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Wyoming’s Wind River Country is a place of legends, of strong and diverse culture, and of untamed terrain. Rock climbing is a realm of heroes, with its own unique subculture with those that perform the endless dance between rock and human. The two worlds meet in Lander, Wyoming, particularly during the annual International Climbers’ Festival — providing perfect fodder for any outdoor writer, and it falls right before OWAA’s conference in Billings, Montana, this July.
The 2016 festival’s theme is the mythological, storytelling aspects of the sport and culture of rock climbing. Wind River Country (Fremont County) would like to invite you to extend your educational and professional travel by spending a few days at the Climbers’ Festival July 13-15. Whether you seek training, fresh stories, networking or a few days of pulling hard on rock, Wind River Country and the International Climbers’ Festival have it.
Fall into the stories
Wednesday evening, July 13, will include a casual gathering focused on local lore. Wyoming climbers will hold a panel about sport climbing ethics — a topic rich in personal stories, opinions and even controversy. This will be an excellent setting to listen to a wide range of local perspectives and the casual atmosphere will also allow you the opportunity to speak one-on-one with these experts.For the rest of the week, you’ll have the chance to attend climbing seminars, contests and social gatherings to capture the stories and images of rock climbing.
Advance your skills
Thursday, July 14 will feature several seminars suited to outdoor writers, particularly an adventure writers’ clinic, photography clinic and storytelling seminar. The day is also likely to include Native American dancing, and an art crawl. Extend the educational and networking elements of the OWAA conference in one trip by including Wind River Country.
Invigorate your creativity
In addition to the festival trade fair Friday, July 15, the Wind River Visitors Council will offer a familiarization tour of Wind River Country. Explore the history, culture, and breathtaking scenery of the region — maybe even from a hot air balloon — and discover the story you want to tell about the authentic West.
Climbing opportunities abound
The International Climbers’ Festival was established in 1993 by climbers for climbers. Attend in 2016 for the stories, the culture, or the climbing. We’ll see you at the International Climbers’ Festival (climbersfestival.org) in Wyoming’s Wind River Country (windriver.org). Contact us at media@windriver.org for details and to finalize your plans. ♦
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