This year, we are celebrating the 5th anniversary of the Idaho Mountain Festival. Gather your friends, make the commitment, save the date, and reserve your spot online.
Don't Miss This Climbing Festival
My Favorite Party - Idaho Mountain Festival
I'd like to thank everyone--sponsors, attendees, athletes, staff, volunteers, park rangers, and the Almo community--for coming out and supporting the the 3rd annual Idaho Mountain Festival--Powered by Asana Climbing. We permitted for more people than last year and we sold out of passes one week before the event.
The Better State...Idaho or Utah?
After living most of my life in Idaho, I now reside in Utah. As much as I try to securely hold onto Idaho as my favorite state, I do have to admit that Utah is a wonderland of opportunities for a guy that likes to rock climb, camp, and trail run. So which one do I like better? This is how I settled that debate:
Utah is my home.
Idaho is my vacation-home.
I'm starting to like the fact that I don't live in Idaho anymore. Now my time spent in Idaho feels more like a vacation--an escape from my regular routines and surroundings. Have you ever noticed that locals are rarely patrons of the various attractions in their own cities and states? They all go out of state to "play." So I'm in a good position. Utah will keep me entertained and in shape so that I can have the time-of-my-life when I go to Idaho.
Eventually, I'm going to get to the point where I will have lived in Utah longer than I have lived in Idaho. This is when I'll officially become a "Utard." But don't worry. My wife and I set ourselves up perfectly to where we will always have a solid foundation in Idaho. We currently have a lot of family that still lives in Idaho. But family members die and move away eventually. We needed a foundation--a driven-down-stake--that would keep us connected and visiting Idaho for years on end. Our solution was the Idaho Mountain Festival.
This event is close to our hearts. Our reasons for establishing this event and keeping it going indefinitely fall all over the place, but our top reason is because we love Idaho and didn't want to forget it. With this event, we think about Idaho all the time and anticipate gathering with old and new friends every year to party in one of the prize possessions that this gem state has to offer...City of Rocks/Castle Rocks.
Even if you aren't a rock climber or trail runner, I hope that you'll find a reason to reunite with me and my family on an annual basis by attending the Idaho Mountain Festival.
2012 Recap
I started 2012 in a slightly tough situation and now finished it in a very pleasant one. I was an unemployed entrepreneur in Logan, UT who was working hard to put together a brand new event from scratch. My loving wife took one for the team and brought home the bacon and put bread on the table. Then I scored a very cool job as a park ranger in our “dream town” of Almo, ID where we lived right outside of the City or Rocks. That dream was short lived—only 1.5 months—after I landed a dream job with a dream company in SLC, UT as the communications specialist in Liberty Mountain’s marketing department.
I can now say that I am starting 2013 in a very awesome situation, especially with all the rad adventures and accomplishments during the year:
I can now say that I am starting 2013 in a very awesome situation, especially with all the rad adventures and accomplishments during the year:
- White Rim Trail Run – 80 miles in three days
- Lived right outside of the City of Rocks for 1.5 months
- Landed a dream job with Liberty Mountain
- Reached the one-year mark of living full time in a 5th-wheel trailer
- Pulled off a successful first year for the Idaho Mountain Festival
- Climbed over 150 pitches
- Watched my wife take the podium on a half marathon, 50K, and 50-mile race
- John Muir Trail – 200+ miles in no more than 10 days (ETA: Aug 24)
- Buy a house in Sandy, UT (ETA: Feb 11)
- Concentrate on exploring the bounteous climbing crags between Ogden and American Fork, with occasional trips to Idaho, southern UT, and Wyoming (All year long)
- Redpoint my first 5.13 (ETA: ASAP)
Video: S.N.A.F.U.
During our 1.5 month of living in Almo, ID, I shot some video of my awesome wife, Jennilyn climbing a route called S.N.A.F.U. on the Crack House Wall in Castle Rocks State Park. I decided to use the footage to create a little promo video for the Idaho Mountain Festival, an event that Jennilyn and I created from scratch.
The City Slicker Series is a collection of climbing videos that showcase the amazing climbing found at City of Rocks National Reserve and Castle Rocks State Park in Idaho.
This video series is an Idaho Mountain Festival production, presented by Asana Climbing. The Idaho Mountain Festival is a 4-day climbing and trail running "party", held at Castle Rocks State Park, ID. For more info visit www.IdahoMountainFest.com.
