Beanfest
Beanfest is the longest consecutively running gathering of rock climbers. The semiannual event has been going since the early 1970s.[1] Beanfest draws climbers primarily from southern Arizona, USA, but also sees many participants from across the United States and the world. It is held twice a year, in Spring and Fall, typically in the Cochise Stronghold.
History
The community event has in the past been shrouded in a certain amount of secrecy, with information passing only by word of mouth – adding to its mystique. Because of this, historical documentation is limited. Mention of it can be found in interviews with legacy climbers,[2] in guidebooks[3][1] and feature articles, such as in Climbing.com's "Cochise Whispers,"[4] and on public community forums like Mountain Project[5] and Facebook.
In 2012 the Beanfest Facebook group was started by then-Beanmaster Brigette Beasley to better keep a record of Beanfest particulars. On October 17, 2013, the Facebook group transitioned from "closed" to "public." In recent years, with the help of social media and social pressure, the event has been publicized and is now open for anyone to attend.
The famous Phoenix Bouldering Contest, which during its 20-odd year run drew thousands of climbers to the Oak Flats campground in Queen Creek, AZ, was inspired by the Beanfest.
Beanfest Today
Beanfest remains a non-commercial event and draws a much smaller crowd of around 20–50 climbers twice a year.[2] In the last few years, Beanfest attendance has been upwards of 65 people.
Each Beanfest has a Beanmaster, or designated organizer. The Beanmaster for the next Beanfest is nominated by the Beanmaster of the previous Beanfest.[3]
Beanfest consists of a bean-burrito potluck on Saturday evening, followed by games and contests in which climbing-related prizes are given away. On Sunday morning, many climbers gather to prepare and share a communal breakfast before heading off to climb.
Non-exhaustive List of Beanmasters[6][7]
| Year | Season | Beanmaster | Location |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2002 | Spring | Jason Worrell | Whale Dome |
| 2002 | Fall | John Diaz | Sheepshead |
| 2003 | Spring | Joe Astier | Isle of You |
| 2003 | Fall | Jaime Arrieta | East Stronghold |
| 2004 | Spring | Maura Mahoney | West Stronghold |
| 2004 | Fall | Frank and Maureen Reiser | East Stronghold |
| 2005 | Spring | Charles R. Schmidt | East Stronghold |
| 2005 | Fall | Clay Sparks | Isle of You |
| 2006 | Spring | Sonja Smith | East Stronghold |
| 2006 | Fall | Chris Baldwin | East Stronghold |
| 2007 | Spring | Fred Nakovic | East Stronghold |
| 2007 | Fall | Ian Albenesius | East Stronghold |
| 2008 | Spring | Jason Spence | Isle of You |
| 2008 | Fall | Luis Cisneros | East Stronghold |
| 2009 | Spring | Jennifer [Last Name Unknown] | West Stronghold |
| 2009 | Fall | Steve Johnson | Sheepshead |
| 2010 | Spring | Daryl Allan | Isle of You |
| 2010 | Fall | Tanya Ayres | East Stronghold |
| 2011 | Spring | Logan Lichtenhan | Isle of You |
| 2011 | Fall | Mike Diesen | East Stronghold |
| 2012 | Spring | Angel Mangual | Isle of You |
| 2012 | Fall | Brigette Beasley | Unknown |
| 2013 | Spring | Shiloh Dorsett | Unknown |
| 2013 | Fall | Don Stump | Unknown |
| 2014 | Spring | Matt Juaire | Isle of You |
| 2014 | Fall | Aaron Davis | Unknown |
| 2015 | Spring | David Tellechea | Unknown |
| 2015 | Fall | Andrea Richmond | Unknown |
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Back Country Climbing in Southern Arizona. Bob Kerry 1997. 2nd Edition
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Interview with Steve Grossman, early Tucson climber. http://climbaz.com/interviews/sg_part3.html
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Fazio-Rhicard, Eric (2000). Squeezing the Lemmon II... More Juice Than Ever. E Squared Enterprises. p. 31. Search this book on
- ↑ Cahall, Fitz (November 1, 2007). "Cochise Whispers". Climbing.com. Cruz Bay Publishing, Inc. Retrieved October 23, 2015.
- ↑ McNamara, Scott (April 8, 2012). "History of the Beanfest". Mountain Project. Mountain Project Inc. Retrieved October 23, 2015.
- ↑ Pulver, Steve (April 12, 2012). "History of the Beanfest". Mountain Project. Mountain Project Inc. Retrieved October 23, 2015.
- ↑ "Beanfest Public Group". Facebook. October 23, 2015. Retrieved October 23, 2015.
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