ECHO
WOMEN'S
CLIMBING FEST
a woman's place is at the crag
Echo Women's Climbing Festival is a backwoods camping + climbing adventure weekend for women and gender diverse climbers at one of northern Ontario's most remote and picturesque crags.
Beautiful Wakonassin features high quality granite sport climbing, traditional climbing and bouldering on multiple cliffs sprinkled among acres of reforested crown land on Atikameksheng Anishnawbek traditional territory. The weekend will feature two full days of climbing, two evenings of campfire get-togethers, as well as workshops and seminars on bouldering hacks, climbing injuries, yoga, and more.
The Wakonassin climbing area is truly an off-grid experience, with no civilization in sight, and a large expanse of land for tenting and parking, featuring a campfire area, basic amenities, a developed trail system, and even a nearby swimming hole. Echo WCF is also family-friendly, with forest school style child-minding throughout the weekend so that busy parents can attend and still get their climb on.
2022 FESTIVAL
HIGHLIGHTS
Midori Buechli
teaches bouldering hacks
Anna Outdoors
talks climbing injuries
E V E N T
C O M I N G
S O O N
E V E N T
C O M I N G
S O O N
TBD
yoga in connection to body, land + creation
TBD
hang tight - something great is coming!
#GOALS
%20copy%202.png)
to remove
BARRIERS
.png)
to foster
COMMUNITY
%20copy.png)
CLIMB TO
NEW HEIGHTS
and of
course, to
A BRIEF SUMMARY OF ALL THE FUN SH-T
Class
Yoga + Meditation
Enjoy a morning yoga + guided meditation session on embracing our embodiment and connecting with the land, rock, water + creation.
Food + Drink
Coffee
You like coffee? So do we! Enjoy a cup on us every morning from our pals at Architect Roasting Co.
Stay tuned for more news on local food + drink offerings.
Climbing
Sport + Trad
Not to be sidelined by our amazing speakers, a huge festival highlight is two days of roped climbing at Wako - sleek granite, challenging sport routes, and thought-provoking trad lines. Routes at all level and continuous development happening so it's a new experience every year.
Talk
Climbing Injuries
Join Anna Outdoors, climber + physiotherapist, for a talk on climbing injuries. Full event description coming soon.
Mentorship
Chill Top-rope
New or new-ish to outdoor climbing? Enjoy a climb with no worries about ropes & anchors, and learn more about climbing safely outdoors + best practices for climbing in a sustainable + environmentally-friendly way.
Free Stuff
Swag
Admit it, we all like free stuff! Swag bag full of goodies with every festival pass. Raffles, games + other great fun too!
Celebration
Campfire Social
Fortify your new friendships over a campfire at sunset.
Clinic
Bouldering Clinic
Join Midori Buechli for a bouldering clinic at Makynen. Shorter climber looking for techniques + strategies? You don't want to miss this one! Full event description coming soon.
Failure
Bouldering
Enjoy trying hard, failing lots (and maybe succeeding!) at Wako, our hidden gem of world-class bouldering with a roadside approach.
Kid Stuff
Forest School
Busy parents love to climb too! That's why we've made this festival family-friendly. Feel free to bring your young kid(s) and let them explore the beautiful Boreal landscape with a qualified forest school guide while you get in some uninterrupted routes.
AGENDA
More detailed schedule of events coming soon!
Friday | Times TBD
Arrival + camp social
Saturday | Times TBD
Coffee + land acknowledgement
Climbing + bouldering!
All day
Clinics + classes
Times TBD
Dinner + celebrate
Sunday | Times TBD
Yoga + meditation for body + land
Climbing + bouldering!
All day
Bouldering clinic
Wako boulders, time TBD
Crag clean-up + tear-down
EAT + SLEEP
Camping
Wako is home to a stunning cliff with some beautiful crown land to camp on, on a limited basis. We'll be connecting + making arrangements with all our festival guests to find the perfect spot to park, set up and camp.
We'll also have a crown land map for you with our recommended places to camp that are convenient and close to the crag.
Stay tuned also for a forum for visiting climbers to connect with local climbers for a carpool, a grocery run, or other coordinated efforts for your stay up north.
Details forthcoming.
Food + drink
Your festival pass will include both a breakfast and a dinner from local Sudbury small businesses. And the coffee will be flowing (and strong!) thanks to a local small batch roastery right here in town.
Aside from the provided meals, it will be important to make sure you have food + snack for the weekend, as this festival is remote. On your drive, you'll pass by the community of Lively, our recommended stop for a grocery store, a Timmies, and some of the fast food franchise usual suspects.
If you stop in Sudbury proper, you can find a phenomenal vegan taco place and bakery, as well as lots of other small businesses to get eats.
ABOUT + CONTACT
Festival vision
The Echo Women's Climbing Festival was founded + organized by Laura Schmidt (she/her), a local rock + ice climber.
The festival was founded in 2020 as a celebration at the crossroads of northern climbing + intersectional feminism, with a vision of celebrating who we are, as we are, in space that cultivates + nurtures connection to our outer environment, to our inner landscape, and to each other.
Laura Schmidt
builder of stoke
Reach out
Make sure to check out our FAQ, but please feel welcome to drop us a line (we love getting mail!).
You can use the form on the FAQ page, or email laura@echowcf.com.
OUR SUPPORTERS
C O M I N G
S O O N
C O M I N G
S O O N
Want to support Echo WCF? Email laura@echowcf.com.
High-fiving a million angels
Big thanks to these contributors
Michelle Ang, Ray + Sophie Beaudry, Jessica Best, Cory Black, Midori Buechli, Sarah Carpenter, Althea Corbeil, Marco Foladore, Emily Girouard, Kat Krupka, Amber Lenoir, Naomi Maldonado-Rodriguez, Teresa Naseba Marsh, Kristen Montgomery, Anna Pirko, Renee Rogge, Meg Romanow, Hans Schmidt, Melanie Vanco, Monika Wii
Climb with us!
September 23-25, 2022
Webbwood, ON