New River Rendezvous - A Newcomer’s Revelation

Imagine nearly a thousand lunatics descending upon the outskirts of the small town of Fayetteville in West Virginia. Now imagine this mob, with white dust smeared all over their hands and faces, being set loose on the never ending cliffs that line the New River, which flows under the longest arch bridge in the United States.

This is the reality that is the New River Rendezvous. Every spring the New River Alliance of Climbers (NRAC) hosts an event that celebrates the very heart of climbing culture. At first glance, the gathering is all about actually climbing the many routes in the gorge. After all there are rocks, guidebooks, ropes, gear, chalk, beta, etc. But, what I came to discover was that, though this event was billed as a weekend of climbing, it turned out to be the representation of everything I love about our sport.

We arrived on Friday night just in time to catch the tons of desserts that were supplied to those still hungry after the free dinner. The many sponsors were supplying reusable eating wares in support the very successful and very effective no-waste initiative, which basically eliminated the garbage generated from paper plates and utensils that normally just get thrown away.

Saturday, 800 strong made way to various areas throughout the gorge. We climbed the New’s stellar routes, trying to avoid the seepage caused by the on and off again rain. When you’re surrounded by genuine people in such an amazing place, a few damp routes don’t really mean much – which seemed to be the general consensus throughout the cliffs.

A dyno comp kicked off the exciting events after dinner and lead straight into a Sumo wrestling competition. Eventually, the infamous O-Dub entertained a restless crowd with a short set before introducing The Amity Front, a Massachusetts-based roots/rock band that kept the party alive until very early in the morning.

I’m sure I’m not the only one that awoke the following day with a splitting headache and a smile, vaguely remembering dancing in the downpour that had finally fallen from the menacing gray clouds. Climbers had succeeded again. In true raucous fashion the event managed to provide more fun than I thought possible. And considering how many people were there, the amount of waste used was almost zero. I hardly needed to climb to see that the NRR was a success.