BCC's Backyard Climbing Festival

May 16th-May 18th, 2025

Full schedule and event details will be available soon on the BCC website.

Note, you can only sign up for one clinic per order. Please submit separate orders for each individual who wants to register for a clinic. All clinic registrations include a weekend pass (WP).

What You Get

Your weekend pass includes access to all events on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Note: clinic registration is an additional cost.

Early Bird Pricing (April 22nd):

With BCC Membership: $30

Without BCC Membership: $40

Early Bird Outdoor Clinics: $120

Early Bird Indoor Clinics: $100

Kids: $20

Pricing After April 22nd:

With BCC Membership: $40

Without BCC Membership: $50

Outdoor Clinics: $130

Indoor Clinics: $110

Kids: $25

Friday:

- Kick-off party at Adidas/Terrex storefront-Downtown Boulder

- Free beverages, beer, and snacks!

Saturday:
 - Saturday morning Chautauqua run/presentation with the BCC and Eva Krchova
- Gym Clinics with local athletes (The Spot, Movement Boulder, Boulder Rock Club)

- Boulder Canyon Climbing Comp (see event website)
- Evening Festivities including:
 -Yoga session with Prana 
 - Ridiculously Fun Games, Dance party, Prizes & Shenanigans
- Silent Auction & Raffles
- One Free Beverages (beer & NA options)

Sunday:
- Outdoor clinics presented by Colorado Mountain School, Denver Mountain Guiding and Golden Mountain Guides. Locations: Boulder Canyon, Clear Creek Canyon, Flatirons.
- Stewardship day (TBA)
- Post-climbing grill out at A-lodge and Movement Golden 

Full schedule on our event website.

Clinics

All clinic registrations include a Weekend Pass. Total cost: $130.

 Clinics include:

Indoor clinics (Saturday):

• WP + Beginners guide to flight/Fear of falling with Kevin Capps 

  • Become more comfortable while pushing yourself on the wall! In this clinic, we will talk about falling safer, giving a better belay, and the mental strategies behind pushing yourself while managing the fear of falling.

• WP + Art of Projecting with Heather Weidner (Boulder Rock Club)

  • This clinic will help climbers break through plateaus, refine their technique, and build the mental and physical tools needed to send their hardest routes.

• WP + Board Strong with Kelly Birch 

  • No matter your experience or current ability, learn to engage the try-hard and level up your climbing on the training board

• WP + Training on the Hangboard: Principles and Practices with Peter Beal (Boulder Rock Club)

  • Learn how hangboarding actually works in climbing and how you can make it work for you

• WP + Intro to Crack Climbing with Jenny Fischer 

  • Learn the fundamentals of crack climbing. From hand techniques to gear, this is a great clinic to understand the basic

• WP + Boulder strong with Drew Ruana (The Spot, Boulder) 

  • Learn how to give quality attempts on the boards

Outdoor Clinics (Sunday):

• WP + Essential Bigwall Technical Climbing Skills with Golden Mountain Guides Boulder Canyon

  • Don't be part of the 40-60% of climbers that bail on their first bigwall. If you've got big stone in the future, then this is the course for you. Learn the essential technical skills needed to conquer bigwalls in this day long course. A strong emphasis is placed on station management, hauling efficiency, technical demands of bigwall climbing, and other types of bigwall shenanigans commonly encountered. While the act of aid climbing is discussed, it is not the focus of this course. Rather it is on the technical and rope management skills needed to successfully climb bigwalls. Join us and learn the technical skills needed to increase your chance of success on your first bigwall climb!

• WP + Improvised Rock Rescue Systems with Golden Mountain Guides The Flatirons

  • Fast and light climbing is in...but what happens when you go too light and your partner needs rescue assistance? This day long course focuses on out of the box improvised rescue techniques that are applicable for both single and multi-pitch climbs. Learn to do more with less gear as you start to understand the fundamental climbing skills taught in this course. Join us and learn how to improvise rock rescue systems!

