EARTH FIRST! Climbers Guild
The Earth First! Climbers Guild exists to enable direct action climbing and rigging trainers to communicate with each other to be able to set up training events and continue to produce guides on climbing and rigging as well as standardize the training process to create a safer and more effective environment in EF! direct action situations.
The Guild was formed in the early 00’s after climbing accidents claimed the lives of some of our friends. The primary mission of the climbers guild is to instill a safety ethic in the direct action climbing community so future accidents don’t happen. Since the inception of the climbers guild, there has been a dramatic decrease in the number of climber accidents in the EF! direct action community and not a single climber death.
The Guild holds multiple trainings yearly across the US that are hosted by local direct action groups. Guild trainers are intimately familiar with all aspects of safety and rope work that are presented in the guild guides and undergo a formal test to be acknowledged as a trainer. Currently, the majority of acknowledged guild trainers are women. The guild does not maintain a formal membership and one does not need to be a climber to help organize events. Please check out the helping with the guild to see what the requirements to become a trainer are and other ways to plug in with the guild.
If you would like to host a guild camp please contact us. We have trainers across the country and the only thing required for a camp to happen is the attendance of enough acknowledged guild trainers to ensure that the participants are taught in a manner that is in keeping with guild protocols. We would love to come and share our knowledge on climbing and blockading with you!
There are guiding principles that guide the Guild, and all guild events will have codes of conduct enforced to try and make the events as safe and accessible as possible to all people. Please check out the Guild guiding principles section for more information.
