Hello, I'm an avid rock…

Hello,

I'm an avid rock climber and have been reviewing the proposed changes to the management plan.

There is an error in terminology in Apendix III: Climbing Practices. It is currently written as:
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Climbing Practices
Climbing activities that involve use of safety anchors, ropes, harnesses, and other equipment will be permitted. No free climbing, slack-roping or any form of un-roped climbing is allowed in the park.
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The issue is the term Free Climbing. "Free Climbing" refers to ascending the cliff using a rope and climbing protection only for safety, not to gain progress. Said another way, when "Free Climbing", the climber uses only their hands and feet to move up the cliff, but a rope is always used to protect against injuries when falling. This is the style of climbing that is commonly performed by rock climbers, and is the style of climbing found in rock climbing gyms when ropes are used. It is practiced with a partner who "belays" the climber by controlling how much slack is in the rope, and holding them in the case of a fall.

It is common to mistake Free Climbing with the similarly named, Free Solo Climbing. Free Solo Climbing is when a climber, with no rope or protection from a fall, ascends a cliff above a height at which fall would be survivable. It is extremely dangerous and is rarely done. I've rock climbed for 8 years, and know dozens of climbers with even more experience. I have never, and don't know anyone, who has ever "free soloed" a route.

I cannot over state how uncommon it is to "Free Solo Climb" a route. Non-climbers have a misconception that we're all "dare devils" but nothing could be farther from the truth. Safety is a primary concern for rock climbers and something we take seriously.

I'm also not familiar with the term Slack-Roping. I suspect this might intend to refer to "slack-lining" which is similar to tight rope walking, but can be done over gaps above the ground. However, due to my lack of knowledge on this activity I cannot suggest an improvement to the wording.

The climbing practices section already prohibits un-roped climbing. I propose changing the wording to:
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Climbing Practices
Climbing activities that involve use of safety anchors, ropes, harnesses, and other equipment will be permitted. No forms of un-roped climbing such as free solo climbing, or slack-roping are allowed in the park.
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I've linked the Wikipedia articles explaining "Free Climbing" and the (unfortunately) similarly named "Free Solo Climbing" for further information.

Thank you for the opportunity to clear up this commonly misunderstood term.