We are excited to announce that superstar climber, Joe Kinder, will be a featured presenter at this year’s Climbers’ Festival!  Joe will be giving a slideshow dubbed “One Year Past” and running a “redpointing tactics” clinic up at Wild Iris. Here’s some info on Joe to get you PSYCHED!

Joe Kinder’s first climb was in Estes Park on a family vacation when he was 13, but it wasn’t until two years later, while living in New Hampshire, that Joe became fully overtaken by climbing. Known for his outrageous personality and infinite psyche, Joe is walking motivation. He eats, sleeps and breathes climbing…completely obsessed.

Cathedral Ledge’s coarse granite and the notoriously crimpy schist of Rumney, were the classroom for his climbing education. Growing up with some of the countries best climbers, such as Dave Graham and Luke Parady, Joe’s level skyrocketed. He became a professional athlete by age 20. He has traveled to many world renown-climbing locations in Germany, France, Spain, Austria, and Switzerland.

After Graduating from Maine College of Art with a degree in painting, Joe decided to pursue the sport fulltime and moved out west where his productivity and need for new terrain could be exercised in Las Vegas, Boulder, the Southeast and Salt Lake City.

Throughout his entire climbing career, consistency has been his forte. Joe’s personal climbing highpoints include Living Astro Glide 5.14d (Rumney), Living Astro 5.14c (Rumney), China Beach 5.14b (Rumney), Slaughter House Five 5.14c (The Cathedral in Southern Utah). Also a strong boulderer, his hardest sends include Child of the Storm V13 (Pawtuckaway), Serendipty Movement V13 (Bradley), Something From Nothing V13 (Great Barrington), The Centaur V13 (RMNP) and many V12s and V11s.

Joe’s accomplishments aren’t limited to hard climbs. He has helped develop areas in the Northeast like Rumney, Pawtuckaway, Great Barrington, Bradley and Farley. As well as areas in the West like the St. George area and Colorado’s Rocky Mountain National Park.

Joe will be presenting “One Year Past” on Friday night at the Lander High School Auditorium at 6pm. Admission is $10 at the door for those who don’t have ICF tickets.