24 Hours of Gunnison Glory: Anticipation

Climb Up So Kids Can Grow Up is pleased to offer several guest posts by event organizer Alec Solimeo on his experience with the 2nd Annual 24 Hours of Gunnison Glory. In this episode, Alec describes the days leading up to the big event.

Leading up to 2010’s 24 Hours of Gunnison Glory, we were ready to revisit the experience that Climbing Magazine Editor Matt Samet so eloquently described…

“Do you know what it’s like to climb 24 hours straight, pitch after pitch on demanding, technical granite till your tips pink out, feet swell, and mouth dries up like the ass end of the Swahili? Well, let me tell you . . . er, actually, I only made it to hour 22.5 at the launch of the friendly new competition: the 24 Hours of Gunnison Glory, held at Hartman’s Rocks, west of Gunnison, Colorado. But even turning in our scorecards 1.5 hours shy of the finishing line, we came to know the experience. And the thing is, it’s a tough but extremely rewarding one.”

With such an amazing summary of the first 24 hours of Gunnison Glory, we couldn’t wait for the second annual event. A squad of people has worked hard on putting together an endurance Climbing Festival designed with everyone in mind. The event welcomes of 2-6 climbers to test their abilities against a list of over 200 established routes. While the competition is open to climbers of all ages and skill levels, teams will be grouped into three categories: Adult Recreational, Adult Advanced and Youth. Teams must be self sufficient and cannot include support crew.

In my next episode, I’ll offer some history of the event and details on the location.

Alec Solimeo