Legal climbing takes a tough step - Colorado Springs Gazette

December 31, 2012 9:40 PM

Though a pair of Colorado congressmen trumpeted Monday that Congress is helping make the Manitou Incline legal to climb, there are still local hurdles to overcome before fitness enthusiasts can hike the trail without trespassing on private property, said a local activist.

The U.S. Senate passed a bill Sunday night from Colorado Democratic U.S. Sen. Michael Bennet and Republican Rep. Doug Lamborn to allow the Manitou and Pikes Peak Railway Co. to hand the right-of-way to the Incline to the U.S. Forest Service.

The measure, now on President Barack Obama?s desk, solved the trespassing issue, Bennet said in a news release.

?Hikers will soon be able to take advantage of this unique trail in a safe manner, and no longer be considered trespassers,? Bennet said.

But the senator and congressman didn?t solve all of the Incline?s problems, said Steve Bremner, the president of Incline Friends, a local organization that has been working to legalize the trail.

Bremner said he?s happy Bennet and Lamborn got the bill passed, and said it?s a significant step. But the city of Manitou Springs still has to take action on the legality of most of the Incline.

Under the bill, the forest service gets jurisdiction over a chunk of the top of the Incline, not the whole thing, Bremner said. Two lower portions are owned by Colorado Springs Utilities and the Cog Railway.

Bremner added that there are still a number of hazards on the Incline, including metal protruding from the trail, which used to be a train track.

?It?s not safe. It?s still risky. And on trespassing, that?s not true either,? said Bremner. ?It?s just a minor part of getting the Incline legal. ... The heavy lifting is being done at the local level.?

As for trespassing tickets, however, Bremner said that?s almost purely symbolic.

?It?s true, but it?s not enforced. They look the other way. Nobody?s getting arrested for it,? he said.

Jill Suarez, a local runner, climbs the Incline almost every day. She agreed with Bremner that safety standards need to be increased, and said Bennet?s and Lamborn?s bill is a mixed bag.

She said more than one person has died on the Incline, and suggested people should have to sign a waiver before being allowed onto the trail.
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Contact John Schroyer: 476-4825
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Source: http://www.gazette.com/news/legal-149169-local-colorado.html

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