Well, that’s a wrap. The third edition of the Rock the Blocs Boulderfest in Kelowna, BC has come and gone once again. And, there’s no doubt that this years fest was the biggest and best to date. The weather was great, climbers came in droves and the energy in the boulders was infectious.
Photo courtesy of Shane Collins ©
Saturday has always been the big ticket at Rock the Blocs. With a big bouldering competition and area development, tons of people get involved and are super busy for most of the day. This year, Saturday alone saw roughly 165 people working it in The Fields, with over 110 of those being competitors. Climbers came from Mexico, Austria, Germany, USA, France, Ontario, and all over Alberta and BC for the event. Over 135 problems from V0-V12 (and ridiculous projects) were on the scorecard and guides had climbers moving to many areas only experienced by locals to that point. The day wrapped up with the announcement of winners and a ton of prizes being handed out.
Historically, the second day of Rock the Blocs has been a day of local boulderers taking people out and showing them the goods. This year, Sunday stepped it up a notch with many of the seasoned Okanagan boulderers offering clinics and guided tours to the over 90 people who stuck around for some more fun on the little rocks. Clinics including Bouldering 101, Women’s Bouldering, and The Process of Boulder Development as well as a host of guided tours, all added a terrific new element to Rock the Blocs. Seeing kids and a number of people new to the sport out with seasoned veterans really showed a special, and often missing, connection between experienced and novice boulderers.
Andy White on Crowd Control (vhard). Photo courtesy of Shane Collins ©
In the end, Rock the Blocs saw roughly 250 people grace The Boulderfields over the two day event. This is by far a new attendance record for the area. The competition was a riot, clinics and tours were well-attended, and people definitely got their fair share of The Boulderfields experience. It’s always amazing to put together an event like this, then watch the climbing community, and all the incredible people within it, truly bring the event to life!
Photo courtesy of Shane Collins ©
This festival was created back in 2013 as a way to showcase the world class bouldering in The Boulderfields and with the response the event has received and the increasing number of boulderers to the area, it seems like Rock the Blocs is having the desired effect. With many suggestions that The Boulderfields is the next big thing and is a major destination, maybe we’ll see you out for the fest next year?
A huge thanks to all the sponsors, local volunteers, and participants for making this festival what it has become!
Here are a few photos from the event. Special thanks to Shane Collins, Jason Krumm, and Nikita Taylor for the photos!
Female climber on the The Tall Cool One (V3). Photo courtesy of Shane Collins ©
Staci White on Ribrageous (V5). Photo courtesy of Shane Collins ©
Nikita Taylor on Fun in Acapulco (V4). Photo courtesy of Shane Collins ©
Nikita Taylor on The Chipper (V1). Photo courtesy of Shane Collins ©
Gavin Johnson on Surf Highball (V0). Photo courtesy of Shane Collins ©
Cody leading the way. Photo courtesy of Shane Collins ©
Post climbing cook-out. Photo courtesy of Jason Krumm ©
Jani Varanpaa on 4 Horsemen (V5). Photo courtesy of Jason Krumm ©
Daniel Gomez on Nelly’s Thin Thins (V9). Photo courtesy of Jason Krumm ©
Kyle Marco on Surf Arete (V7) Photo courtesy of Nikita Taylor ©