Our community of outdoor enthusiasts absolutely love a good festival. The shared good vibes around a bonfire after a day full of clinics, stewardship and competition are among the greatest I’ve experienced. Though many of us wouldn’t get out on the dance floor in a club to save our lives just give us a couple strong IPA’s, a crappy bluetooth speaker under a full moon and suddenly we’ got moves like James Brown! The absence of these kind of community get-togethers has been sorely missed this summer, but does that mean we need to give up and just sit on the couch re-watching free-solo until our eyes bleed? I think not!

This year has been one full of reaction and reluctant hesitation to act while we all try to understand what the best way forward might be. As a group of forward-thinking individuals, we are trying to get back together and making a decisive move. Virtual events have become increasingly popular with people joining from their kitchens, backyards, couch or home office. Just because we are distanced doesn’t mean we need to lose our connection to our community. This past weekend I attended my first virtual climbing festival and the experience was very positive! The Women’s Climbing Festival one day virtual event hosted by Flash Foxy.

Flash Foxy began as an online platform in 2014 to celebrate women climbing with women and to be a place where women could come to feel inspired by and connected to each other. In 2016 they held the inaugural Women’s Climbing Festival and now continue to bring women climbers together through a variety of events across the country. In March WCF made the hard decision to cancel their Bishop event with respect to the health and safety of the local communities, partners, athletes and guests of the event.

This pandemic has been hard on event goers and organizers, but this July Flash Foxy brought it back and re-connected everyone with a day full of clinics, workshops and a film screening. I counted over 60 attendees of the event from all over the country joining in on what made for a fun intimate setting. Guests of the event had the opportunity to hang out with athletes and chat with industry professionals while making dumplings in their kitchen! We joined in to watch a film from our own couches while all contributing to an ongoing chat room. The day even ended with a happy hour and living room dance party. While we are all looking forward to the day we can be in a shared space together, we can still enjoy this unique experience and stay connected during these isolated times.

Flash Foxy is not alone in this venture into virtual festivals. Just this week the Outdoor Retailer summer show is happening online with webinars and retailers presenting their products in virtual booths. This fall I am excited to attend The American Alpine Club’s Craggin’ Classic Series as they combine what is normally seven separate events into a week-long online extravaganza. Live concerts are also trying out this digital space with watch party’s bringing the show right into your home. These and many other events are exploring and expanding this new digital space. No longer do we need to just react and play catch-up; we can get ahead of this and make something unique and beautiful out of this. When life gives you lemons… make margaritas!