Yangshuo Climbing Festival Planning

Planning for next year's annual Yangshuo Climbing Festival is about to get underway and there is much excitement surrounding it. One thing for sure is that it will be much different than this year's. So far, no one has taken the lead, although one of the sponsors is pushing to start the dialogue as soon as possible.

Mistakes were made at this year's event, but nothing more than was to be expected for the inaugural year. In all, I think it went down very well: the weather mostly co-operated, everyone had a good time and no one was injured. Some of the international sponsored climbers stay around in the area for up to a month after the festival and it was great to climb and hang out with them.

Some squabbles broke out among the volunteers, I include myself in this group, and there were some equipment and management issues that could have been handled better - all problems that will be taken care of next year.

I do, however, have a few views on how I would like to see the festival run next year:

First of all, I would like to see the climbing community play a bigger role, and the sponsors a conversely smaller role, next year. Although the guiding shops do take out a lot of clients, they contribute relatively little to the development of climbing in the area. ChinaClimb is, however, a notable exception as they do contribute to bolting of new routes and some of their guides put in a lot of time and effort ensuring that existing routes are safely bolted. They also buy bolting hardware and make their drill available to experienced bolters.

That being said, I would like to see the active, independent climbers play a more central role in next year's festival or at least get acknowledged for their role in making Yangshuo the great area is it today. PC and I have put in much time and money over the past years establishing new routes and in opening and improving entirely new crags for climbing. In the past year we have spent many days developing Space Buttress, the Camel's Neck, the Totem Pole and, of course, the Great Wall. These crags, I believe, add significantly to the quality of the climbing experience for anyone visiting Yangshuo.

Climbers at the top of the game spend more of their time at Lei Pi Shan and White Mountain because of the number of difficult lines there, and we have also put up new, moderate routes at these crags for those of us who do not climb at a high level. The thinking was that some of the partners of the more hard-core climbers would also appreciate having easier routes to climb there. This has worked out just as planned and we get many positive comments for our new 5.10 lines there.

The climbers who are actively developing the area must get recognized at next year's festival, maybe the only way to do that is to tone-down the emphasis on a climbing competition and find other ways to celebrate the climbing here. I would like to find ways to get more people out to more crags just to make them aware of the diversity of climbing possibilities here. A photo competition might also be included next year as this is also a big part of the sport for many of us. Or how about introducing a handicapping system so climbers can compete more fairly with each other. Recognition for winners instead of prizes might make the competition more fun and we could have more categories, perhaps include more crags, crazy costumes, team events - anything to make it more fun and different!

Any while we are at it, why not have a local farmer's and an old-timer's category next year?

The second point I'd like to make is that we should try to involve the local community in next year's event. There are many shops, hotels, restaurants, bus drivers and even massage parlors that are part of our climbing experience and they should be invited to participate by advertising or opening stalls or booths at the events. Why not let Karst Cafe sell breakfast burritos or Dr. Lily give back massages, or the juice stands provide smoothies, the bakeries sell muffins or cinnamon rolls near the event venues? Other than cash, I failed to see what some of the sponsors of this year's events have contributed to the area compared to these local businesses.

Finally, we need to search for a better theme for next year's event and to stick with it. Do we want to be a commercial success? Do we want to attract more top climbers? or do we just want to have a great party in the laid-back fall season in Yangshuo that we have all come to love? I for one schedule my work-year around taking time off in late spring and fall when conditions are at their best for climbing.

The climbing scene in Yangshuo is unlike anywhere else in the world; it's cheap and accessible, the setting is awesome and the town is very laid-back. Having lived in China and Taiwan for more than 2 decades, for me Yangshuo is the best China has to offer in the way of an outdoor lifestyle. The festival should celebrate all these things, along with the fantastic climbing!