Our Mission

We are a Midwest-based coalition of affinity groups (Escala Chicago, Chicago Climbs, Adaptive Climbing Group, Chicago Adventure Therapy, BIPOC Beta, Queers on the Rocks, Climb Big Chicago, Asian Climbing Collective Chicago) dedicated to breaking down barriers to the outdoors by creating inclusive climbing opportunities, fostering leadership through outdoor education, and empowering climbers of all levels with access, skills, and experiences in a safe, equitable, and diverse environment.

Part of how we do this is by hosting an annual outdoor rock climbing festival, designed for climbers from historically marginalized communities.

Here are some stats from our first climbing festival, in 2025:

• 78% of attendees were BIPOC

• 58% of attendees identified as female or non-binary

• 61% of attendees were 30 year old or younger

• 12% of attendees were adaptive climbers

• 47% of attendees received scholarships

• 11 non-profit organizations represented