The History of the Flatrock Festival
Story by Thatcher Flynn
On the farthest East Coast of Canada resides the beloved province of Newfoundland and Labrador. For most people, Newfoundland evokes an image of our Jellybean Row houses, our thick accent, or perhaps our Screech-drinkin’, cod-kissin’ “Screech In” ceremony. What one mightn’t think of is our tight-knit, ever-growing community of rock climbers. Our island is a big hunk of rock out in the Atlantic Ocean. It’s green, it’s rugged, and it’s wild. Nowhere else can you find such easy access to the wilderness and a feeling of remoteness while being so close to town. While our crags are plenty, it wasn’t always that way.
In the early 1990s, a group of local climbers began route development 25 kilometres north of St. John’s in the small outport community of Flatrock. In 1994, as the community was growing, Inge van Ulden opened Wallnuts, Newfoundland’s first climbing gym. Her son Leo van Ulden was an avid climber and route developer during Flatrock’s infancy. With the growth of the community, Leo found himself guiding countless groups of new climbers to Flatrock. As a better way to get new climbers outside, he, Phil Stennet, Mark Dyke, and Lorri Ennis founded the Avalon Climbing Club, but they quickly realized that there was a vital flaw – their club wasn’t insured. . In May 2012, they looked to the ACC and turned their club into the Newfoundland and Labrador Section.
A year before the ACC executive started running the festival, Kaleb Thomas and Terry Day hosted the first top-rope festival in Flatrock. Since the newfound club’s main goal was to get as many people as possible out on real rock, it was a natural progression for the club to pick up where the previous festival hosts left off. Today, Flatrock boasts 144 routes in 7 areas. With 88 trad, sport, and mixed routes, Main Face is where most of the action happens.
After that first year, Flatrock Fest ran annually from 2012-2016, each year getting bigger and better. The day before the event, festival volunteers brought tables, a tent, ropes and gear, a BBQ, snacks, water, and sunscreen from the parking lot, down the hill, across the scramble, and over the scree to the base of Main Face. They put up top ropes on more than 20 of the most classic routes, ranging from 5.7 to 5.12. It was a community affair. Wallnuts loaned their helmets, rental shoe fleet, and harnesses for the event, The Outfitters Adventure Gear & Apparel sponsored prizes, volunteers took turns belaying, and local and professional climbers hosted clinics. Each year, around 150 participants showed up to try climbing on rock. From newcomers to the most experienced climbers, everyone came together for the festivities.
After four successful years, life happened. Leo had two kids, people were moving on and out of the province, the executive saw many different faces, and eventually the winter’s freeze/thaw cycles washed out a section of the trail to Main Face, making it too dangerous for inexperienced climbers to descend. Then there was the pandemic, which halted all community outings. However, in 2023, there was a resurgence of the local section, and with it, stoke to get the festival back up and running. That year we hosted another incredible festival with 150 participants coming out to experience our beloved seaside cliff. While the club took another break from the festival last year, this year we are hosting it once again!
With an executive of avid, stoked, committed climbers, we are planning three festivals in the 2025 calendar year. The first of the run will be Flatrock Festival on Saturday, July 12th from 8:00 am to 6:00 pm To celebrate the end of summer, we will host our third Swift Current Festival, two hours west of St. John’s, in the scenic, granite-riddled town of Swift Current. This is a themed festival, where we will have 20+ top-ropes, an overnight campout at the nearby river, and prizes related to the festival’s theme. (Previously we hosted “Swift Current Prom” and “Swift Current Swashbuckle”!). This year, Swift Current Festival runs from the morning of August 30th until the afternoon of the 31st. Finally, in the perfect fall conditions, we’re bringing back the long-missed Flat Bloc Fest, a bouldering festival that takes place on the top and surrounding sides of the same land formation as Flatrock Fest – we’re spoiled to have amazing routes and boulders all in the same place. If you weren’t already dreaming of visiting our rugged island, we hope that these festivals will entice you to come on out.
Regional ACC Sections are the Alpine Club of Canada’s strength. Membership in an ACC Section enables members to participate in numerous summer and winter mountaineering, rock climbing, and skiing activities, coordinated by experienced amateur leaders in their local area. The majority of activities offered by sections are either free or are offered on a break-even basis to their members. Through ACC Section trips you’ll learn all the basics you need to travel safely in the mountains, while meeting new friends to enjoy your experiences with.
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