“Back in the day” refers to the hallowed salad days of some mythic yesteryear. For Boulder climbers, this was the ’70s; afternoons of low-gravity, brief rain showers, unexplored cliffs…and a tight-knit climbing community of ripped rockmasters with which to share it.
Maybe it wasn’t all first-ascents and fun back then, but one thing’s for sure–the scene sure is different today. So remembers Roger Briggs, 59, a retired high-school physics teacher and long-time Colorado climber. Born and raised in Boulder, Briggs has made first ascents everywhere from Eldorado Canyon to the towering Diamond on Longs Peak. He still climbs harder than most, but lately his focus has been on community, rather than cranking.
Briggs has been championing the Boulder Climbing Community (BCC), a loose organization that’s equal parts social networking, advocacy, and “who-knows-what?” experiment. The BCC has no president, board of directors, clearly defined mission, or budget. It is, however, a collective effort (their email list tops 200 at present and it’s growing like mad) to re-connect climbers in and around Boulder.
“I lit a match to something,” remarks Briggs. “It’s a response to the way the world has become.”
Frenzied schedules, a cascade of modern distractions, and the splintered scene have all contributed to a breakdown in a unified voice or culture for Boulder climbers. Briggs hopes by bringing together climbers–sport, trad, ice, boulderers, young, old–Boulder’s community will rediscover its cohesive vibe.
“We all win on this,” says Briggs. “We’d like to build a self-sustaining model, to keep the momentum going above and beyond any one person or group. Advocacy is not the primary focus, though that’s some of what we’ll do. It’s about connections and communication.”
The BCC will host its first event around the third week of June, probably on a Friday evening, and at Neptune Mountaineering. Boulder’s mainstay climbing businesses–Neptune’s, The Spot, Movement, and the Boulder Rock Club–have all signed on as supporters.
“This thing is pure. It’s non-commercial, though businesses are part of our community, too,” Briggs explains. “It’s about caring for the sport, about caring for people.”
BCC will attend Boulder City Council meetings, prioritize group projects, host slide shows, and get together just to hang out. It’s all community-driven, so whatever attendees decide is how things will go. Certainly climbing issues within Eldo, the Flatirons, and BoCan will be important. Hosting events for the fun of it will be right up there, too. Briggs suggests organized meetings will be quarterly…unless the group decides otherwise.
For starters, interested climbers need only email BCC at BoulderClimbingCommunity@gmail.com to get their names on the list. Then it’s up to individuals to be as involved as they’re willing. Stay tuned for more information here or ask around and give some thought to how you’d like to see your sport and crags develop, and how you’d like to spend your time with other climbers.
See you at Neptune’s in June!