The City Slicker Series is a collection of climbing videos that showcase the amazing climbing found at City of Rocks National Reserve and Castle Rocks State Park in Idaho.
This video series is an Idaho Mountain Festival production, presented by Asana Climbing. The Idaho Mountain Festival is a 4-day climbing and trail running "party", held at Castle Rocks State Park, ID. For more info visit www.IdahoMountainFest.com.
Crack of Doom
I finally edited the footage that I shot last summer at City of Rocks. I captured two of my friends, Nathan Martinez and Sam Perkins, climbing a classic trad route called Crack of Doom.
I was very excited to put this video together as the first of many future videos that I'm going to use to help promote the Idaho Mountain Festival.
I was very excited to put this video together as the first of many future videos that I'm going to use to help promote the Idaho Mountain Festival.
A Dream Come True...the Idaho Mountain Festival
As of last summer, Jennilyn and I decided to move forward with a dream of mine...to organize a climbing festival at the City of Rocks.
My first trip to the City of Rocks was April of 2007. We were able to put together a large group of friends from college and high school and spent three enjoyable days there climbing, camping, and mountain biking. There were 11 adults and three kids sharing two campsites. Half were climbers and the other half were not. But everyone had fun. I believe that this was the first trip for almost everyone in that group. We felt like pioneers.
Since then we've gone multiple times, and have always succeeded in getting a large group to go at least once a year. The location is beautiful and plentiful when it comes to landscape and climbing. So why not enlarge our annual group climbing trip to be a national climbing festival?
What's a climbing festival? In my mind a climbing festival is a reason for climbers from all over to gather and celebrate the sport. Climbers come in groups, they all throw their tents up in an open field (the tent city), they participate in odd activities for free climbing gear, and they just climb everyday. During this time you get to form new friendships and strengthen old ones.
So here it is. Jennilyn and I are the founders of the newest climbing festival in the U.S.A. and the only one in Idaho. And it is called...Idaho Mountain Festival.
Official Press Release of the Idaho Mountain Festival
SAVE THE DATE: NEW CLIMBING FESTIVAL COMES TO IDAHO
It may be 7 months until the Idaho Mountain Festival - Powered by Asana, but it isn’t too early to save the date for the newest climbing festival to hit Idaho on September 27-30, 2012 at Castle Rock State Park and City of Rocks National Reserve.
The Idaho Mountain Festival will be joining similar festivals, such as the International Climbers Festival, Red Rock Rendezvous, and New River Rendezvous, to offer a four-day event where climbers, as well as trail-runners, can gather to enjoy endless climbing, trail races, activities, giveaways, music, meals, and workshops. Visit www.IdahoMountainFest.com for complete details.
The festival will be held near Almo, ID in Castle Rocks State Park and City of Rocks National Reserve, home of the grand collection of granite domes for multi and single-pitch climbing, trad-climbing, sport-climbing, and bouldering. With the location being no more than a 3.5 hour drive from Boise, ID and Salt Lake City, UT, The Idaho Mountain Festival is the perfect convenient climbing event for friends and families to gather as a closing social for the 2012 climbing season.
On September 27-30, 2012, festival attendees will enjoy a slew of free amenities including tent-camping, dinners and breakfasts, and entertainment. Festival tickets will go on sale starting in March. Ticket options include an all-inclusive ticket for $45 that includes almost everything and a daily-pass ticket for $25 that excludes the free tent-camping.
The Idaho Mountain Festival has teamed up with Asana (www.asanaclimbing.com) to make this event possible. Asana is an Idaho based company that specializes in bouldering specific climbing gear. With much excitement, Jamey Sproull (the founder of Asana) said, “Asana Climbing is proud to present the 1st Idaho Mountain Festival. What a great opportunity to lure climbers from all over to see the beauty and grandeur of the granite in Castle Rocks and the famed City of Rocks! With Asana being based in Boise, we feel like we are welcoming the community into our backyard for a 4-day party of climbing, clinics, music, and fun. We look forward to this being the first in a long tradition of a yearly event that highlights what Idaho has to offer our ever-growing climbing family.”
As of now, the Access Fund and Solid Rock – Climbers for Christ have also jumped on the bandwagon as sponsors for the festival. The Access Fund will be sending their new Conservation Team to manage an Adopt-a-Crag day that will allow the climbers to give back to the parks and nature by cleaning up climbing areas and trails. Solid Rock – Climbers for Christ will be providing a Sunday Morning Breakfast as well as sending one of their athletes to host a bouldering clinic.
