This year the Red River Gorge Climbers' Coalition will be hosting its annual Rocktoberfest fundraising festival on October 9, 10, and 11, 2009 at the Natural Bridge Cabin Company Campground in Slade, Kentucky. Stay tuned @ rrgcc.org or sign up there for our email list to be informed of event registration and details. We will be having an exciting line up of sponsored climbers, climbing competitions, clinics, music, food, and vendor booths. If you plan to travel to the Red for the fall season, now would be the time to book your travel reservations. Like last fall, we are expecting many of the top climbers to be at the Red for extended stays. Rumor has it that Chris Sharma will be returning to complete his futuristic project at Drive By Crag.
That route Chris Sharma bolted is the crazy thing Ive ever seen. If you haven't seen it, you should. Oh and bring a diaper because you might shit yourself.
Sharma's line at Drive By is to the right of the main wall past Kaleidoscope where there is a large rock shelter with a very steep overhang above a vertical headwall. There are holds on the overhang but it is hard for a mere mortal climber like myself to see how anyone could hang on to them at that angle. 8c+ is the hardest grade in the Red so far. If this line goes we might be seeing the hardest grade pushed into 9a territory?
Fall sending temperatures have arrived and registration is now open at http://rrgcc.org/register/ for the RRGCCยs 9th Annual Rocktoberfest presented by Keen, Petzl, and The North Face. Camping and parking is included in the registration cost. The first 200 people to register will receive loaded schwag bags. It will be an action packed weekend with climbing films from Dead Point Magazine and a DJ on Friday night, the Reel Rock Film Tour and emcee Timmy Oย Neill Saturday night, and pro athlete led clinics on Sunday. Emily Harrington, Katie Brown, and Sonnie Trotter are among the athletes scheduled to participate. Also on Saturday there will be two comps, the Clip Nย Go outdoor comp during the day and a Dyno comp in the evening. R&Iยs own Andrew Bisharat will be on hand to cover the shenanigans. See you soon climbing our wonderful Kentucky sandstone!
Red River Gorge, Rocktoberfest 2009