Armando Menocal

We’re sad to announce that Access Fund founder Armando Menocal passed away this weekend at the age of 83 after a brief, hard-fought battle with cancer. A human rights lawyer and dedicated climber for more than four decades, he fundamentally reshaped climbing advocacy. In fact, he probably had an impact on every outdoor climbing experience you’ve ever had.
A few months ago, Armando shared his thoughts on the future of climbing advocacy with the community, saying, “We must commit ourselves to our core values and mission of keeping climbing areas open and protecting climbing freedoms.” We couldn’t have said it better.
Armando was a world-class storyteller, and those stories powered his decades of advocacy. So whether you knew Armando personally or just through his interviews over the years, we invite you to share a story about him and his legacy in the comments.
Thank you, Armando—for everything.

Very sad news. I had the pleasure of talking with him when we were raising money back in the early 90's, to build the two toilet facilities in the Owens River Gorge. He was psyched for the project and gave us great advice in moving that vision to reality.

Rest in peace, good sir.

https://www.climbing.com/people/remembering-armando-menocal/ 

Damn! I didn't know Armando real well but, being in the Outdoor Industry and being a climber all of my adult life, I had the pleasure of sitting in on meetings with him and regularly running into him at trade shows. He always had a big smile for me and always made me feel like an old friend. When we had occasional discussions, I was always encouraged by his positive outlook on everything. RIP Armando, the climbing community will miss you more than most people realize.

Eric Barrett

Sacramento, CA