About 70 people crowded into the annex of Rock and Snow and settled in the rows of seats that faced the large projector at the far end of the room. All of the clothing racks had been pushed to the side to make room for the chairs, creating a barrier of colorful jackets, shirts and pants that spanned the room’s perimeter. Equally colorful were the attendees of the screening, who were wearing a wide array of different branded climbing jackets, which protected them from the intense rain that persisted on the other side of the annex’s glass entrance. New Paltz was ready for Reel Rock.
New Paltz’s premier rock climbing store, Rock and Snow, hosted a screening Saturday, March 9 of Reel Rock 18, the newest iteration in the celebrated Reel Rock climbing film series.
Reel Rock is a climbing-based company well-known by many as the creator and distributor of the annual Reel Rock film series. Each Reel Rock collection features approximately four cutting-edge climbing films, which are screened on a global tour and eventually placed on their exclusive streaming service, Reel Rock Unlimited.
From Australia to Switzerland to Ireland and New Paltz, Reel Rock 18 is currently debuting worldwide. New Paltz is one of more than 100 locations to host a screening of the new collection. Rock and Snow owner, Andrew Zalewski, reached out to Reel Rock to be included in the lineup and Saturday was set in the books.
Once the room was full and the people were settled, Zalewski gave a brief introduction, and the show began.
The first of the four films to play was “Yeah Buddy,” starring Angie Scarth-Johnson and Hazel Findlay. The film documents Scarth-Johnson — an Australian climber — and her introduction to deep-water soloing. Deep-water soloing is a type of rock climbing on cliffs that overlooks deep bodies of water, so that if you fall, you land in water. Being from Australia, a place notorious for having some of the world’s most dangerous animals, Scarth-Johnson had to overcome a deep-rooted mental block of being scared of the ocean and its inhabitants. The film ended with Scarth-Johnson conquering a climb that had previously gotten the best of her, and the screening transitioned into the second of four films.
“Jirishanca,” starring Josh Wharton and Vince Anderson, immediately upped the intensity of the room. The film chronicled the ascent of 20,000-foot-tall Mount Jirishanca in the Peruvian Andes. Wharton, in his forties, and Anderson, in his fifties, defied the odds with their historic summiting of Jirishanca, a massive mountain consisting of traditional face climbing, ice roofs, mixed terrain and snow mushrooms.
The next film was “With My Heart,” starring Japanese climber Sachi Amma. Traditionally a contest climber, “With My Heart” examined Amma’s transition into traditional climbing due to contest fatigue. After taking the time to explore the region around him, specifically in the Yamanashi prefecture in Japan, Amma set his sights on completing a first ascent of the daunting Mount Mizugaki and succeeded in a thrilling display of skill and drive.
The last of the four films took a step back from climbing to look at a bigger-picture issue. “Climbing Never Die,” starring Matt Groom and Danyil Boldyrev, was a documentary on the state of indoor climbing in Ukraine during the height of the Russia-Ukraine war. Starting away from the front line at the western end of Ukraine, climbing journalist Matt Groom spent time with Ukrainian speed climber, Danyil Boldyrev, getting accustomed to Ukrainian life during the war and meeting some of the characters at a local climbing gym. Groom then ventured east, visiting cities that were much closer to the front lines. One gym he visited was forced to operate with no power, and another was completely shut down after explosives went off directly next door. During the process of talking to local climbers, Groom learned firsthand about the global influence that sports platforms can have during times of national crisis.
Once the last film concluded, the lights came on people gathered their belongings and the building emptied.
“I would say I liked Jirishanca the most. All of them were really great, though,” said Elliot White, an attendee of the screening. “Reel Rock always comes through.”
Besides Reel Rock screenings, Rock and Snow hosts other events for the New Paltz climbing community whenever an opportunity arises.
“[We host events] several times a year. Mostly in the fall and spring,” said Zalewski. “This past fall, we had a Brit Rock film tour screening. Then the following weekend we had Niall Grimes, who’s a podcaster, climber and writer, and he [presented] a slideshow.”
Despite the New Paltz climbing scene feeling young and fresh, climbing has been intertwined with New Paltz culture for nearly a century. The Gunks, short for the Shawangunk Ridge, are a series of cliffs and other rock features 15 minutes from New Paltz and have long been a staple in the traditional climbing world. Since as far back as 1935, climbers have been exploring, setting new routes and evolving the sport of climbing all throughout the Gunks.
With the Gunks being so close, New Paltz has gained the reputation as an unofficial hub for Gunks climbers.
Rock and Snow has been a significant presence throughout much of the Gunks’ climbing history, opening in downtown New Paltz in 1970 and maintaining its status as a community hub for climbers. Initially opened by local climber Dick Williams, Rock and Snow has only gone through two changes in ownership. Williams gave the business to longtime partner Rich Gottlieb in 2000, and Gottlieb gave ownership to his own longtime partner and current owner, Andrew Zalewski.
“[We’ve been] trying to have the products that climbers need, trying to support the community the best we can and trying to remain a cultural hub,” said Zalewski about his ownership. “It’s been exciting.”
Keep up with future Rock and Snow events through the events tab on their website, www.rockandsnow.com.