Would you trust a group of college kids with your life? For the 300 climbers who attended Rock Party 2024, the answer is a resounding 'yes.'
Rock Party is an annual event hosted by UBC’s Varsity Outdoor Club (VOC). Ticketed members drive up to Squamish, a world-renowned destination for mountain bikers, hikers and rock climbers, on a Saturday morning in September. They then either receive or provide a full day of rock climbing instruction in groups of 6–11 before returning to the Mamquam River Campground for a night of heavy woodland partying.
The event is hugely popular and tickets, even at $50 a pop, can be difficult to acquire. This year, like last, I participated in a routine familiar to anyone who has ever frequented a sign-up page for a limited-space VOC event: I rolled out of bed and onto my computer, holding my breath as I repeatedly refreshed the ticket page. Despite the event having 300 spaces, both student and discounted instructor tickets sell out every year. Late to the 8 a.m. signup? Chances are, you can kiss Rock Party goodbye.
So why exactly is Rock Party so popular?
Every attendee must set aside an hour and a half for the event’s mandatory pre-trip meeting and deal with sorting themselves into car- and skillset-based climbing groups (which range from complete beginners in ‘Rock 1’ to veteran climbers in ‘Rock 5’) with people who are often strangers. Then, they must lug an extensive amount of expensive camping and climbing gear up to the mountains.
It’s also well-known and specified on the VOC’s website that “the instructors on this trip are NOT professional ... your safety is your own responsibility.”
And yet, 94 students signed up for this year’s Rock Party level one introductory class, which put them on crags as high as 56 metres.
The demand lies in the event’s location, accessibility and its attendees’ powerful desire for climbing community.
With its evergreen cloak and storybook mountains, Squamish is breathtaking.
As apprehensive as I had been about attending Rock Party as press this year, I felt my chest loosen the moment my car group rolled up to the sprawling woodland campground.
VOC executives strive to foster appreciation for the access to the natural environment their members have, and opened their pre-trip presentation with an acknowledgment that the event would be held on the traditional, ancestral and unceded territory of the Coast Salish peoples — Skwxwú7mesh (Squamish), səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) and xwməθkwəy̓ əm (Musqueam) First Nations.
“What we are doing is extraction, even though we are not taking anything literally, we are taking experiences, feelings, and memories,” the presentation read.
“Appreciate what you have access to, Respect the Land, it’s our friend.”
I couldn’t count on both hands the number of comments I heard complimenting the scenery, from classics like, “Look at that view,” to an overheard quip of “Why do I ever party inside?”
In an interview, third-year natural resource conservation student and Rock 1 climber Maya Davis agreed on the beauty of Rock Party’s location.
“I personally had a really fun time. This was my first Rock Party, and ... the whole day climbing was extraordinary. It was good to be outside,” she said, smiling.
But Rock Party is more than just climbing in a gorgeous location — it’s also trying to break down barriers, such as a lack of equipment or training. The VOC’s ‘safety deposit and return’ policy for equipment makes any necessary climbing gear accessible.
“All my friends that I came here with are in Rock 1, and they have all the gear they need. I don’t even have all the gear I need, and I’m being provided for,” said second-year Sauder student and Rock 3 climber Katie McLaughlin.
The VOC’s Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Coordinator Brianna Ragsdale also spoke on accessibility concerns.
“I’m hyper-aware that there are certain barriers,” she said, specifically mentioning the price of tickets. “For what it is [though], I think it’s relatively accessible.”
When speaking with instructors and students across the levels, I uncovered that climbers’ motivations to teach and learn were also tied to accessibility perceptions.
“There’s a pretty big barrier of entry into climbing like it can be intimidating to get into, so it’s awesome to get to pass on [climbing knowledge] and ... help people enjoy it,” Rock 3 instructor Michael Walmsley said.
Fourth-year chemical and biological engineering student and Rock 5 climber Kate Barrett also expressed excitement over the learning opportunities Rock Party offers, emphasizing that climbing is a partnered sport.
“[Rock Party] is such an easy and accessible way [to get into outdoor climbing], because ... it’s really hard to find a belayer to take you and actually teach you these skills. It’s nice that there’s an organized event where you can progressively learn more and more each year,” she said.
Third-year bioeconomy sciences and technology student and Rock 3 climber Angelina Brule echoed Barrett’s sentiments and also expressed support for what she called a “better learning environment.”
“I feel bad when I’m learning with friends, because I don’t want them to have to teach me. So I feel like learning [at Rock Party] is the goal, so I can ask questions and not feel like I’m taking up too much time.”
While part of Rock Party’s accessibility comes from its lack of officially trained instructors, I asked upwards of 30 students if they trusted their teachers — every single one said ‘yes.’
“That’s why I’m not nervous,” said Barrett.
Isaac Tonkin-Palmer, an instructor for Rock 3, said this trust comes from how vetted the instructors are, either by the VOC executives or other members.
But by far, the most repeated comment I got throughout my various interviews was people expressing their excitement to make new friends and engage with the climbing community — whether that be in their climbing groups, the community BBQ dinner or the party that rages into the wee hours of the morning.
“I can go to a party and I can go rock climbing very easily ... but when you have it together, it’s this really beautiful crossover of fun people, and it really enables you to climb more because you meet people you can go into the field with,” said Meg Schenk, a Rock 3 student.
Even I, as a reporter with a comically large camera slung around my neck, felt the same as the climbing community opened itself to me.
Instructors paused their lessons to let me interview both themselves and their students, many of whom were enthused to speak with me about their Rock Party experiences. Several people asked if I could include things in this article, excitedly demanding mention of a friend’s cool ‘Gandalf pipe’ or the word ‘freaky.’ One group even belayed me (secured me to a rope and helped me climb) halfway up a crag so I could take better photos.
I’d go so far as to wager that anyone who goes to Rock Party will recognize its unique pull and immediately mark their calendars for the following year.
Nelson Fretenburg, a fourth-year integrated engineering student, has been coming to Rock Party since he was in Rock 1. After that first beginner year, he fell in love with climbing and Rock Party as a whole. This year he returned as a Rock 5.
“Once I got here, I think I realized how special the group and the community of people that come together here to share this [are]. And so I just ... kept coming back.”
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