Peter’s humble approach to leadership and long history with the BACC will undoubtedly put him on a successful path as president. 3:19- Peter’s intro & climbing history 11:17- Today’s overcrowding issues 15:02- Peter’s role as president 19:26- BACC’s team & organizational structure 24:52- The Bay Area: the land of “micro crags” 31:20- Working with a variety of land managers 34:14- Is climbing a priority with these land managers? 37:57- BACC’s community engagement efforts 42:15- Engaging with diverse populations 49:27- Gym to Crag educational programming 59:48- Establishing relationships with indoor facilities 1:05:41- Gym to “Crag” vs. Gym to “Boulder” 1:11:45- Recommendations for educational programming 1:15:29- Peter’s definition of advocacy Bay Area Climbers Coalition: https://bayareaclimberscoalition.org/ BACC’s Instagram: @bayareaclimberscoalition Access Fund’s Conference Presentation Application: https://bit.ly/3vBpFTv