• WP + Intro to Multi-Pitch Climbing with Denver Mountain Guiding Boulder Canyon

  • Learn to be self-sufficient in the vertical! Are you climbing multi-pitch routes but have never taken a rescue course? This course is for you! 
    This clinic is perfect for climbers leading multi-pitch routes and are looking to take their rescue knowledge and skills to the next level. In this course, we will take you through the basics of multi-pitch rescue. Topics covered include lowering and hauling from above, belay escapes and transitions from above, pick-offs in multi-pitch terrain to rescue an injured climber, and counterbalanced and tandem rappels. Participants will receive a list of necessary gear to bring for the day as well as a list of knots and hitches to practice before the course. We will also be covering the required knots and hitches in the first part of the course. Prerequisites are that you must have a base knowledge on multi-pitch climbing or have then an intro to multi-pitch climbing course.

• WP + Multi-Pitch Rescue Course with Denver Mountain Guiding Boulder Canyon

  • Join us for a course on multi-pitch climbing! DMG Guides will bring you through everything you need to know for multi-pitch sport climbing. Topics include knots/hitches/friction hitches, anchors for multi-pitch climbing, devices used for belaying, belaying from above, rope management, transitions, lowering, and rappelling. The prerequisite for this course is that you must be able to lead 5.6 sport outside. 

• WP + Learn to Lead with Colorado Mountain School Clear Creek Canyon

Ready to take your climbing to the next level? Whether you're a confident gym climber or just starting to think about leading, this one-day course is designed to help you make the leap from top-roping to leading on bolts with confidence and control.

Led by a AMGA Certififed Rock Guide from the Colorado Mountain School (CMS), you'll develop the skills needed to lead climb safely and efficiently outdoors. We'll cover essential techniques including clipping, route assessment, managing falls, and cleaning anchors. You'll also learn how to recognize the difference between well- and poorly-bolted routes—crucial knowledge for evaluating outdoor climbs.

This clinic is perfect for:

Climbers who have led indoors and want to transition outside

Top-rope climbers curious about taking “the sharp end”

Anyone seeking a structured, professional foundation for outdoor sport climbing

Come away with the confidence and knowledge to lead your own sport climbs outdoors—safely and in style.

• WP + Traditional Anchors with Colorado Mountain School  Boulder Canyon

Ready to take your first steps toward independent outdoor climbing? This hands-on course is designed for climbers who are already familiar with the basics—belaying, tying in, and using standard climbing equipment—and are looking to build confidence in traditional anchor construction and site management.

Over the course of a day, our AMGA Certified Rock Guides with CMS will guide you through foundational anchoring principles in a ground-school setting before transitioning to real-world applications at the crag. You’ll learn how to build and assess traditional rock anchors, position yourself safely at the top of climbs, and manage transitions with security and efficiency.

Key topics include:

Fundamental anchor-building concepts and gear placement

Rock quality and terrain assessment

Use and familiarity with modern rock protection

Constructing secure and efficient traditional anchors in various environments

Whether you're preparing for multi-pitch objectives or aiming to gain more independence at the crag, this course will provide the essential skills and knowledge to build solid traditional rock anchors with confidence.

Outdoor Clinics are presented by Denver Mountain Guiding, Colorado Mountain School, and Golden Mountain Guides, and will be held in Clear Creek Canyon, Boulder Canyon and in the Flatirons from 8am-4pm on Sunday May 18th.  Details will be sent out to you once you are signed up! 

More information on additional gear and equipment can be found here

Additional Questions

Have any questions about the event that you can’t find the answer to online? Reach out to us via email at development@boulderclimbers.org

Refund Policy

The Backyard Climbing Festival is a fundraising event and weekend passes are non-refundable. You may transfer a clinic spot to another individual. To transfer, please email development@boulderclimbers.org. This event will be held rain or shine, and all clinics have a backup plan for inclement weather. Saturday evening's party at the BRC will be held regardless!