Doing Good in Your Backyard: Rumney Climbers Association

Climb More, Climb Better: The Power of Consistency in Climbing

Welcome to the first blog of Doing Good in Your Backyard. In this series, we will highlight various local climbing organizations (LCOs) and individuals making a real difference in their climbing communities. To kick things off, we're diving into the story of Rumney Climbers Association (RCA) in New Hampshire to talk about the dedicated crew that's been crushing it both on the rock and in conservation.

Meet the Rumney Climbers Association

If you've ever pulled on a rock at Rumney Rocks in New Hampshire, you've benefited from the hard work of the Rumney Climbers Association (RCA). This volunteer-run organization has been the backbone of climbing access and stewardship at Rumney since the early '90s. When access was threatened, they stepped in by raising funds, purchasing land, and partnering with the U.S. Forest Service (USFS) to make sure climbers could keep sending for generations to come while protecting the land.

Protecting the Climber's Paradise

RCA is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit dedicated to stewardship, education, and access. Their mission is to protect and preserve Rumney's climbing areas while ensuring sustainability and public access. Over the years, they've worked to buy and protect climbing areas and later transferred them to the White Mountain National Forest to ensure they stay accessible and preserved for future generations. That means permanent protection of the crags we love.

A Big Move to Securing Rock

RCA made a huge move with the collaboration and help of the Access Fund—purchasing 85 acres that include six major climbing areas which has resulted in saving 1,080 routes. These crags include Northwest Territories, Buffalo Pit, Northwest Passage, Prudential, Asylum, and part of the Black Jack Boulders. With a $120,000 loan from the Access Fund, these two organizations worked together to make sure these crags remained open and protected.

The RCA has also worked on a new parking area, toilet facilities, and a better trail system to help better handle the increasing number of climbers and reduce their impact on the environment.

Keeping It Clean and Climbable

RCA also ensures these areas stay in top shape through their ongoing stewardship efforts, including:

Bolt and anchor replacement
Fixed quickdraw upkeep
Trail development and maintenance
Environmental conservation projects

How You Can Help

Love climbing at Rumney? Want to give back? Here's how you can get involved and help the RCA keep doing what rock at doing:

Donate – Every dollar you donate helps protect climbing access and maintain the crags.
Volunteer – Join a trail day, help replace hardware, or lend a hand where it's needed. The RCA is always looking for volunteers.
Spread the word – Follow RCA, share their mission, and educate your climbing community.

Get involved and help keep climbing areas accessible. For more info or to support RCA, check out their website or follow them on social media.

Featured Climbing Training Gear

Maverick: The on-the-go, bring it anywhere hangboard. On a family road trip to keep your fingers in shape. We like to bring this to the crag with us to keep our fingers warm—without losing skin on mediocre warm-ups—at that steep, thuggy sport crag.

Pinch Blocks: Don't let pinch strength stop you from sending! Use it while hanging, lifting, and even for one arm hangs; featuring various widths for pinching, a 20 mm edge, and a jug.

The Rock-Stah: Our handcrafted version of a traditional hangboard, with curving crimp rails to help alleviate unnecessary strain on your pulleys. Because ain’t no one got time for a finger injury…

The Rocket Wall: Available in 6’ and 8’ widths, it’s been tough for us to keep up with the demand for this innovative home climbing wall solution. Slightly overhanging, the Rocket Wall is big enough to set routes on, or to build a systems board.