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Saturday 19th November, 2022
Kendal Town Hall - Chambers - Kendal Town Hall
6:15pm (GMT+0:00) Europe/London (Greenwich Mean Time)
Run time: 1 hour

Event Details

A celebration of climbing’s eclectic past - from rock climbing pioneers to olympic athletes.

Climbing is one of the world’s fastest-growing sports – exciting, addictive and, arguably, much more fun than going to the gym. In 2021 it made its long-awaited Olympic debut but its journey to Tokyo has been anything but traditional. And the traditionalists would argue that it’s not even a sport at all. Anthropologist and climber Zofia Reych shares with us the fascinating cultural history of rock and competition climbing with a fresh perspective on some of the pivotal moments and outstanding individuals of the sport, from eighteenth-century exploratory forays on rock, via the rise of climbing legends such as Emilio Comici, Wolfgang Güllich and Lynn Hill, to the limelight of the Olympic arena for the stars of today – Janja Garnbret, Adam Ondra, Shauna Coxsey and more.

Zofia is not afraid to broach sensitive and often overlooked topics, including gender divide, capitalism and the tension between aesthetic and athletic approaches to climbing.

Zofia will be in conversation with Imogen Sykes. 

There will be a book signing straight after the event.

Published by Vertebrate Publishing.  

About Zofia Reych

Zofia is an accomplished climber and founded the Women’s Bouldering Festival that takes place annually in Fontainebleau.

‘I don’t remember the beginning of my love affair with the mountains. As soon as I could walk, my mother packed her walking boots, a huge bag full of things apparently necessary for toddlers, our dog and my three-year-old self, and headed to the mountains.’


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