Tour de Frank CANCELLED at this Time Due to Extreme Fire Risk!

As most of you are undoubtedly aware, there is a Fire Advisory for the Crowsnest Pass Area due to the extremely dry conditions in the area over the last month.  The Fire Advisory addresses the extreme fire risk, and involves both a complete fire ban and a forest ban.  We've been monitoring the Fire Advisory closely, especially since two days of rain was forecast for mid-week which would have reduced the fire risk substantially.  Unfortunately, the rain never really materialized, and the Fire Advisory has been extended for the foreseeable future.  The area remains smoky as forest fires south of the Crowsnest Pass in the Waterton Lakes Park and in SE British Columbia continue to burn.

I talked with a Frank Slide site manager this morning. The Frank Slide Interpretive Center has closed the interpretive hiking paths through the Slide, although access to the boulders from the Highway Parking Lots is still permitted.  They have indicated that they do not want any large groups of people in the Slide this weekend due to the extreme fire risk, and we are in agreement with them.  As such, we have made the decision to cancel the Tour de Frank Bouldering Festival this weekend.

😔

Due to the fact that there is very little rain forecast for the upcoming weeks, simply postponing the event for a week seems unwise and unrealistic.  If there is substantial rainfall before the weather becomes too cool we may consider holding the Tour de Frank later this fall.  However, given the ongoing dry conditions, the likelihood of the 2017 Tour de Frank is uncertain.

We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause anyone!  We are deeply disappointed that the weather has not cooperated, and regret that we won't be able to show off Alberta's Biggest and Best Bouldering Area!  Check the blog for updates, we'll post if the event is rescheduled.

Huge thanks to those individuals and companies that support the Tour de Frank!  This year we have 14 sponsors (!) supporting the event, including climbing gyms, retail outlets, and distributors from across Alberta and southern BC!  Awesome Adventures (Lethbridge), Flashed Climbing, Friction Labs, Trailhead (Red Deer), ARQ Mountain Center (Cranbrook), Outdoor Research, Static Climbing Bags, Osprey, Rock Jungle Fitness (Edmonton), Grand Wall Equipment, Bolder (Calgary), Outside All Day (bringing you not just prizes but the new Frank Slide Bouldering tees), Spry (Crowsnest Pass), and Calgary Climbing Center (Calgary) all stepped up to support the event! Throw some support back their way!

Thank you for your interest and support!  It is your support that makes events like the Tour de Frank a reality.

If you are interested in travelling a little further afield for similar events in the near future, check out the Butte Bouldering Bash in Montana (Saturday, October 14), or the Dierkes Boulderfest in Idaho (Saturday, October 13 and 14).

Five Days Until the Tour de Frank!

On Saturday, September 16 - less than a week away! - Alberta's greatest outdoor bouldering festival / competition, the Tour de Frank, will take place at Frank Slide in the Crowsnest Pass!

Whether you have only climbed outside a few times, just love climbing, or are a serious competitive boulderer, the Tour de Frank has something for you!  It is a great opportunity to get outside and climb at Alberta's biggest bouldering area.  You can find all the information about the event (including where it is located) in the Information Package here.  If you are 17 or younger, your guardian/parent will have to fill out a long-form waiver, found here.

What Can You Expect at the Tour de Frank?

The Tour de Frank takes the form of a competitive event, but the focus is on fun, exploring the Slide, and climbing with your friends.  While you can find more information on the Climbing Life Blog (here, where you can also find a link to the information sheet), the day of the Tour de Frank will run as follows...

- In the morning, participants will being to arrive from across Alberta and BC.  The 'front desk' table will be set up in the boulders by about 9:30, with free coffee and pastries.  There should be flagging to guide you from the highway parking lot to the 'front desk'.

- When you arrive at the front desk, we'll provide you with a registration slip (which doubles as your ticket for prizes), and a score sheet, which lists all of the problems (routes) that are included in this year's TdF.  The problems range from 'incredibly easy' to 'brutally hard', but all have been selected to provide you with a great bouldering experience!  Pick a category, and get ready!

- We'll start the orientation at 10:45.  At 11:00 the horn will go off, and you will have 6 hours to climb all you want!  We'll have mini-guidebooks to help you find the problems on the list, and there will be several volunteers to help participants find problems they want to try.

- At 5:00, the horn will go off, and you'll return to the 'front desk', add up the score for the hardest five problems you climbed during the day, and turn in your score sheet.  While we determine the category winners, we'll have draw prizes for the competitors; we've got a stack of great prizes to give away.

- If you don't have a bouldering pad, don't worry; we will have some to loan out.  You should definitely have climbing shoes, though, it can be hard to have fun on the boulders of Frank Slide without them.

- If you don't want to climb competitively, that's OK with us!  You'll still need to sign in, but if you're new to climbing outdoors you might want to participate in our "Introduction to Outdoor Bouldering" seminar.  If you just want to climb with your friends for the day, that's fine too!

Our Sponsors? Amazing!

