Craggin' Classic '13 Re-Cap of Events
All were there; young and old, newbies and old crusties; all partaking in educational climbing clinics, sharing of sunrises at Albion Basin campground, breaking of Himalayan Kitchen naan, and toasting of kind Shades of Pale brews at this year’s Salt Lake Craggin’ Classic.
- 53 participants in highly valuable educational climbing clinics provided by smile wearing professionals from Mountain Education and Development
- mentorship from experienced climbers in our local community including the howling Silver Fox (accomplished in all seven of the world’s loftiest summits) and Apa Sherpa (world record holder for Everest ascents), lovin’ life in the mountains thrill seekers- Jesse Mease, and our beloved Kyle Dempster
- twenty-five more trained minds on technical rock work because of the Access Fund Conservation Couple, Claire and Eddie’s Griphoist 101 training
- 500 new native plants now standing proud restoring the social trails that were damaging the fragile alpine environment at Albion basin with help from the Access Fund Conservation Crew, Cottonwood Canyons Foundation, the Forest Service, Alta Ski Resort and twenty-five volunteers
- Wasatch climbing art with pottery from Kim Hall, watercolors by Erica Lyon, and rad climbers tee’s by Mt Ranks
- THE GONG SHOW with priceless Shakespearian monologues, climbing lore, and memories of those now passed enjoyed by an audience of 175 strong
- Indian arm wrasteling where spitting on competitors or those in the crowd was prohibited, but hackling was encouraged
- waffles loaded with delectables like eggs benedict and greek yogurt with fruit served by tie wearing guys from Saturday’s Waffles seconded only to Black Diamond, backcountry.com, and Silver Bean’s tag team bacon and eggs extravaganza
- and last but not least, added gear to the gear closet from our friends at CAMP, Black Diamond, backcountry.com, Petzl, Liberty Mountain, Patagonia, Momentum, La Sportiva, Scapra, Splore and many many more…
The community formed over this weekend will only grow and strengthen with time and we want you to partake. Join the Salt Lake Climbers Alliance and the American Alpine Club to keep the momentum going to make the Wasatch the best place in the world to be a climber. Join and help us to sow our climbing tribe with sound environmental ethics that we share with our kids, knowledgeable and safe practices on the rock to ensure access to our crags, and a strong voice advocating for non-motorized recreation on our public lands.
If you missed this year, don’t sweat it. Plans are in the making for the Salt Lake Craggin’ Classic 2014 with new items on the weekend menu including Psicobloc comp over the pool, a Viking Run, and more educational clinics including the future of our fixed anchors and good bolts vs. bad bolts.
Stay tuned for more ways to get involved with your local climbing organization (that would be the SLCA) and come out to give back to your crags at our upcoming Adopt a Crag October 5th at Ruth Lake in the Uintas and put those technical rock work skills to use! SLCA is a recent Access Fund Grant Recipient for our very own Technical Rock Work Tools!! Thanks to the Access Fund who is pleased to announce that it has awarded over $1 million to local organizations, climbers and public agencies through the Climbing Preservation Grants Program!
Thanks again to all those sponsors and volunteers who made this weekend a great success (you know who you are, so give yourself a HIGH FIVE)!!!
Julia Geisler
SLCA Executive Director