On Friday, October 7th 2011, Urban Rocks Gym hosted our 2nd annual climbing party: BouldeRave – presented by La Sportiva. BouldeRave 2011 was host to free cosmic climbing, an Industry Gear Demo, the pre-registration for the Triple Crown Bouldering Series, various climbing contests and games, two DJ sets by This Is ART from Nashville, TN and an after party sponsored by Riverside Wine and Spirits Company. In addition to providing activities for participants of all ability levels, the purpose of the night was to raise funds for The Trust for Public Land and raise awareness for the sport of rock climbing.
BouldeRave was our most successful event in 2010, so we were very excited to see attendance rise from 300 to 530 participants. BouldeRave is Urban Rocks’ way to give back to the Chattanooga community. We were able to introduce new people to the sport of rock climbing and throw a party for those already interested in climbing all while raising money for The Trust for Public Land (TPL). Throughout the night, participants purchased raffle tickets to test their hand at the game of luck. With the support from local business and gear sponsors, we raised $150 for TPL through raffle ticket sales.
New participants entered straight into vendor alley, where they could play with, test out and try on the newest climbing and camping gear on the market. This year’s presenting sponsor was climbing shoe company, La Sportiva, who had had their full demo fleet of shoes set up alongside other big names in the Industry, including: Evolv, Five Ten, Scarpa and Salewa.
Once inside, participants were engulfed in colorful lights and vibrant music. Volunteers were stationed throughout the gym to provide a safe climbing experience for any interested participant. Emerging artist and climber, Ashley Hamilton, entertained climbers with a live drawing during the event. She is currently putting the finishing touches on her 40” x 32” piece which may be purchased through her Facebook fan page for $150 upon completion (www.facebook.com/badashart).
The SPORTIVA CHALLENGE was a beginner-friendly climbing activity in which participants could race each other up the climbing wall. Anyone who attempted the activity was entered into a special raffle; and Christina Scheitel [climbing for 1 year from Murfreesboro, TN] and Brian Sheperd [just started climbing from Chattanooga, TN] were the lucky participants to take home a free pair of La Sportiva climbing shoes. If you raced at the CHALLENGE - friend us on Facebook and find your photo!
From 7 – 9pm, This Is ART was pumping up seasoned climbers to put their agility to the test during the SPEEDSTER SPRINT – a speed climbing competition in which 1st and 2nd place winners, David Eisonstad & Greg Wingate, also took home a free pair of La Sportiva shoes. After raffle winners and awards were announced, the Riverside Beverage kegs were tapped, This Is ART began his second set and The Crash Pad – Pad Stacking Contest was underway. Participants attempted to stack AND stand on top of as many crash pads as possible for a chance to win a night’s stay at Chattanooga’s only hostel, The Crash Pad. Congrats to the best balancers out there: Rachel Bonham and Brandon Campbell!
Chattanooga is one of the best cities to live in if you are a rock climber. With at least eight crags in the area, it is a destination location for adrenaline junkies interested in climbing on a wide variety of rock. We believe that the sport of rock climbing has its benefits to more than just those adrenaline junkies out there. It is physically demanding and mentally challenging; but most of all it is a FUN sport.
The climbing community is a bit of a niche community here in Chattanooga. “I feel like climbing is perceived by the general public as a super extreme sport and while it can be an intense activity at times, climbing can make for a fun afternoon as well,” says manager, Jonathan Berry. BouldeRave is Urban Rocks’ way of giving back to the entire Chattanooga community. The event exposes the public to that niche group of climbing athletes in Chattanooga and provides insight to the world of rock climbing.” Berry continues, “My hope is that BouldeRave will be the event that continues to get students and young adults interested in the sport of climbing for years to come.”
We want to thank all of our sponsors who set up vendor alley, who provided raffle prizes to raise money for TPL and who kept thirsty participants happy! A special thanks goes out to volunteers who kept climbers safe and excited throughout the night. We are pumped about BouldeRave 2012 and already have a few ideas of how to make it bigger and better next year. We would love you hear some feedback from you, so If you think of any suggestions for next year’s event, please send them to Jonathan at JBerry@urbanrocksgym.com.
