A Note From the Publisher
Climbing has always been a passionate and opinionated space. That’s part of what makes it strong.
Over the past few weeks, there’s been public criticism of Vertical Life. I’ve read it. Some of it is constructive. Some of it less so. All of it reflects a community that cares deeply about climbing in Australia.
At its core, Vertical Life exists to tell stories that reflect the many voices, experiences, and perspectives within the climbing community. Climbing is deeply personal – shaped by people, place, access, culture, and care for the landscapes we all value.
We are committed to independent journalism that informs, challenges, and connects climbers across Australia and beyond. That includes engaging with complex issues and, at times, differing opinions.
In all cases, we aim to give those involved the opportunity to comment, respond, and be heard. But we also recognise that how stories are framed matters – particularly when reporting on sensitive issues involving access, land management, culture, and community safety.
Recent coverage relating to climbing access and the BGLC ranger program sparked strong reactions across the community. While it was never our intention to create division or target individuals, we acknowledge that aspects of the reporting and presentation could have been handled with greater context and care.
Moving forward, we remain committed to covering access and environmental issues that affect climbers, while ensuring those conversations are balanced, responsible, and reflective of the broader community they impact.
We’ve also recently welcomed a new editor, Claire, into the role. With any transition comes change – and the opportunity to shape what comes next. Claire has my full support, and the space to do that work.
It’s also important to say this plainly.
There are real people behind this publication – editors, contributors, photographers, and climbers – who put a huge amount of time, care, and energy into what Vertical Life produces.
Not every piece we publish will land the same way for everyone. Some are serious, some are light-hearted – all are part of reflecting the culture of climbing.
But disagreement with content – however small – should never translate into personal criticism of the people behind it and when someone says “Vertical Life” they are directly referencing the editorial team.
Constructive criticism is part of a healthy community. If you have feedback, we’re open to it. But how that feedback is delivered matters. Respect for the people behind the work isn’t optional – it’s fundamental to the kind of climbing community we want to be part of.
We’re listening, and we’re committed to continuing to build a publication that reflects the full breadth of climbing in this country – and to doing the work to make it better with each issue.
To support that, we’ll be introducing two initiatives in the coming weeks:
- A reader survey, openly inviting feedback to help us improve the publication; and
- A “Letters” section in the magazine to highlight both constructive criticism and the many messages of support we receive.
Toby
Publisher, Vertical Life
