Nina Williams | Presented by Scarpa

The first flatiron is often soloed by locals and visitors alike, but many people still view these slabs with trepidation - as they should! In this presentation, I'll talk about my introduction to the First, and how every subsequent lap increased my appreciation for easy scrambling. I will touch on mental awareness and risk management, with opportunities for questions afterward.

Bio: Nina Williams is a professional climber based in Boulder, Colorado. She started climbing at 12 years old, focusing on competition into her early twenties, before moving West for more mountainous terrain. She developed her outdoor resume traveling to world-class areas throughout the United States, Switzerland, South Africa, Peru, Australia, and Brazil.

Paige Claassen | Presented by La Sportiva

Imagine if loose bolts and rusty anchors were never replaced, and the bases of our crags were covered in.... Through stories of her adventures around the world, Paige Claassen explains how this alternate universe is actually the reality at crags where local organizations like the BCC don't exist to maintain our beloved climbing areas.

Bio: Paige Claassen holds an impressive list of sport climbing accomplishments around the world, from first ascents in South Africa to 5.14d ascents in the United States. She typically chooses iconic lines that represent benchmarks in the sport and are rarely repeated due to their difficulty and the level of technical skill they require. Routes like Just Do It (5.14c) in Smith Rock, Oregon and Necessary Evil (5.14c) in Arizona’s Virgin River Gorge have defined the sport’s history as test piece achievements.

Marisa Michael | Presented by Fixed Pin Publishing

Chasing that goal to lose a few pounds may not make you a better climber. One of the country's top climbing nutrition experts shares her top three tips to fuel climbing. Learn what science has to say about body weight and climbing, and how eating right can help you send the next grade.

Bio: Marisa Michael is a registered dietitian, board certified specialist in sports dietetics, and has a master's degree in sports nutrition. She owns a private practice in Portland, Oregon and has a passion for helping climbers achieve better health and performance through nutrition.

Kyle Richardson

Join us for the screening of a brand new short film based in Boulders Flatirons, followed by a Q + A with the athlete Kyle Richardson and filmmaker Thomas Woodson.

Tempo: Movements in Mountains is a conceptual exploration of the connections Kyle Richardson finds between his athletic pursuits in Boulder's Flatirons, and his background as a musician. Experienced through three short movements, Kyle performs a live score in a visceral interpretation of his expression in the hills.

Bio: Kyle lives in Boulder, Colorado where he takes full advantage of the local terrain. Best known for moving light and fast in the mountains and for huge link ups, Kyle can also be found roping up and bouldering. A true 4-season Athlete with the love of self-powered missions. Kyle feels the most at home when he is outside pushing his body to its limits. He draws his inspiration from the landscape and uses this to push himself physically, mentally, and emotionally. The mountains bring his spirit alive.

Steve “Crusher” Bartlett

In the 1970s and 1980s, Boulder climbers were bold and produced routes such as Jules Verne and Silly Putty. Bolts were regarded as a last resort, or even rejected altogether. This is how things had been for decades and there was no indication that anything would change.

Yet they did. During the next 25 years there was a revolution in how bolts were perceived—bolt protected "sport climbs" were established by the thousand around North America. Now, in 2020, our sport is transformed. Or is it? What changed and why? Who drove these changes? And who, in disgust, coined the phrase, “Sport Climbing is neither.”

And where is climbing going in the future?

Bio: Steve “Crusher” Cartlett is a BCC Board Member and Rebolting Extraordinaire. He is also the author of “Desert Towers: Fat Cat Summit and Kitty Litter Rock” - A book that documents the history of climbers and their ascents of the wild and historic sandstone towers of the Colorado Plateau.

Chris Weidner

Since my first attempt to climb the Diamond in 2001, I’ve spent dozens of days climbing up there. The majority of those days have been spent working on two new free routes: Hearts and Arrows (12b) in 2010, and Gambler’s Fallacy (13b) in 2020. I’ll start briefly with a few things I’ve learned about climbing the Diamond over the years, then open it up to your questions.

Bio: Chris Weidner is a journalist, author and climber based in Boulder, Colorado. A climber since 1988, he has established more than 100 first ascents, the latest of which is called Gambler’s Fallacy, a 9-pitch 5.13 on the Diamond of Longs Peak.

Tanner Bauer and Max Manson

Tanner Bauer (16) and Max Manson (19) met a few years ago and have been climbing hard trad in Eldo and elsewhere. Join them as they talk about how they got into the sport, what they love about plugging gear, and tell stories about some of their favorite climbs and adventures as well as current and future projects.

Bios: Tanner Bauer has been climbing for as long as he can remember. His parents introduced him to the sport at a young age sparking a passion for climbing that he still has today. Throughout the years he competed at national and world championships, but as he got older his passion grew for real rock. Now he spends most of his time outside working projects, finding new first ascents, and trying to become the best well rounded climber he can be.

Max Manson started climbing when he was 9 years old. He was a youth competitive climber for several years. When Max was 14, he discovered his love for Trad climbing and his focus shifted to outdoor climbing. Throughout high school, he jumped between his two passions, Pole Vault and Climbing. When Max wasn’t at school or track practice, he was often exploring the walls of Eldorado Canyon, honing in his trad skills. Max is now a Sophomore at Stanford University studying Earth Science and Pole Vaults for the Track Team there.

Sam Sala

Join certified guide Sam Sala for a discussion on the benefits of solid mentorship and classes in climbing. Sam will cover his somewhat accidental journey into climbing, including some initial missteps prior to gaining amazing mentorship which completely changed his climbing career.

Bio: Growing up snowboarding and mountain biking in the Reno / Lake Tahoe area of Northern Nevada, Sam has had a life-long obsession with playing in mountains. After a brief year of trading in his snowboard for a surfboard in SoCal, he ditched the ocean and followed his love of the hills to Colorado in 2006. Cutting his teeth in the Rockies via hiking 14ers was the gateway to his eventual stumbling into climbing. After jumping in with both feet (falling through a waterfall, actually), he figured out the benefits of finding solid mentorship and taking classes and clinics to ensure a safer journey into his new found love of the vertical. Never without a passion for learning (and teaching), Sam decided to pursue becoming an AMGA climbing instructor and has been working in the Front Range since 2016. When he's not showing folks the ropes around Clear Creek, The Flatirons, Bocan or Eldo, you'll likely find him climbing rock, ice and alpine routes throughout Colorado, Wyoming and Alaska, among others.