May 3, 2016 (SALT LAKE CITY) – Black Diamond Equipment^®, a global innovator in climbing, skiing and mountain sports equipment, and Access Fund, the national climbing advocacy group, are set to kick off the four-stop 2016 ROCK Project Tour. Professional athletes, indoor climbing gyms and local climbing advocacy organizations will team up again this spring to host a series of exclusive, multi-day events, including climbing clinics, presentations, stewardship projects and parties.

“We’ve seen an explosion in the numbers of people climbing in the last decade—which is awesome to see, but it also comes with a new set of challenges around how to effectively mentor and lead the next generation of climbers to care for our climbing environments,” says Travis Herbert, the Access Fund education director. “ROCK Project raises awareness for how we can all be better stewards of the fragile climbing environments we visit. This program shows local climbers how to create lasting connections between their daily habits and their ability to keep climbing areas open.”

This weekend, May 6-8, ROCK Project will bring a weekend of events to Las Vegas, Nevada, including a stewardship project at Red Rocks, one of the most visited climbing areas of North America. Designated work projects will include a trash clean up, graffiti removal and trail maintenance. Additionally, at Origin Climbing and Fitness, the premiere climbing gym in Nevada, there will be exclusive climbing clinics, gear raffles, athlete poster signings and presentations and a fundraising party for the Southern Nevada Climbing Coalition.

“As leaders in the global climbing community we have stepped forward in partnership with Access Fund to establish the ROCK Project, a program dedicated to sharing Responsible Outdoor Climbing Knowledge,” explains Jonathan Thesenga, Black Diamond Equipment’s global sports marketing manager. “Along with a dedicated crew of professional climbers and local non-profit climbing groups, ROCK Project connects with climbing communities throughout the world to embrace responsible habits that will keep climbing areas open while conserving the climbing environment.”

An all-star cast of professional climbers will participate in the 2016 ROCK Project Tour including Hazel Findlay, Kate Rutherford, Joe Kinder, Sam Elias, Daila Ojeda, Chris Schulte, Colette McInerney and Alex Johnson. After the tour’s first stop in Las Vegas, the athletes will road trip to Bishop, California, to undertake a stewardship project at the world-famous Happy Boulders on May 10-12.

The ROCK Project Tour makes its next stop in the Los Angeles area, May 13-15, at Sender One Climbing Gym. A graffiti and trash removal project is scheduled at nearby Malibu Creek on Sunday, May 15, along with a fundraising party, climbing clinics and athlete presentations on Saturday at Sender One.

For information on the Las Vegas and Los Angeles stops of the ROCK Project Tour, visit www.accessfund.org/rockprojecttour .

In November, the ROCK Project Tour will arrive in Raleigh, NC, and Washington, DC.

Black Diamond Equipment is a manufacturer of equipment and clothing for climbing, skiing and mountain sports. By consistently building innovative, standard-setting products and actively preserving the mountain/canyon environment, Black Diamond Equipment has assumed a leadership role in the international outdoor community. For more information on Black Diamond Equipment, visit BlackDiamondEquipment.com

The Access Fund is the national advocacy organization that keeps climbing areas open and conserves the climbing environment. The Access Fund supports and represents over 6.8 million climbers nationwide in all forms of climbing: rock climbing, ice climbing, mountaineering, and bouldering. Six core programs support the mission on national and local levels: climbing management policy, stewardship and conservation, local support and mobilization, land acquisition and protection, risk management and landowner support, and education. For more information visit www.accessfund.org.