"Catch you on the flip side everyone. I'll be off rolling in the dirt and playing on the rocks."
This was the content of my last Facebook post prior to leaving for the Idaho Mountain Festival. The festival is only in its second year of existence, but the event has developed quite a following since least year and the attendance limit went from less than 200 people to 250 people. I first learned about the event shortly after returning to Idaho from Ohio. Still reveling in the overall stoke of climbing in Washington and the New River Rendezvous I immediately purchased a pass for the tent city (which included 2 free meals each day!).
The IMF takes place at Castle Rocks State Park which is the little brother to The City of Rocks. The City, as it is known, was an international mecca of granite climbing in the 60's and 70's before steeper and harder routes emerged in Utah, California, and Colorado. That being said, the area is still renowned and draws climbers from around the world.
This was the content of my last Facebook post prior to leaving for the Idaho Mountain Festival. The festival is only in its second year of existence, but the event has developed quite a following since least year and the attendance limit went from less than 200 people to 250 people. I first learned about the event shortly after returning to Idaho from Ohio. Still reveling in the overall stoke of climbing in Washington and the New River Rendezvous I immediately purchased a pass for the tent city (which included 2 free meals each day!).
The IMF takes place at Castle Rocks State Park which is the little brother to The City of Rocks. The City, as it is known, was an international mecca of granite climbing in the 60's and 70's before steeper and harder routes emerged in Utah, California, and Colorado. That being said, the area is still renowned and draws climbers from around the world.
The view from atop Castle Rock, the namesake crag of Castle Rock State Park
Distant Area of CRSP (The Comp Wall I think?)
Quick car shot of the City of Rocks
One of the most prominent crags at The City
Day 1:
I neglected to arrange travel to the park during the prior week. However, since the New River Rendezvous I've learned that the climbing community is very open and supportive. A few glances at the "Boise Rock Climbers" page on Facebook confirmed my suspicion that randomly asking for a ride from a stranger-albeit a stranger attending the festival-was the way to go. Enter Travis Pruitt.
Travis was my ride to the event and my main climbing partner for the duration of the event. Travis was (and still is) intensely excited about the event. He bought the first ticket for the 2013 festival. We spoke the Monday before the event to hash out a meeting time and place, and I could hear the excitement in his voice as he shared his past experiences. This excitement proved infectious and I found myself counting the hours until the festival opened. On Thursday I met Travis at his rented duplex near BSU and we began the 3.5 hour drive to Almo, Idaho.
Where we were greeted with gray skies and rain that turned to corn snow. Disappointing yes, but not surprising. Southeast Idaho is known for being inhospitable, and one contributing factor is the wildly changing weather. We checked in and began furiously setting up our tents in the snow before the ground got too damp or the sky too dark for us to spy deer pies on the ground.
With the tents set and our gear secured Travis and I wandered the camp and stopped off at the Asana booth. Asana has been the headlining sponsor of the event during the last two years. Everyone with Asana served as great ambassadors of the sport and overall fun people. Using a mutual acquaintance to break the ice I made small talk with the Asana team before following them to the Taco Cave to see Warpath. Warpath is a V14 route that combines 4 hard boulder problems into one 25-move monster. Asana athlete Paul Robinson was in attendance to try and become the fourth person in the world to send the problem. As of September 27 only James Litz (first ascent), Daniel Woods and Matt Fultz (Idaho local) had sent the problem. Below, Fultz discusses the intricacies of the problem:
Meeting Paul Robinson in person was startling. From the videos and pictures I've seen of him I always imagined him as being taller and "buffer." Regardless of my perception though, Paul is an internationally recognized boulderer with many hard sends to his name. If you search his name on Youtube you'll find dozens of videos of some intensely difficult boulder problems. It was exciting to watch him poke around the cave, and to think about him being the fourth person to ever complete this problem.
Travis was my ride to the event and my main climbing partner for the duration of the event. Travis was (and still is) intensely excited about the event. He bought the first ticket for the 2013 festival. We spoke the Monday before the event to hash out a meeting time and place, and I could hear the excitement in his voice as he shared his past experiences. This excitement proved infectious and I found myself counting the hours until the festival opened. On Thursday I met Travis at his rented duplex near BSU and we began the 3.5 hour drive to Almo, Idaho.
Where we were greeted with gray skies and rain that turned to corn snow. Disappointing yes, but not surprising. Southeast Idaho is known for being inhospitable, and one contributing factor is the wildly changing weather. We checked in and began furiously setting up our tents in the snow before the ground got too damp or the sky too dark for us to spy deer pies on the ground.
With the tents set and our gear secured Travis and I wandered the camp and stopped off at the Asana booth. Asana has been the headlining sponsor of the event during the last two years. Everyone with Asana served as great ambassadors of the sport and overall fun people. Using a mutual acquaintance to break the ice I made small talk with the Asana team before following them to the Taco Cave to see Warpath. Warpath is a V14 route that combines 4 hard boulder problems into one 25-move monster. Asana athlete Paul Robinson was in attendance to try and become the fourth person in the world to send the problem. As of September 27 only James Litz (first ascent), Daniel Woods and Matt Fultz (Idaho local) had sent the problem. Below, Fultz discusses the intricacies of the problem:
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