Tommy Caldwell said it all in his keynote--it’s more about your climbing partners than the climbing.  Lander is definitely a world-class climbing destination, but I argue that the climbing isn’t what brought hundreds of folks here to melt under the Wyoming summer sun: it was the festival, the people.  

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Despite claiming to have hurriedly put together his presentation (in true climber form), Caldwell’s speech spoke to the essence of the Climbers Festival: the relationships built amid the alpine forest and flowers of Wild Iris, the camaraderie among participants of various crate-stacking and beam-carrying contests, and of course, the wordless connection found on the dance floor of the local bar, after much dancing and beer.

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While Tommy’s talk was not specifically about the Climbers Fest, he spoke eloquently of his own transformation.  Early in life, thinking only of competition and pushing the limits of climbing difficulty.  Then, how his projects and goals slowly started to be consumed with more exploratory expeditions, like climbing the Dawn Wall of El Capitan.  Up to the present where he values the shared experience with a good partner and friend more than the accomplishment of getting to the top.   

 

Tommy’s wasn’t the only presentation that spoke to the power of community.  Renowned climbing badass Joe Kinder’s talk “Climbing as a Subculture” related his current connection with the climbing community, to his previous experiences as a skater and a punk-concert goer.  Though it was hard to picture Kinder headbanging and guitar-smashing, the idea that this was a community where you can be yourself rings true.  

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Like any microcosm, there was both similarity and diversity in the horde of climbers that showed up for the fest - all shapes/sizes/styles, ways of life, and attitudes.  However, where often the discrepancies between people overshadow the commonalities, here at the Climbers Fest it seemed that our differences fostered acceptance and appreciation for the "other".   

 

While this festival certainly had a unique atmosphere, my sense is that the relatedness we all felt resulted as much from the actual event, as from some unwritten set of shared values that arise from the act of climbing, and the lifestyle that comes with it.  I also believe that while climbing seems to cultivate a sense of adventure and appreciation for the unknown, it often attracts those who are already grateful to be walking the path less traveled. 

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When the festival slideshow ran that last night, it felt like looking through an old family photo album.  Some faces I knew, some I didn’t, but it all brought me back to the “tent town” in City Park, communal campfires in Sinks Canyon, afternoon trade fairs, and evenings of live music.  A true festival experience, there was a collective feeling in the air, like we all interconnected, even those we never met.

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I think there is something special about a community of people who choose to spend their time and money pursuing challenge and danger, and in a future world that is sure to be filled with mountains and hurdles, there is no other community that I would rather be apart of!

 

#blessedtobeaclimber   

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