OIC Climbing Festival

Thank you

To everyone who attended our 2024 festival!

Stay tuned for 2025 information

Thank you to our 2024 sponsors!

NRAC is the New River Alliance of Climbers, a nonprofit organization that advocates for protecting the natural resources at the New River Gorge and educates visitors about land stewardship and environmental responsibility.

A special thank you to Public Lands for their sponsorship.

Our mission is to bring together the BIPOC climbing community to not only continue growing as climbers alongside one another but to build meaningful community out in nature.


Register

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Register ⋆

See the Festival FAQs section for information on what is included in your ticket!

Last Year’s Schedule of Events

  • 2:30pm- OIC van leaves Pittsburgh (for those participating in OIC transportation)

    6:30pm- Stop at Food Lion Summerville, WV

    7:45pm- Arrive at Arrowhead Campground

    8:00pm- Group Dinner

    9:00pm- Fire and Welcome

  • 8:00-9:00am- Group Breakfast

    9:00 am: Formal Introductions including staff and guides

    9:15am- Clinic: Mental Aspect of Climbing Roundtable taught by Genevieve Walker at Arrowhead

    • Many times, people only focus on the physical aspect of climbing in their training, but mental strength is just as vital for success. You may have dealt with fear of falling, fear of failing, difficulty projecting, frustration, trying to onsight a climb and getting nervous, having to deal with expectations that were not met, or other internal struggles. In this clinic, we will be able to share what comes up for us individually and learn strategies to continue building a stronger mind in a round table discussion. 

    10:25am- Clinic: Sport and Natural Anchors taught by Genevive Walker and Zoe Neal at Arrowhead

    • This two hour clinic will be broken into two sections taught simultaneously, sport anchor and natural anchors.

      • Sport Anchors taught by Zoe Neal- If you do not have previous experience building sport anchors, we highly suggest focusing on this aspect of the clinic. In this two-hour clinic, you will learn how to build sport anchors.

      • Natural Anchors taught by Genevive Walker- If you have prior experience building sport anchors and would like to progress, we recommend the natural anchor clinic. In this two-hour clinic, you will learn how to build natural anchors (anchors built of trees, rock, and other environmental objects).

    12:30pm- Arrive at Lower Meadow Climbing area. Here you will choose between an informal climbing session or attending the optional clinics.

    1:30-3:30pm- Clinic: Cleaning Anchors and Rappelling taught by Genevive Walker

    • In this clinic, we will be learning how to clean sport anchors and rappelling, while reducing and managing risk. For those of you who are not confident in cleaning sport anchors and/or rappelling off routes, this clinic is perfect for you! 

    3:45-5:45pm- Clinic: Intro to Trad Placements taught by Genevive Walker

    • This clinic is an introduction to traditional climbing related! If you do not have extensive experience with trad climbing, come and hangout with us and learn about trad gear and the basics of trad climbing.

    6:20pm- Depart Lower Meadow parking lot for Arrowhead Campground

    7:00-8:00pm- Group dinner and optional art activity

    8:30pm- Campfire

  • 8:00am- 45 minute yoga session taught by Elisa Varlotta

    8:45-9:45am- Group Breakfast / campsite pack up

    10:00am- Depart for Upper Meadow Climbing area

    10:20am- Hike to Upper Meadow

    11:00-4:00pm- Informal climbing session

    5:00pm- OIC van depart for Pittsburgh, PA (for those participating in OIC transportation)

    9:00pm- Estimated arrival in Pittsburgh

Meet our Guides!

Elisa Varlotta

Yoga Instructor and Event Organizer

Elisa has always loved physical movement. What she loves most about it is the feeling of pushing herself to the limit, discovering that maximum point of physical and mental strength. When she discovered yoga late in college, it was the first time she truly found meditation in movement. It was a deeper connection to her inner world than she had felt before. She became a certified yoga instructor in 2020 and over the years has taught classes in yoga studios, in parks, at climbing festivals, over zoom, and for friends and family. She is excited to all flow together during the weekend!

Zoe Neal

Climbing Guide

Zoe discovered her love for nature and outdoor activities after joining the Outdoors Club in college. She participated in climbing and mountain biking for a few years, then found herself working at a climbing gym. When she started working there, she had not yet climbed outside or on ropes and had very little knowledge on technique. Now three years later, not only is she a much stronger climber, she is a youth coach, climbing instructor, and PCGI certified climbing guide. She has learned so much in her time working at a gym, and is so excited to share what I know with everyone!

