Two weekends,two climbing fests

OGDEN -- What's a climber in Ogden to do? ClimbFest or Send Fest? Maybe both.

Climbers may either be confused by the two events with similar names or thrilled to have so much to do this month. Regardless, climbing will likely gain some popularity as Ogden Climbing Parks and Weber State University's Wilderness Recreation Center host two consecutive weekends of climbing.

First is the Ogden Send Fest, presented by WSU WRC and Canyon Sports this Friday and Saturday. Send is the word used by climbers when they finish a route successfully.

This two-day event starts with a climbing gear demonstration at the new Weber Rocks Gym on Friday. The second day will feature an outdoor bouldering competition in the upper Ogden boulder field above 27th Street.

Later that evening, accomplished climber Micah Dash will present a slide show of his recent climbs in Kashmir Range as well as others in Indian Creek, Utah, and Yosemite Valley.

The second event is the Cassar Jewelers ClimbFest presented by Ogden Climbing Parks and its executive director Jeff Lowe. This event combines a mountain art display, fundraising events and a bouldering exhibition with climbing legends Lynn Hill and John Bachar.

Hill is known for being the first person to free-climb the Nose of El Capitan in Yosemite. Bachar is known for his bold, unroped climbing in areas like Yosemite and a link-up of Half Dome and El Capitan in a single day with Peter Croft.

Lowe also has plans for the well-known climbers to complete first ascents on a local limestone buttress above the Indian Trail during their stay in town. He plans to have the routes cleaned and bolted so when the climbers arrive in town the only thing they will need to do is climb. Lowe said he is trying to memorialize their visit to Ogden with the routes.

The climbers will also make presentations about their climbing careers along with author Pat Ament and journalist Jennifer Jordan.

Ament wrote a biography about legendary climber John Gill called "Master of Rock." Jordan is an award-winning journalist and filmmaker who produced the film "The Women of K2" about a tragic all-female ascent of the second highest peak on the planet.

Ogden Climbing Parks will be starting off a day of bouldering exhibitions April 19 with a volunteer clean up of the boulder field above St. Joseph High School. This will be the second effort to clean up trash and graffitti by Lowe. He wants the public to know that climbers are the ones cleaning up the trash, not leaving it.

"There's more trash up there in the bushes than you can imagine. This is not climber trash," Lowe said. "Climbers only leave chalk, not trash."

Despite various marketing efforts for both events some climbers may still be confused about the two events.

WSU WRC Coordinator Daniel Turner has heard rumors that people don't understand that the two events are different. He initially considered joining forces with Lowe, but said time constraints forced Send Fest to be held the weekend before ClimbFest. Turner believes the two events may complement each other.

"We're completely on the same page," Turner said. "In the future there is a really good likelihood that we might couple it with their event."

To Lowe, the two events, even with similar names, are different in concept.

Lowe sees his event is more of a celebration of the artistic side of climbing and the Send Fest is more about the athletic side in the form of a competition.

"Next year we should get together and do it together," Lowe said.