Oktboulder Fest

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More About

• Simple Simon
• Climbing
• Outdoor Recreation

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Imagine clinging to a rock face, toes wedged into cracks, fingers searching, sometimes blindly, for anything to grasp onto. Your muscles scream and the tendons in your hands ache, then your fingers—slick with sweat and gritty powder—slip off the next crucial hold. You feel a flicker of despair as you peel away. Down you plummet, crashing into the soft, spongy rubber chips two feet below your route. A spattering of applause greets your effort. Welcome to Vertical Endeavor's second annual Oktboulderfest, an awkwardly named bouldering competition for all ages and skill sets taking place Saturday at Minnesota's most popular climbing gym. If you're scared of heights but always thought rock climbing looked cool, bouldering is your perfect gateway drug, a low altitude entry to high adventure, where climbers grunt their way horizontally instead of vertically, keeping within a few feet of the ground. Don't let the lack of height fool you, however. While amateurs will be given Simple Simon routes, there's going to be a ton of experienced rock monkeys pushed to their limits (it's also not a bad place to see some real muscle in action if you're into sweaty eye candy). Competition is from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., with registration starting an hour earlier. Apparently something of a schwag wagon, VE is boasting about lots of giveaways, so stay for the raffle at the end. Events are sanctioned by USA Climbing and the American Bouldering Series.
Sat., Oct. 2, 8:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m., 2010