I don't know about the rest of Squamish, but I came away from the Petzl Roc Trip climbing extravaganza feeling a bit, well, used.
Now I'm not trying to be ungrateful, I did enjoy the free pint of beer I received at the Howe Sound Brew Pub's really fun party, and talking to superstar climber Lynn Hill was a thrill. The new trails at the base of the Grand Wall are also great.
But I can't help but get a feeling that the community wasn't given its due.
I know I'm taking a controversial stance here; many community members, perhaps those who own businesses especially, hate the idea of alienating that certain class of people who swarmed the town that weekend - to put a name to that class, let's call 'em people with money.
I'm not suggesting we should turn away individuals who come in with buckets of money for wonderful projects like trail restorations. But I think that we'd do well to remember that this money - and this attention -is not unearned.
While perusing the recently-released new edition of Kevin McLane's Climbers' Guide to 撸奶社区this week I felt a deep sense of pride for the accomplishments achieved by this town's climbing population, past and present.
And I'm encouraged by talk of future climbing festivals to be held here because the people talking about it are local. They have 撸奶社区in their bones and they love the town as well as the rock.
In the past few weeks I've asked a number of people if they would support an annual climbing festival in 撸奶社区and every single person I've spoken to has said: "Of course. It just makes sense."
I envision a homegrown event to involve an elite invitational that would include all of the 撸奶社区elite, and an open invitational that would grow annually and rival the Test of Metal. A symposium - as one climbing guru put it - that would include a history of climbing in 撸奶社区and give all those young people coming here a climbing culture to sink their teeth into.
And if there's a place in Canada that could make such an event successful, it's here. 撸奶社区has proven time and again that, given a chance, the people come out in droves to lend their support - just as they did when Jim Baldwin and Ed Cooper first climbed the "unclimbable" Stawamus Chief more than 40 years ago.