This year we have 14 sponsors (!) supporting the event!  Climbing gyms, retail outlets, and distributors from across Alberta and southern BC are sponsoring the event with a ton of prizes!  So if you walk away with free swag after the 2017 TdF, you have them to thank!  Awesome Adventures (Lethbridge), Flashed Climbing, Friction Labs, Trailhead (Red Deer), ARQ Mountain Center (Cranbrook), Outdoor Research, Static Climbing Bags, Osprey, Rock Jungle Fitness (Edmonton), Grand Wall Equipment, Bolder (Calgary), Outside All Day (bringing you not just prizes but the new Frank Slide Bouldering tees), Spry (Crowsnest Pass), and Calgary Climbing Center (Calgary) have all stepped up to support the event!  Throw a little support back their way!

Cost of the Tour de Frank?  Nothing!

Now in its fourth year, the Tour de Frank remains a free event!    It has certainly grown over the years, however, and we do incur some costs (advertising, free coffee and pastries for competitors, etc.).  If you'd like to donate a few dollars to help support the event just talk to the people at the sign-in table, or purchase one of our amazing new 'Frank Slide Bouldering' t-shirts (we'll have them for sale at the TdF).  Thanks for your support!

A Word About Parking

As always, parking at the Tour de Frank is a concern.  There is a fair bit of parking at the main parking lot on the highway at the eastern edge of the Slide on the south side of the road (about 500m west of the Fas Gas gas station and the A&W) be sure to angle park to save room.  It seems likely that this parking lot will fill up this year, however!

The best option to avoid this is to carpool to the TdF!  If you're driving from Calgary, Lethbridge, Red Deer, or SE BC, it makes sense to share a car and split the gas money.

If you arrive, and the parking lot is full, you have a couple of options.

First, there is a lot of street parking in the town of Frank (just 500m to the west).  You could drop your pads (and passengers?) off at the parking lot, drive into Frank and park, and then walk back to the parking lot.

Second (and maybe even better) is to use the parking lot at the Frank Slide Interpretive Center above the Slide.  It is a bit of a walk (about 1.5 km) between the Interpretive Center parking lot and the highway parking lot, though, so with a little planning it would make sense to drop your pads off at the lower parking lot, then get someone to help you shuttle your car up to the upper parking lot.

...And Finally, A Word About The Weather

The weather forecast for this Saturday is sunny and cool - perfect fall bouldering weather!  If the weather somehow turns TERRIBLE (for example, rain all day) or the local wildfires get out of control (and close down the entire Crowsnest Valley), we may have to reschedule the event.  Check the Facebook event page on Friday if you are concerned.  But it seems that the weather forecast for the weekend is good, so far!

See you at the Tour de Frank!

Tour de Frank 2017 Information!

Just two weeks now until the 2017 Tour de Frank!

On Saturday, September 16, 2017 climbers from far and wide will congregate in Frank Slide to enjoy a day of bouldering in Canada's greatest limestone bouldering area!  Come out to climb with old friends and meet new ones while pulling down on some of the best problems that Frank Slide has to offer!

The Tour de Frank is equal parts celebration of climbing, festival, and competition!  The emphasis, however, is entirely on having fun. As always, the Tour de Frank is a free event!  If you have climbed outside for decades, or if you have only been climbing a handful of times and just want to climb outside with your friends, come to the Tour de Frank on Saturday, September 16.

The TdF Information Package can be found HERE.  It contains almost everything you need to know about the event; where it is, when it starts, and how it is going down!  A few details will be announced on the morning of the event, but the Information Package will get you to the event!

All participants will sign a brief waiver when they show up (it doubles as your registration and ticket for the stacks of draw prizes we have).  IF YOU ARE UNDER THE AGE OF 18, you / your guardian(s) will need to sign a long-form waiver, which you can find HERE.  If you are under 18 and will be showing up at the event with your parent, don't worry, we'll have copies there.

We have a stack of prizes from our amazing sponsors this year!  Grand Wall Equipment, Flashed Climbing, Awesome Adventures, Osprey Packs, Outdoor Research (OR), Friction Labs, and Static Chalk Bags have all contributed to the prizes!

We've partnered with Outside All Day (thanks Kiefer!) not only as a sponsor, but to bring sweet Frank Slide T-shirts to the Tour de Frank!  If you want one of the amazing Frank Slide Bouldering Tees, bring a little cash to the event!

Excitingly, we have prize packs from local gyms to give away this year, with Rock Jungle Fitness (Edmonton), ARQ Mountain Centre (Cranbrook), Bolder Climbing (Calgary), Calgary Climbing Centre (Calgary) and Trailhead (Red Deer) all supporting the 2017 TdF!

A few things to remember as you get ready to drive to the TdF....

• Bring lots of water, especially if it is hot outside!
• Bring a jacket and hat; the weather can be hot / windy / cold / etc., and can change rapidly in the Crowsnest Pass!
• We're going to have t-shirts for sale! Like I said! 
• It is important that climber-related impacts to the Slide are reduced to zero!  Visit the toilet before you hit up the TdF (the bathrooms at the Visitor Center are deluxe), and don't litter!

See you there!