Save the Dates for ACF 2023!
In case you haven’t heard, we have announced the dates for this year’s Adaptive Climber’s Festival (ACF)… October 12-15, 2023!
Save the dates! We are excited for you to join us once more at the Red River Gorge in Kentucky.
It’s going to be our biggest ACF yet – with plans for 150 paraclimber participants. There are also going to be new clinics, activities, nighttime events and even a weddin’!
We hope you are getting as stoked as we are for ACF 2023. There are some other updates below.
Please read over it all and reach out with questions! We have a new email address: operations@adaptiveclimbersfest.org.
Registration
Registration for ACF 2023 opens on July 1. We will announce when it’s open through our website, Instagram, and by emailing you directly. When registration opens, you’ll be able to choose your clinics, too.
ACF is in-demand and we are expecting to have a waitlist this year once we reach 150 participants! Please make sure to register ASAP when registration opens on July 1.
Guests and Plus Ones
ACF is growing and we are excited to keep bringing more and more people together at the event. We are aiming for 150 participants this year. Because of this, we are limiting the number of plus ones and guests that participants can bring with them. Our priority is to ensure spots for paraclimbers.
If you are considering bringing a guest with you to ACF, please try to limit it to one person and/or please don’t plan to bring a big crew with you. Non-paraclimbers are always welcome at ACF but are not our priority. Thanks for your understanding.
Volunteers
Volunteers will need to apply separately as a volunteer and not a participant. Volunteer selections will be chosen by a committee. We have limited volunteer spots. As always, we will prioritize people who actively work with (aka volunteer year-round) with an adaptive climbing organization or program (i.e. Catalyst, Paradox, ACG, or ParaCliffHangers). We also prioritize volunteers with certified climbing experience, such as guides and single-pitch instructors.
Volunteer registration will open on July 1.
Registration Fees
ACF registration will be $25 for participants again this year.
If you have someone coming with you to help you out, great! Additional guests/plus ones who aren't there to assist ACF participants will have a higher registration fee. We will announce the fee before registration opens.
As always, we will have scholarships and a pay-what-you-can option available for anyone requesting financial support.
Clinics
We will be offering even more choices for clinics this year, including clinics like rappelling, handless huddle, med check, deaf senders, mindfulness, photography, caller clinic and many, many more. More details will be announced soon on the website and as part of registration.
Lodging
The lodging for ACF will be similar to last year. Tent camping spots will be available for everyone. There are RV hookups onsite if needed. Cabins at Lago Linda are reserved for people who physically cannot camp in a tent and are unable to find housing elsewhere. Lago Linda cabin selection for participants is at the discretion of the ACF planning crew – just let us know on your registration form.
If you can't tent camp or just don't want to tent camp, and you have the financial means to book an Airbnb or cabin in the nearby area, we encourage you to do so. Also, book your local Airbnbs or cabins soon – they are in high demand!
Get ACF Updates
As we get closer to ACF we’ll start putting more info and updates on the BLOG on our website. We’ll have reminder posts on ACF’s Instagram, too.
Check out our latest BLOG posts!
Choose How You Want to Stay Connected
A lot of folks have been reaching out to ask questions about things like clinics and how they can help support ACF. We have setup some email ListServ’s you can join to stay extra connected on some topics. Click on the link below to join these topic groups and be in the know! Otherwise, you’ll see general updates on this information on our website and social channels, too.
Clinics - Join to hear the latest on clinics as they develop
Donations and Support - We have a hearty list of in-kind and sponsor donations we are seeking for this year’s ACF. We could use all the helping hands we can get! Join this group if you’d like to help or stay informed.
