“There’s a fine line between boldness and stupidity.” So says one veteran climber in the trailer for Valley Uprising: Yosemite’s Rock Climbing Revolution, the centerpiece of the 2014 Reel Rock Film Tour, which visits climbing Meccas all over the country. It touches down in the shadow of the Gunks, naturally, as the 16th annual New Paltz Climbing Film Festival, screening at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, October 11 at the Julien J. Studley Theatre, located in the Old Main Building on the SUNY-New Paltz campus.
Valley Uprising chronicles 50 years of rock climbing on the cliffs of Yosemite, which drew a motley assortment of larger-than-life characters, rivaling the notorious Vulgarians who first conquered the Gunks’ rocky vertical routes in their “extreme Bohemian” lifestyle and anti-authoritarian attitudes. Touted as “the greatest untold story of American counterculture,” the feature-length movie documents “half a century of struggle against the laws of gravity – and the laws of the land.”
Ticket prices for the New Paltz Climbing Film Festival cost $17 in advance, $20 at the door. They can be purchased in advance at Rock and Snow, located at 44 Main Street in New Paltz, by calling (845) 255-1311 during store hours or online at www.rockandsnow.com/store/product/69543/2013-new-paltz-climbing-film-festival-ticket. On the day of the event, if it’s not sold out, tickets will be available between 6:30 and 7:30 p.m. in the Lecture Center on campus. To view the Reel Rock 2014 trailer, visit www.reelrocktour.com.
Meanwhile, Rock and Snow will continue to host its fall lecture series featuring notable climbers and outdoorspeople. On Saturday, October 18, Doug Robinson will present a slideshow. On Saturday, October 25, there will be a book-reading and discussion with Francis Sanzaro, author of The Boulder: A Philosophy for Bouldering. Two more slideshows will follow, on Saturday, November 1 with Julian Lines and on Saturday, November 8 with Silas Rossi. These presentations all begin at 8 p.m. at Rock and Snow.
New Paltz Climbing Film Festival, Saturday, October 11, 7:30 p.m., $20/$17, Studley Theatre, Old Main Building, SUNY-New Paltz, 1 Hawk Drive, New Paltz; (845) 255-1311, www.rockandsnow.com.
Join the family! 
