Cal Swoager Memorial Fund

The legendary Southwestern Pennsylvania climber, Cal Swoager, passed away on February 28, 2016, doing what he loved best: climbing. Cal's bold, classic first ascents on the East Coast in the early 1980s included "Leave it to Jesus" (5.11) at the New River Gorge, "The Bell" (5.12X) at Seneca Rocks, and the Cooper's Rock highball "Electric Avenue," which he did before pads were a thing. For a retrospective on Cal's life, see: http://www.dpmclimbing.com/articles/view/rip-cal-swoager .

We will miss our friend, and our thoughts and prayers go out to his family and climbing partners. This campaign is to raise funds for a memorial for Cal at one or more of the climbing areas where Cal made his mark. Additional funds collected may go to accident response training for climbers. The possibilities will need to be negotiated with landowners and stakeholders in the coming weeks and months. For the time-being, the Southwestern Pennsylvania Climbers Association (www.swpacc.org) will oversee the collection and use of these funds.