Genevive Walker

Climbing Guide

Genevive is a professional athlete, Single Pitch Instructor, and Rock Guide Apprentice guiding for six years. When she started climbing in the Northeast, Genevive immediately noticed the lack of diversity in the outdoors but didn’t recognize how widespread the disparity was until she started traveling full-time. When she became a guide, her mission was to share her love of climbing with folks in her community in hopes of encouraging more people to get outside and reap the benefits of outdoor recreation. Genevive continues to work hard to inspire women and folks of the global majority in the outdoors through education, connection, compassion, and a whole lot of stoke!

Festival FAQs

Where will I be staying?

Lodging is provided at Arrowhead Bike Farm. This is a location that the OIC staff has stayed at several times. The address is 8263 Gatewood Rd. Fayetteville, WV 25840. Arrowhead has a restaurant open from 11 am – 9 pm. They have showers and bathrooms; there are also porta-potties next to our group camp site.

How does OIC’s van transportation work?

OIC has a van that will be able to transport 10 people. The first 10 people who purchase a ticket and reserve a spot in the van will be provided transportation. Once the 10 spots fill up, we unfortunately won’t be able to provide more transportation. The van will depart on Friday November 9th from ASCEND Point Breeze by 2:30 pm and will arrive back to ASCEND Point Breeze on Sunday November 10th around 9:00 pm. The van will also be available to shuttle participants to climbing areas or places in town.

What if it is supposed to rain?

We will still hold the event even if it is supposed to rain/does rain! We will move our clinics and climbing meet ups to areas that stay dry.

Is there a scholarship opportunity?

Yes! There are two scholarships available. If you are interested, please apply here. Early deadline for the scholarships will be October 16th and we will award one scholarship October 18th. The last deadline for scholarships will be October 23rd and we will award the second scholarship by October 25th.   

What do I need to bring?

If you have your own climbing gear and camping gear, bring that! If you are going to participate in the potluck please bring your own utensils. If you are bringing your own food, plan accordingly for those days. Don’t forget water bottles for the climbing days and, if preferred, a chair or towel to use at the campsite. If you would like to participate in yoga, bring a yoga mat or towel. If you would like to boulder during the informal climbing meetups, feel free to bring a crash pad.

What is included with my ticket?

Your ticket will include 2 nights of camping, one yoga class, climbing clinics (formal education taught by certified guides), informal climbing meetups, climbing gear and camping gear (if requested), usage of cookware, chance for transportation from Pittsburgh (first come, first serve for first 10 who sign up).

How do the clinics and informal climbing meetups work?

Clinics: Clinics taught at the festival are optional but free to participants. Make sure to reserve a spot for the clinics since some have limited space. Every person who purchases a ticket will have the opportunity to work with Genevive Walker and Zoë Neal. On Saturday November 9th, there will be a total of four clinics, two hours each, totaling eight hours of educational learning. Everyone is welcome to participate in clinics, and we encourage you to attend the ones you are interested in, but if you would prefer to climb, there will be informal climbing meet ups as well.

Informal meetups: These meet ups will have no instruction and will not be guided. This space is for people who want to go out and have fun climbing together in community. OIC can provide a shuttle service from Arrowhead for those interested in this option.

Are there other activities?

Friday night and Saturday night we will have a group fire. Sunday morning there will be a morning yoga class before breakfast (bring your own mat or towel!) and Saturday night, there will be group discussions as well as group activities including art and music. On Sunday morning, we will have a panel discussion with our guides. All activities are optional. Transportation can be provided by the OIC van if needed.

Photographers will be on site running 30 minute fee for service photography sessions.

What kind of food will there be?

Our weekend will be run in the format of a potluck style event. This means that OIC will provide a cookstove and cookware and people are welcome to cook and eat together. If possible, please bring your own utensils! The OIC van will stop on its way down to the New River Gorge at a grocery store so people can buy groceries for the weekend. If you would prefer to buy your own food, there is a restaurant at Arrowhead Bike Farm that serves lunch and dinner. Arrowhead is also 2 miles away from Fayetteville which has a coffee shop (Rangefinder Coffee) and several breakfast options such as Cathedral Cafe and Wood Iron Eatery. Participants are welcome to drive on their own or utilize the OIC van shuttle for transportation into town.

How do I get there?

If you are not participating in OIC transportation, we will be meeting at Arrowhead Bike Farm. Their address is 8263 Gatewood Rd. Fayetteville, WV 25840. For those participating in OIC transportation, see “How does OIC’s van transportation work?”

For those who are interested in carpooling to the festival, access a sign up sheet here. Please only fill out sign up sheet after registering.

Have another question?

Contact Elisa@theoic.org!

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