Friends Of Joshua Tree Stage 18th Annual Climb Smart, October 16-18
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Friends Of Joshua Tree Stage 18th Annual Climb Smart, October 16-18
Climbing season kickoff in Joshua Tree is all-inclusive and features athletes, presentations, and reduced admission.
Los Angeles, Cali. October 7th, 2015. Friends Of Joshua Tree is once again hosting Climb Smart, October 16-18, a 3-day festival centered on climbing education, stewardship and fun for climbers of all levels and from all areas. Joshua Tree National Park, JOSAR, Access Fund, the Southern California Mountaineers Association and the climbing community of Joshua Tree all benefit from this annual event that focuses on education while celebrating community and plain ol’ fun in the high desert.
Climb Smart delivers an amazingly affordable package of clinics, entertainment, camping, at least two healthy dinners, Reel Rock Film, the Vendor Village experience, participation in a Park service project, and a chance to climb with qualified instructors and several legends of the climbing scene.
On the list of confirmed athletes are Daniel Woods (The North Face) and Jess Roskelley (adidas Outdoor). Past attendees include: John Long, Randy Leavitt, Kevin Powell, Lynn Hill, Mari Gingery, and many others. Hopes are high that several of these great climbers will be back this year.
The festival’s main venue is Joshua Tree Lake Campground, with clinic tracks all happening in the National Park at renowned climbing areas, like
the Hall of Horrors and Real Hidden Valley. This year, FOJT has lowered the price to make it more affordable and to distinguish this event as truly best-of-class for a gathering of climbers anywhere in the country.
“Friends Of Joshua Tree, along with Climb Smart, have come a long way as a community, we are now both cooperative and collaborative with the National Park, and help to communicate to and from the climbing community. JOSAR gets much needed support out of this event, as does FOJT. This event is a solid way to brush up advanced skills, give back to the Park and/or get to know the climbing scene for the first time in a storied and immensely beautiful place like JTNP” adds Kenji Haroutunian, Climb Smart Event Director and former President of FOJT.
This years’ primary event sponsors Gear Coop, adidas Outdoors, The North Face, Adventure 16 and Erewhon Foods are joined by over a dozen top outdoor recreation and climbing brands, including Sterling Ropes, Scarpa, Black Diamond, Five Ten, and Nomad Ventures, as well as footwear brands Oboz and Vasque and several local Joshua tree businesses.
In addition to JOSAR, Climb Smart also supports one special urban youth project each year. Climb Smart will be joined this year by MGOYA, Medicine’s Global Youth Ambassadors, co-founders Janice and Johanna Belson. Johanna Belson explains the group’s added mission for this year’s event, “MGOYA brings a unique group of urban LA youth into the desert wilderness to facilitate developing the next generation of outdoor enthusiasts and guardians of our natural environment by offering outdoor adventures to as many students as possible.”
Price for the entire weekend is just $109, and Climb Smart is the sole fund-raiser of the year for Friends Of Joshua Tree. Funds raised by FOJT in turn support responsible recreation in the Park, the Access Fund, local climbing advocacy, and support for JOSAR, the primary search and rescue organization serving JTNP.
There is still time to register for Climb Smart 2015. Participants can register for the entire package – inclusive of all camping, clinics, and festival features – or simply to attend the Reel Rock film screening Friday night, October 16. Click Here to register!
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Climb Smart began in 1996 as a project of Adventure 16 to focus on climbing skills education in traditional climbing areas in Southern California. At the same time, Friends Of Joshua Tree hosted an event called the Rock-In, which gathered the climbing ‘tribe’ in Joshua Tree while showing show good will and service to those who managed lands offering great climbing resources. These two events fused and created the platform of today, with specialty climbing retailers cooperating with regional non-profits, the Park and dozens of brands who support the climbing community.
Contact: Beth Cochran
406.579.7909
Peter Downing
Spark
720.261.6766