The Idaho Parks and Rec has been great supporters of the Idaho Mountain Festival. They have welcomed the event with open arms and are anxiously waiting to welcome and assist all the gathering climbers.
Park Superintendent, Wallace Keck, made the following statement when asked to share his excitement about the festival, “As one of the country's premier granite face-climbing destinations Castle Rocks State Park and City of Rocks create the ideal location to host the Idaho Mountain Festival. Park staff is excited to showcase the facilities, exceptional climbing resources, and grand scenery to this year's attendees. We strive to offer exceptional recreational opportunities and experiences, and providing a home here for the Idaho Mountain Festival is sure to accomplish this and more.”
Start making plans to attend the Idaho Mountain Festival with your family and friends. More announcements and information will be provided in the future.
Please direct all questions and inquires to Ben Eaton at off.grid.productions@gmail.com. Follow the news and happenings of the festival by becoming a fan of the Idaho Mountain Festival Facebook Page and Google+ Page.
My first trip to the City of Rocks was April of 2007. We were able to put together a large group of friends from college and high school and spent three enjoyable days there climbing, camping, and mountain biking. There were 11 adults and three kids sharing two campsites. Half were climbers and the other half were not. But everyone had fun. I believe that this was the first trip for almost everyone in that group. We felt like pioneers.
Since then we've gone multiple times, and have always succeeded in getting a large group to go at least once a year. The location is beautiful and plentiful when it comes to landscape and climbing. So why not enlarge our annual group climbing trip to be a national climbing festival?
What's a climbing festival? In my mind a climbing festival is a reason for climbers from all over to gather and celebrate the sport. Climbers come in groups, they all throw their tents up in an open field (the tent city), they participate in odd activities for free climbing gear, and they just climb everyday. During this time you get to form new friendships and strengthen old ones.
So here it is. Jennilyn and I are the founders of the newest climbing festival in the U.S.A. and the only one in Idaho. And it is called...Idaho Mountain Festival.
Official Press Release of the Idaho Mountain Festival
SAVE THE DATE: NEW CLIMBING FESTIVAL COMES TO IDAHO
It may be 7 months until the Idaho Mountain Festival - Powered by Asana, but it isn’t too early to save the date for the newest climbing festival to hit Idaho on September 27-30, 2012 at Castle Rock State Park and City of Rocks National Reserve.
The Idaho Mountain Festival will be joining similar festivals, such as the International Climbers Festival, Red Rock Rendezvous, and New River Rendezvous, to offer a four-day event where climbers, as well as trail-runners, can gather to enjoy endless climbing, trail races, activities, giveaways, music, meals, and workshops. Visit www.IdahoMountainFest.com for complete details.
On September 27-30, 2012, festival attendees will enjoy a slew of free amenities including tent-camping, dinners and breakfasts, and entertainment. Festival tickets will go on sale starting in March. Ticket options include an all-inclusive ticket for $45 that includes almost everything and a daily-pass ticket for $25 that excludes the free tent-camping.
As of now, the Access Fund and Solid Rock – Climbers for Christ have also jumped on the bandwagon as sponsors for the festival. The Access Fund will be sending their new Conservation Team to manage an Adopt-a-Crag day that will allow the climbers to give back to the parks and nature by cleaning up climbing areas and trails. Solid Rock – Climbers for Christ will be providing a Sunday Morning Breakfast as well as sending one of their athletes to host a bouldering clinic.
The Idaho Parks and Rec has been great supporters of the Idaho Mountain Festival. They have welcomed the event with open arms and are anxiously waiting to welcome and assist all the gathering climbers.
Park Superintendent, Wallace Keck, made the following statement when asked to share his excitement about the festival, “As one of the country's premier granite face-climbing destinations Castle Rocks State Park and City of Rocks create the ideal location to host the Idaho Mountain Festival. Park staff is excited to showcase the facilities, exceptional climbing resources, and grand scenery to this year's attendees. We strive to offer exceptional recreational opportunities and experiences, and providing a home here for the Idaho Mountain Festival is sure to accomplish this and more.”
Start making plans to attend the Idaho Mountain Festival with your family and friends. More announcements and information will be provided in the future.
Please direct all questions and inquires to Ben Eaton at off.grid.productions@gmail.com. Follow the news and happenings of the festival by becoming a fan of the Idaho Mountain Festival Facebook Page and Google+ Page.