The Salt Lake Climbers Alliance will host its 13th annual Climbing Festival on Aug. 22 at Goldminer’s Daughter Lodge in Alta. Photo: Rahadiansyah

Daylong gathering will feature climbing clinics, a mountain challenge, gear demonstrations, music and stories from Wasatch rescues

ALTA, Utah — The Salt Lake Climbers Alliance will bring climbers together at Alta on Aug. 22 for a full day of clinics, gear demonstrations, mountain activities and community events supporting climbing access and stewardship in the Wasatch.

The 13th annual SLCA Climbing Festival will begin at 9 a.m. at Goldminer’s Daughter Lodge with breakfast and coffee, followed by a climbing-focused mobility and warm-up session. Local guiding companies will offer discounted daylong clinics for an additional fee.

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This year’s festival will introduce the Cecret Challenge: Bag Your Bolts, a mountain scavenger hunt across Albion Basin and surrounding Alta terrain. Participants will follow clues to locate retired golden bolts hidden by the alliance’s anchor maintenance crew. The challenge will run from 10:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., with gear packages awarded to the top three finishers.

The evening portion will begin at 5 p.m. with a vendor village, lawn games and live music from Adam Lenkowski of Herban Empire. Dinner and drinks will be available for purchase.

At 7 p.m., rescuers, medical professionals and climbing accident survivors will lead “Inside the Rescue: Stories from the Wasatch,” a presentation examining how climbing rescues unfold and how accidents affect partners, families and the broader community. Speakers will include representatives from Salt Lake County Search and Rescue, the University of Utah Climber’s Clinic and USA Para Climbing.

The festival will conclude with a screening of “Fixed Points,” a short film directed by Dante Kroner about the physical, ethical and community challenges involved in replacing aging climbing anchors.

Ticket proceeds will support fixed-anchor maintenance, climbing-access trail improvements and advocacy efforts aimed at keeping Wasatch climbing areas open, according to the Salt Lake Climbers Alliance. Tickets, clinic registration and a complete schedule are available at saltlakeclimbers.org.