Longtime California mountaineer Jason Crist arrested on rape charges

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Warning: This article is about sexual violence.

On Oct. 30, longtime Bay Area mountaineer Jason William Crist, 38, was arrested in Pacifica, California, and charged with nine felonies stemming from alleged events across the state between March 2019 and October 2023.

He faces 29 charges related to sexual violence, a result of four police reports detailing interactions with him in Pacifica, Presidio, Joshua Tree and Yosemite. Crimes include forcible rape, sexual assault and assault. He posted bail of $500,000.

Climb spoke with three women who have made allegations against Crist. They describe how he, a former Arc'teryx NorCal ambassador and former employee in movement climbing, yoga and fitness, had a consistent pattern. At the climbing gym in San Francisco's Presidio Park — formerly Planet Granite, now Movement San Francisco — Crist made friends with young female climbers, usually beginners, who didn't know many people in the community and didn't yet have the skills to follow each other to go outside. Then he would “act as a mentor or a ‘key’ to outdoor climbing,” one woman said Climb.

“He taught at the gym,” said another of Crist’s complainants. “He taught women and men. He had the opportunity to teach children. “It just seemed like he had a connection to the gym and there was security there.” But once he got the women out, Crist would “cross established boundaries in a way that wasn't okay.”

“He uses climbing trips as the perfect opportunity to hurt people,” said another complainant. “It’s a real repeat thing.”

According to this climber, there are currently ten women who have claimed to have had similar confrontations with Crist.

Crist's arrest follows the February 2024 conviction of former professional climber Charlie Barrett for raping a woman in Yosemite National Park – and one of Crist's complainants said Crist's case is eerily similar for one important reason:

“Everyone knew,” she said. “But none of the other guys in the community would tell a girl, 'Hey, Jason's scary, don't hang out with him.' They only told me after the attack, 'Oh yeah, I knew he was a bad person, I was worried about you.'”

According to all three complainants, managers at Movement Climbing, Yoga and Fitness were made aware that Crist – an employee of three years – had allegedly assaulted several employees and members, and after those women filed police reports, they initiated a months-long investigation investigation. As a result, Crist was fired and banned from all 29 Movement shelters last summer.

While one of the women with whom Climb While some speakers expressed appreciation for Movement's decision and for the support of the Movement community, others were frustrated that the information uncovered by Movement's outside investigators was not widely released.

“If Movement knew more about the attacks than anyone else,” says Kimbrough Moore, a philosophy professor at San Francisco State University and author of Golden State Bouldering Guide“I'm disappointed that they jumped on the information instead of sharing it with the climbing community. “I don't understand how anyone can make that decision.”

(In response to ClimbWhen asked for comment, a spokesperson for the movement assured us that “Motion Climbing, Yoga and Fitness prioritizes the safety and well-being of all community members and we take all allegations of misconduct very seriously.” However, they added, “As it is an active “We are unable to comment on the investigation.”

Moore was made aware of the police complaints against Crist when the complainants contacted him this summer. Knowing that sexual assault cases often take years to reach an arrest, he began working actively with the Bay Area Climbers Coalition, but they had not yet taken action when Crist was unexpectedly arrested.

“I am inspired by the overwhelming support of the climbing community,” Moore added. “It wasn't always like that. Two years ago, the women who spoke out against Charlie Barrett were met with hostility and skepticism. Today, there is greater awareness of sexual assault, and as a result, climbers are better able to stay safe by looking out for one another.”

Still, the women we spoke with noted that while Crist and Barrett are extreme cases, they're not the only bad actors.

“When the whole Charlie Barrett stuff came out,” one woman said, “everyone pointed at him and said, 'That's terrible.' Don't be that guy. Good thing we have him. The guy's gone.' And I think a lot of people don't realize that it's still happening under our noses. I don’t want this story to be like, “I have another one; Good thing we have him.' I want it to be an ongoing conversation. I want guys to talk to their friends about how they treat women. … I want people to know that sexual assault is a reason women quit climbing. Everyone deserves to feel comfortable and safe on the rock. I could have stopped climbing. And if I could have left, I think other women probably did. And I hate that.”

This is a developing story. We will update as more information becomes available.