@aliceyng we appreciate you bringing your concerns to our online community and wanted to ensure that you had seen the article we posted in July 2020 on the co-op's racial equity commitments, and the follow-up article in December 2020. Specifically related to climbing routes:
- In July, we stated: "we will work with the outdoor community to resolve the longstanding issue of racist, misogynistic, xenophobic and homophobic names for the places we gather to pursue our outdoor passions, starting with the names for many climbing routes."
- In December, we provided this update: "We are continuing and expediting our work against derogatory climbing route names, working directly with Mountain Project on removing offensive names from the platform, guidebooks and maps. We have formed a working group including a national climbing association, climbers and nonprofits. We have invested and are participating in a holistic plan to end derogatory route naming for good by addressing the issues within the climbing culture that have enabled it."
The effort mentioned in our December update is via our partnership with American Alpine Club. The initiative, called Climb United, recently launched and is a great place to stay informed and submit your thoughts as it will serve as the convening location moving forward. An update is expected next month.
At REI, we believe time outside is fundamental to a life well lived.
