Tour de Frank 2019 - The Information Package!

It's almost here! The 2019 Tour de Frank Bouldering Festival will be held this Saturday, from 10:00 until 5:30.  The Tour de Frank is structured like an outdoor climbing competition, but the emphasis is on enjoying the climbing in Alberta's biggest and best bouldering area, and connecting with climbers from across the province (and beyond)!

This year the Tour de Frank will be staged out of the Frank Slide Interpretive Center at the west end of the Slide.   To get to the area (if approaching the Slide from the east, i.e. from Calgary or Lethbridge) drive westward across the Slide, and make a right turn (up the hill) approximately 300m after you’ve crossed the Slide.  Drive about 1.6 km up the road to the Interpretive Center.

Park your vehicle in the large parking lot at the Interpretive Center, being sure to park at available spaces as far from the Center as possible (so regular visitors – some of whom may have limited mobility – to the Center can enjoy some of the more accessible spots).

Then, come and find us!  There will be a table set up at the Staging Area in front of the Interpretive Center starting at 10:00.  We should have free coffee and muffins for everyone, so feel free to stop by and fill out a registration slip / draw prize ticket.  When you sign in, you’ll get a score sheet with the list of boulder problems on it, with climbs that range from “easy beginner” (V0) to “as hard as you can handle” (V11+)!  We’ll have free guides available to help you find the problems listed.  We’ll start event orientation at 10:45, and the event will kick off at 11:00!

Once you've registered for the event (and entered for free draw prizes, checked out the gear from Flashed, and chatted with the Southern Alberta Bouldering Association (SABA, which will have memberships for sale...) you'll have six hours to climb in the Slide, guided by our host of volunteer guides who will make sure you find the problems (routes) that you'd like to climb.

If you haven't climbed much before, and want to see what this 'bouldering thing' is all about, come check us out.  If you have climbing shoes, bring them, and participate in our 'Introduction to Outdoor Bouldering' clinic.

This year we have many sponsors (!) supporting the event!  Climbing gyms, retail outlets, and distributors from across Alberta 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!  Coulee Climbing (Lethbridge), Awesome Adventures (Lethbridge), MadRock, Chaco, Flashed Climbing, Trailhead (Red Deer), Outdoor Research, Static Climbing Bags, Rock Jungle Fitness (Edmonton), Grand Wall Equipment, Bolder (Calgary), Outside All Day (bringing you not just prizes but the new Frank Slide Bouldering tees), Object Climbing,  and Spry (Crowsnest Pass), have all stepped up to support the event!  Throw a little support back their way!

...And, as always, the Tour de Frank is a competely free event!  We'll have the popular "Frank Slide Bouldering / Crowsnest" t-shirt for sale (to raise funds for SABA), so bring some extra cash if you want one!  Donations to support the event are also always welcome.

Read / download the Tour de Frank Information Package HERE.  It'll have all the information you need to find the event, how the event is run, parking, washrooms, etc.

To participate in the event, you'll need to sign BOTH (1) a TdF waiver that you can find HERE, and (2) a Government of Alberta / Alberta Culture waiver that you can find HERE.  We'll have copies at the registration table as well.

If you are UNDER THE AGE OF 18, and won't be there with a parent or guardian, have your parent/guardian sign the waivers and bring them with you!  Don't forget!

See you on Saturday!

Come out and enjoy a day of climbing in the Slide as much as this guy does! ;)