Abstract:
Currently, there are a variety of concerns about the future of bouldering, a form of rock
climbing, a t the Niagara Glen Nature Reserve near Niagara Falls, Ontario due to environmental
impacts at the site. The purpose of this study was to describe the perceptions ofbouldering
participants toward sustainable bouldering practices at the Niagara Glen. The methodological
framework for this study was based on action research, which attempts to solve specific problems
through having people in a community study, discuss, and act on those problems. Five separate
focus group interviews elicited data from nineteen men and seven women, while there were
twenty one men and ten women observed through participant observations at the Niagara Glen.
Analysis was conducted through coding processes where data were compared repeatedly and then
organized into themes. From the open coding process, two main themes were identified and
interpreted as 1) Barriers to Sustainable Bouldering at the Niagara Glen Nature Reserve, and 2)
Environmental and Social Role and Responsibility ofBoulde r ing Participants at the Niagara
Glen. The implications of the findings include a variety of recommendations for the bouldering
community and the Niagara Parks Commission to consider for future collaborative planning.
Some of these recommendations include more open communication between all stakeholders at
the Glen, additional leadership from local climbing access coalitions and the Niagara Parks
Commission, and greater implementation of minimum impact practices from the bouldering
community. Additionally, these implications are discussed through a three-part framework based
on a conceptual intersection of sense of place, community empowerment, and sustainable
recreational use as a way to potentially unify the bouldering community's voice and vision
toward sustainable practice.
