Access Fund FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions

Hey there! There are no dumb questions, so if you can't find an answer, get in touch and we'll do our best to make up a semi-coherent answer (cause what we do is kind of nerdy). Contact Us

Is Rock Garden Free?

Rock Garden is a freemium app which includes for free things like notes, photos, and community beta, while the full hi-def 3D visualizations with route overlays, anchor and bolt information can be purchased through subscriptions, digital guides (books), or 3-day passes. Every user gets one free “Home Crag” with everything included. The best way to get Rock Garden forever at the lowest price possible is to purchase the Founders Pass (limited availability).

How much will Rock Garden cost?

We have various purchasing options to accommodate just about every climber or outdoor adventurer: subscriptions, 3-day passes, and standalone climbing guides for specific areas. More information to come soon.

If you get the Founders Pass for a low, one-time price, you get forever access to Rock Garden. (Plus $25 of your purchase goes to Access Fund.)

What’s this talk about Guides?

Rock Garden Guides serve as digital versions of traditional guidebooks. We work with local experts, climbing guides, LCOs (local climbing organizations) and climbing book authors to curate the most current and up-to-date information on a given area.

With Rock Garden Guides, you’ll get a full dataset of climbs and terrain in a geographical region. Each guide includes near-perfect geospatial terrain maps, offline access, and relevant markup for routes, bolts, and anchors. You’ll get all the community-driven beta too.

By getting the Founders Pass, you’ll amass the world’s biggest guidebook collection effortlessly as we add new climbs around the world.

When are you coming to my crag?

We work daily to bag as many crags into the app as possible. We have an ongoing list of the major climbing areas we’re focused on that you can find here.

If you purchase a Founders Pass and join the Rock Garden community, you can influence where we go next.

How do I influence where I go next?

Areas with high community interest will be prioritized. We have multiple ways you can influence the next climbing areas we capture:
• Founders Pass Voting Rights
• Data Wrangler Program
• Sharing the app with your local climbing community

The Founders Pass is a classic win-win-win. The more Founders Passes sold, the faster we can capture new areas, the bigger the donation to Access Fund, and the more your friends will thank you for telling them about this limited-time offer.

How are these magical rocks and maps made?

Using photogrammetry, we convert drone and helicopter footage into 3D meshes. We align, process, and notate each area with special tools and methods to bring massive datasets straight to your phone. (It’s magic).

Cool, I have a drone. Can I help out?

So you wanna wrangle some rock data, huh? We’d love to have more drone pilots, data processors, and local climbers helping us map out the world. Check out our Data Wranglers Program to learn how to apply.

Much of our Founders Pass proceeds will go toward data acquisition, and we’ll pay those who contribute!

I know my local crags as well as anyone, is there a way for me to help?

Yes—Yes please. Rock Garden is an app for climbers, built by climbers. The more beta and data we have by those in the know, the better the app will be for everyone. And we’re willing to pay you for it through our Data Wrangler Program.‍

I hate drones, they have no place in the wilderness! Is there any other way?

We respect all terrain boundaries, licenses, and laws—that includes tagging along for Helicopter flybys for areas otherwise restricted to drones. Our data collection crew (along with the Data Wrangler Program) goes through detailed training, pre-flight checks, and obtains all necessary documentation and permissions.

We aim to film fast and efficiently—and when we expect the fewest people. We recognize it isn’t always possible to avoid encountering others, but we hope the value of having detailed evergreen and updated 3D data encourages the preservation and prosperity of the places we capture.‍

I have tons of Mountain Project notes, beta and photos—can I bring it over to Rock Garden?

Currently, Rock Garden provides a nifty note system that can be used to help you record and track your journey in climbing. You can set your notes to be publicly viewable for the benefit of your fellow climber and to build the community beta base.

Soon, we'll be introducing tools to help you consolidate your notes from other beta hubs like Mountain Project to the Rock Garden note and stat system.

So who owns the data that I contribute to Rock Garden?

You’ll always own the data you contribute to Rock Garden. We are the data distributors, so we only own the rights to transmitting the data we receive. We’ve set up the shop where y’all can swap beta freely because it helps everyone in the climbing community.

We may show off your awesome photos and descriptions to help more climbers, but the credit will be all yours. For more information, see our Terms of Service.

How does Rock Garden support local communities?

In the name of Preservation and Prosperity, Rock Garden works with many non-profits:
•Access Fund
•American Alpine Club
•AMGA
•Local climbing organizations (LCOs)

This includes donating funds; locating and identifying bolts and anchors that need maintenance; and educating all climbers (new and seasoned) regarding Leave No Trace, local ethics, advocacy, stewardship, and conservation.

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See what's coming in Rock Garden 2.0 ›

• Route Drawing
• Lighting simulation
• Desktop Viewer

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Frequently Asked Questions

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Frequently Asked Questions

Venture intothe Known

Navigate

Connect

Try the Beta app

Get the founders Pass

Venture into
the Known