57Hours and SNEWS Collaborate on Survey to Highlight the Prevalence of Discriminatory Route Names in the Climbing World

September 1, 2020

New York, NY — 57Hours and SNEWS recently collaborated on a survey addressing climbing route names, particularly those that have been flagged as discriminatory or offensive. The goal of the survey was to understand the opinions of those in the outdoor industry—both adventurers and mountain guides—and bring attention to the issue. 57Hours founder Viktor Marohnic said, “As a company that strongly supports the current racial justice movements, we were especially curious to understand how widespread this issue is, and whether people think these routes should be renamed.”

SNEWS put out a one question survey asking readers if they’ve ever encountered a racist route name while climbing. An astounding 91% (516 voters) replied “yes, several times.” 57Hours asked the same question to their network of guides and, similarly, 81% commented that they have at least once encountered a route name they considered to be racist, sexist, discriminatory, or otherwise offensive. 57Hours also continued with a more extensive survey, digging deeper into questions like whether the prevalence of certain route names deter women and BIPOC from participating in adventure sports like climbing and mountain biking. 43% agreed that was the case. One survey responder commented, “When we enter the sport, they’re subtle reminders that add to a feeling of not really belonging.”

57Hours also asked their network of mountain guides if they ever avoid certain routes because of their names, such as while guiding families or adventuring with women or BIPOC. 23% said they would avoid the route altogether, and 16% said they won’t mention the name to their clients. Among those polled, 75% agreed that any route names that are considered to be discriminatory should be renamed, with 87% agreeing that the First Ascensionist(s) should first be given the opportunity to rename the route.

As a final question, 57Hours asked their network of mountain guides if they feel that outdoor spaces are inclusive to everyone. Overwhelming sentiment was, “they should be, but they are not.” It’s a commonly acknowledged fact that there’s a lot of work to be done to make the outdoors an inclusive space. The discriminatory nature of route names certainly plays into this formula of exclusion. In the same way that confederate statues and racial slurs are being actively removed from modern culture, a process of renaming certain routes should follow suit as an act of standing in solidarity with racial justice movements. As one respondent said “It should be the responsibility of the community to provide an inclusive environment”, and that begins with re-evaluating some of these route names.

ABOUT 57HOURS
57Hours is a platform that connects individuals with certified guides for outdoor adventures all over the world. The company was founded in 2019, based on the belief that every weekend should involve time spent in the outdoors and enjoying it to the fullest — which means taking advantage of the full 57 hours from 3pm on Friday to midnight on Sunday. Their mobile app makes it easy to find and book adventures worth tackling and guides worth booking, all gathered from locals and first-hand experiences. The platform also enables a passionate community of independent mountain guides to share their amazing itineraries, fill up their trips quickly, build up their client base faster and make guiding a successful and sustainable career. 57hours aspires to benefit everyone involved — guides, clients, local communities, and our environment — and promote safe, accessible outdoor recreation for all. www.57hours.com

ABOUT PURPLE ORANGE

Founded in 2009 in Jackson Hole, WY, Purple Orange LLC produces small batch, high quality brand communications mixed with creativity, modern mediums and a respected authentic voice. Our professional influences range from publishing, large and small agency work, journalists and former in-house marketing; we like to think we see the whole picture for our clients. Specializing in outdoor and active lifestyle brands, our clients have spanned industry-leading performance apparel brands, food and beverage, outdoor tech, and non-profit work. We strive to create, execute and deliver customized communication platforms that meaningfully connect brands with their audiences. PurpleOrangePR.com