2026 WinterFest Recap

The GCC’s fourth WinterFest saw our biggest crowd yet, selling nearly 100 tickets to this single-day spring trad primer.

From beginners to experts all attendees left with a little more expertise, and hopefully made some new friends to share it with out at the crag.

What kind of expertise?

Rescue skills are always in high-demand, and this year was no exception. For those looking to keep themselves safe we had multiple (all sold-out) Self-Rescue clinics, including two women/genderqueer clinics. A more advanced leader clinic focused on Follower Self-Rescue, and we even had a full session dedicated to getting you dialed on rope-ascending, which can be a critical skill with all the big roofs we have here in the Gunks.

An option focused on rescuing others was the Mohonk Preserve Ranger PSAR clinic. Here members of our amazing local rescue ranger team shared knowledge that strengthened bystander rescues out at the cliff – from joining a litter carry what to do as first on-scene responders.

On the didactic side, Dr. Richard Goldstone continues his unique brand of education, leading his ever-popular (now in its 8th installment!) How to Be a Good Second clinic. He followed it up with a technical look at how climbing gear works with Cams: From Soup to Nuts, and introduced an all new hands-on clinic on mastering double-rope technique.

Since the inception of our very first festival we’ve aimed to create a welcoming atmosphere for all climbers, and thanks to guides Athe, Patty, and Rita, we were once again able to host affinity clinics offering safe learning environments.

Individual climber development also took the spotlight – with clinics focused on refining movement skills and also some on-scene coaching by Dustin of Advanced Rockcraft to give climber audits for personal goals.

From beginner classes like Anchors 101 to master classes like What to do When Things Go Sideways, it’s safe to say WinterFest truly had something for everyone.

The GCC is grateful for all the top-shelf talent representing four local guide services to lead our hard skills clinics: Gunks Guides, Rise Outside, Advanced Rockcraft, and Alpine Endeavors. And we are just as thankful for the community members who took time to instruct, volunteer, and help make WinterFest so special. Check out a list of the climbing clinics that we offered this year.

Special thanks to Jackie of HV Rapid, who came back for an encore performance from her GunksFest appearance offering free 10 minute therapeutic massages, and of course our pizza sponsor Rock and Snow, who made sure all participants replenished calories after the event.

Our WinterFest wouldn’t be possible without the team at the Gravity Vault, who year after year helped us develop the event and graciously host this community endeavor.

Finally thank you to all those attendees who took the time to come out, support, and learn skills to strengthen our community – see you in the fall for our flagship GunksFest event!

Photos courtesy of Yueran Zeng, Michell Chen and Jannette Pazer.