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Kootenay Climbing Association brings Reel Rock 16 to Nelson June 2

The Nelson Daily Sports
By The Nelson Daily Sports
May 30th, 2022

On June 2nd at 7:30 p.m., the 16th edition of the Reel Rock climbing film tour will be screening at the Civic Theatre in Nelson.

The Association of West Kootenay Rock Climbers (TAWKROC) and the Kootenay Climbing Association, the non-profit that operates the Cube Climbing Centre, have teamed up to bring the film tour to Nelson as a fundraiser to build a new Olympic caliber climbing gym in town. 

The Reel Rock 16 lineup consists of four films that celebrate the human side of climbing’s latest, greatest adventures and achievements:

  • Pete Whittaker and Tom Randall in “Bridge Boys” (28 minutes) — A horizontal big-wall adventure on the longest, most ridiculous crack climb ever attempted.
  • Charles Albert in “Barefoot Charles” (28 minutes) — Meet the opera-singing, cave-dwelling Frenchman who climbs futuristic boulder problems sans chaussons. 
  • Alex Johnson in “Big Things to Come” (21 minutes) — An elite boulderer’s struggle with a project propels her on a decade-long journey of self-discovery.
  • Alex Honnold, Tommy Caldwell, and Adam Stack in “Cuddle”  (33 minutes) — A massive link-up of 17 alpine summits pushes a famed climbing duo to the brink—and into each other’s arms.

“We’re really excited to be bringing the local climbing and adventure community back together again for this film festival, after a long pandemic pause,” says Kootenay Climbing Association board member Jayme Moye.

“Almost as excited as we are about building a bigger and better climbing gym in Nelson.”

The Kootenay Climbing Association presented its proposal for a new climbing gym to City Council on March 7th, and will be providing the first public update on next steps at the screening. 

The screening will also include a prize raffle, with all raffle ticket sales going toward building the new climbing gym. Moye says they will be raffling off more than 20 prizes, worth nearly $2,500 in total, during the film tour’s intermission.

Raffle prizes include:

  • a 10-punch pass for the Cube ($126), two women’s climbing harnesses from Arc’Teryx ($170 each)
  • a Petzl IKO Core headlamp ($115), the Ninja Crash Pad from Flashed ($325)
  • a backcountry ski package from G3 including skins, poles, trucker hat, and tension strap ($379)

Several local businesses have also donated gift certificates, like a certificate good for a case of kombucha in the flavour of your choice, from Kootenay Kombucha, valued at $130. 

Tickets for the screening are $20 each and can be purchased online at www.civictheatre.ca

Moye strongly recommends purchasing tickets in advance, as a sellout is likely. Raffle tickets will be sold only at the screening, from the time the doors open at 7 p.m., until the drawing, which will be held at the conclusion of intermission. 

About the Kootenay Climbing Association and the Cube Climbing Centre:

The Cube Climbing Centre is located in Mary Hall on the Selkirk College 10th Street Campus in Nelson. It features bouldering and sport-climbing routes for all ages and ability levels. For the first time ever, the Cube will remain open all summer, and is also offering its first-ever children’s climbing summer camps. The Cube operates as a nonprofit through the Kootenay Climbing Association, reinvesting its profits back into the local climbing community. https://cubeclimbing.com

About TAWKROC:

The Association of West Kootenay Rock Climbers is a non-profit organization formed in 2010 to promote the stewardship and preservation of public access for rock climbing sites in the West Kootenay Region of British Columbia. The organization’s advocacy has resulted in both Waterline and Kinnaird Bluffs being permanently protected for climbers. https://tawkroc.org

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