Photo: Caillum Smith, Preserved Light Photograhpy www.preservedlight.com
Well everyone, only 3 more sleeps until this year's Rock the Blocs Boulderfest in The Boulderfields, Kelowna. This is one of Canada's premier outdoor bouldering festivals and this year's registration has already broken records. On that note, here is the last update of key info for the event:
Dates: Saturday, June 23 and Sunday, June 24
What's Happening?: Saturday is the big competition day and Sunday is clinics and tours
All the event Info and Registration: http://okbouldering.blogspot.com/2018/04/rock-blocs-volume-6.html
Parking: This is always one of the trickiest parts of RTB. This year, we will be doing our best on Friday eve and Saturday morning to pack in the parking early and try to get people who are staying the weekend "boxed in" to make room for others. The parking lot has been expanded, but it's still going to be tight. For people who arrive Saturday morning and are not staying the night, we will be parking on the approach road (in pull-outs only, not on the road itself) and on the KVR and shuttling people down to the lot of needed. We absolutely cannot park anywhere on the side of the approach road, except in the pull outs as we need wide access in case of emergency. There will be a parking attendant at the top of the drop-in road on Saturday to communicate with people as to whether or not the parking below is full.
Camping: Camping at The Boulderfields is free as always. However, please consider the following: Please don't camp in the parking lot (unless you're sleeping in your vehicle) as space will be tight and we will be asking people to move on Friday eve and Saturday morning anyway. Also, please do your best to pitch tents in spaces that have been used previously and don't require any vegetation removal. Further, please do not build fires in spaces other than the communal fire ring in The Fields parking lot. Finally, Recreation Sites and Trails BC staff (the managing government body for The Fields rec site, and the group with whom we have a partnership for the area) will be in attendance for RTB. Our ability to continue to participate in this event in a positive manner and with minimal disruption goes a long way to continuing our successful partnership with this land manger in particular, but also others as a larger community.
Cash for Raffles!: Rock the Blocs has always been a free event. It's always been about getting the community together for a good time and to sample the incredible bouldering in The Boulderfields. And, the Okanagan Bouldering Society is the crew who puts on this event and covers all the costs out of their budget. They're also the group who manages The Fields rec site, and advocates for and develops much of the bouldering in the valley. Rock the Blocs is the largest fundraiser of the year for the OBS, so please bring some cash and support them by buying some raffle tickets for the many terrific prizes up for grabs. Tickets are 3 for $10 and the raffle prizes are as follows:
Annual Pass- Gneiss Climbing
$200 Gift Certificate- MEC
1 Pair LaSportiva Climbing Shoes
1 Pair Butora Climbing Shoes
Mountain Hardware Ghost Sky 3 Tent
Blue Lotus Shiatsu Massage- 2 Hour Shiatsu Massage
The Rock Garden Climbing Center 2- 10 times Punch Passes
Sponsors/ Vendors: A bunch of amazing event sponsors will have tents and tables set up at this year's fest. Please spend some time connecting with these people. From Gneiss Climbing's coffee sales (proceeds to the OBS), to Flashed and Climb On Sqamish's pad opportunities, to Mad Rock and Butora's shoe demos, to OAD and IMC Climbing's clothing and Mountain Hardware's set up, there's a lot to see.
Scorecards/ Waivers: On Saturday morning, the OBS crew will be all set up at the east side of the parking lot. This is where you check in to complete registration. This is also where you can fill out your waiver, and as soon as we have your waiver signed, we'll hand you this year's scorecard filled with golden oldies and freshies. Come on up early if you want to avoid the line ups later. Rules meeting starts at 9:45am on Saturday with the horn blowing for the day at 10am.
Okanagan Bouldering Guidebook: The comprehensive guidebook to 1800 problems in the Okanagan Valley is currently being printed and scheduled for delivery in August. If you missed your chance to snag a discounted copy on the Kickstarter campaign, this is your last chance to order one at a discounted pre-sale rate of $40 (plus shipping if required). We will have a table at the fest along with a phat proof of the guidebook. Please bring cash if you wish to take advantage of this.
OBS Membership: Okanagan Bouldering Society directors and members will be all over the Rock the Blocs festival. We'll also have a table set up to provide information about bouldering in the valley and for people to sign up for membership or donate to the cause. A lifetime membership is $20 and this also gets you one free day pass to all 4 climbing gyms in the Okanagan Valley. Come join the crew!
Alright, that's it. Please help out by registering early for planning purposes and being ready for a bit of musical cars on Saturday morning. Otherwise, safe travels to the fest and we can't wait to see everyone there!!! See you Saturday!
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