This was my third year attending the Craggin' Classic at the New River Gorge in West Virginia. Having spent a fair bit of time at the New, I am always so stoked to meet more people who climb there and be a part of the amazing community.
A little bit late on the posting for this one as the event happened at the end of September. Been busy running around trying to climb on the weekends before a climbing trip coming up at the end of October.
The Craggin' Classic is an awesome American Alpine Club sponsored event that happens annually at rad climbing areas across the country. This year I was lucky enough to attend as an ambassador for Alpine Start, a high-stoke coffee company out of Boulder, CO. This gave me the opportunity to meet even more people than I usually would at an event like this because I had an excuse to talk to them about something cool and useful that most people enjoy (Coffee!).
There was also a fair amount of climbing even though it was pretty rainy for most of the weekend, where notably I took a 20 footer onto a small piece of gear and worked on a project of mine while it was actively pouring rain. A trip to Summersville Lake kept us in cooler temps and out of most of the rain one day. I was even caught in the act of climbing without a shirt...a rare sight for sure.
Back at the AAC campground, people were throwing down. Whether it was in a late-night dyno comp, talent show, or in various hilarious sports such as one instance where participants were tasked to whack eggs situated on other participants heads using a pillow - last one with a whole egg won some rad prizes.
Also on the agenda, the famous Tuggin' Shack dance party where loud music and flashing lights are accompanied by a rager lasting into the early hours as well as by bouldering on the rocks nearby.
All in all, a fine wet weekend at the New.
The following awesome video by Blue Ridge Outdoors Magazine is a taste and introduction to the New River Gorge community and two people who give the New its "super rad" status.
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