You may have wondered what the large gathering is by the park’s overflow lot. The American Alpine Club’s Annual Smith Rock Craggin’ Classic moved down the street for its annual 3-day climbing festival the weekend of September 30- October 2, 2022.
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Early raptor nesting area closures at Smith Rock State Park are in effect starting Monday, January 10 to August 1, 2021, PARK WIDE for drones for the season, selected for climbing, and later for camping when the Bivy reopens. We’ll keep you posted on Facebook as well as the Seasonal Closures page as the restrictions lift in different areas over the summer for climbing.
Didn’t snag a ticket to this year’s sold-out Smith Rock Craggin’ Classic brought to you by the American Alpine Club? Fear not. While Smith Rock TV won’t be streaming all of the clinics and hours of events, we have a line-up of interviews with climbing icons such as Tommy Caldwell and Alan Watts, on a wide range of issues from advocating for climbing resources at a state level to the existing “climbing culture.” Plus we’ll give you a taste of the 3 days of the gathering where climbers come together to celebrate, learn new skills, and give back to the crag.
After a one-year hiatus, the American Alpine Club’s Annual Smith Rock Craggin’ Classic is back with their 3-day “celebration of the Pacific Northwest’s climbing and climbers” the weekend of October 1-3. With a full line-up of clinics taught by professional climbers and local guides from Chockstone Climbing Guides, plus presentations by EDELRID athlete Tommy Caldwell and Yosemite young buck Jordan Cannon, it’s just a short walk from on-site camping and down into the park. And if you’re dying to hear all about the climbing history at Smith Rock from the guy who had just a bit to do with it, join our own Alan Watts on his Smith Climbing History Walking Tour on Saturday morning.
When Eli Olson, a 9th grade Honors Literature student at Estacada High School about 30 miles southeast of Portland contacted us to help him with his final project assignment—To find a way to get my work out into the world, we were moved. He was allowed to write about anything he wanted to, and he chose to write about the history of sport climbing at Smith Rock, where it all began for North America. He originally started his essay last year but didn’t get to finish with the impact of COVID on the school system. By the time he got to pick up his project again, it evolved from the history of climbing in the U.S. that was mainly focused on Yosemite, until he learned about Smith Rock. Now he encourages others to push their boundaries and try sport climbing.