October 20, 2015  |   

Climb Smart 2015 happened under dramatic skies in and around Joshua Tree National Park this past weekend (October 16-18, 2015) with education as the centerpiece of a festival that brought together 200+ climbers from around the Western U.S. to kick off the season. Staged with lightning flashing in the night sky, thunder rolling nearby but clear skies and perfect weather for climbing, clinicing, stewarding, star gazing and celebrating in the high desert.

The festival was held again at the Joshua Tree Lake Campground, along with the upgraded Desert Astronomy Theater for the evening feature events.

Here are some images to share, and hopefully you can share more with us via our social media pages on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. Friends Of Joshua Tree on facebook, JTreeFriends on Twitter. Use #ClimbSmart2015 to share it far and wide…

Joshua Tree Lake Campground, the Desert Video Astronomy Theater, and the National Park itself were great partners of the event, as well as many sponsors, individuals and other like-minded organizations like the Access Fund, Southern California Mountaineers Association and JOSAR, the search and rescue organization serving Joshua Tree. Volunteers from accredited climbing schools like Cliffhanger Guides, Joshua Tree Guides, PCGI and The Climbing Life were anchors of the event, along with volunteers from Adventure 16, Gear Coop, Nomad Ventures and other event sponsors.

Professional athletes Daniel Woods (The North Face) and Jess Roskelley (adidas Outdoor) presented inspiring multimedia shows and shared their formidable skills in the Park with clinic attendees, and a dozen Climb Smart participants worked with JTNP on a special service project in the Hall of Horrors area.

Thanks to all involved for participating and contributing to an excellent climbing community event, and mark the dates for 2016 (tentatively OCTOBER 14-16) for CLIMB SMART 2016.

 

Board of FOJT