Canberra Indoor Rock Climbing will host a friendly Christmas in July climbing competition on Saturday, July 20th. We will donate part of the proceeds to CliffCare Victoria, the organisation working on behalf of Australia’s climbing community to preserve climbing access in Grampians National Park. Our generous friends at Mont Adventure Equipment, Canberra’s local gear specialists, will be providing comp prizes!
See our Facebook event here.
The Cause
As you may have heard in the news, Parks Victoria has recently implemented widespread climbing bans in Grampians National Park, perhaps Australia’s most famous outdoor climbing destination. Parks Victoria implemented these bans due to concerns about overuse, environmental damage, and threats to cultural heritage sites. While these bans are in place, Parks Victoria is working on updating its management plan for Grampians National Park, which will include more defined provisions about climbing.
CliffCare has been working tirelessly to educate the climbing community about proper land use etiquette, and is also advocating for climbers in meetings with Parks Victoria. In addition to their work in the Grampians, CliffCare is also responsible for many projects at Mt. Arapiles, including rebuilding and realigning major tracks and revegetating campgrounds.
On May 8th, Climb for Grampians coordinated fundraising events with climbing gyms and gear retailers across Australia and successfully raised over $10,000 to benefit CliffCare. Canberra Indoor Rock Climbing was not able to participate in the May 8th events, but we are excited to host our own event to benefit CliffCare.
The Comp
All are welcome to participate in the competition, including both experienced and new climbers. The comp will run from 9am-2pm at our Mitchell gym on Saturday, July 20th (see schedule of events below). We will be using a “pumpfest” format, meaning that climbs will be assigned points based on their level of difficulty. At the end of the 3 hours, climbers will add up their top 5 climbs to determine their score.
We will have four categories available for participants to enter into: A (high-level climbers), B (mid-level climbers), C (beginners), and children under 10 years old. Please note that children under 10 are not allowed to belay at our gyms. They will need someone older to assist them with belaying while they compete.
Entry will be $15, which will include full gear hire if needed. Along with any additional donations provided, $5 of each entry will be donated to CliffCare. If you haven’t already, you’ll need to fill out our online waiver before climbing.
A BBQ will be provided for all to enjoy once the comp finishes up, and there will be a table selling merchandise to benefit Climbers Against Cancer.
Spectators are welcome and encouraged. Please tag us in your social media posts during the comp, and we will reshare onto our platforms.
Schedule of Events
- 9am – Registration
- 10am – Pumpfest begins
- 1pm – Podiums, BBQ served
- 2pm – Mitchell gym re-opens to the public
Please help us spread the word about the competition! We’re looking forward to seeing you all there to support a good cause and have some fun.