From Cinema to Crag – US Climbing Festivals and Environmental Stewardship

Abstract ID: 3.11625 | Not reviewed | Requested as: Talk | TBA | TBA

Caroline Schaumann (1)

(1) Emory University, Modern Languages, 532 Kilgo Circle, 30322 Atlanta, US

Categories: Culture, Education, Gender, Sustainable Development, Tourism
Keywords: rock climbing, bouldering, stewardship, festival, US National Parks

Categories: Culture, Education, Gender, Sustainable Development, Tourism
Keywords: rock climbing, bouldering, stewardship, festival, US National Parks

Abstract

Rock climbing is a sport that puts individuals in protected wilderness areas and in physical contact with rock walls and boulders, surrounding forests, meadows, and deserts. It allows for an intimate connection with natural environments and promotes physical and mental well-being. As the popularity of outdoor climbing has risen exponentially (from 500,000 in the late 1990s to 10 million in the US alone), so has its environmental impact, from vegetation loss due to foot traffic and boulder pads to human waste to species extinction to magnesium chalk and bolts changing the appearance and composition of rock surfaces.

In order to examine the potential of mountain festivals to raise awareness and address environmental degradation at the crags, my contribution surveys three festivals held at world-class climbing destinations in the US that promote rock climbing and bouldering clinics as part of their appeal. The Red Rock Rendevous at the Red Rock National Reserve near Las Vegas, once the nation’s largest outdoor climbing festival with over 1,100 participants, closed in 2020, citing rising costs, complaints by locals, and destructive environmental impact. The Flash Foxy festival for women and genderqueer folks works with local businesses and Indigenous tribe councils to acknowledge and extend their caretaking of the land. Finally, the Yosemite Facelift, a slate of events dedicated to the stewardship of Yosemite, seeks to broaden the ethics of clean climbing to cleanups, and prides itself for having removed 1,200,000 pounds of trash.