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Reel Rock 14, featuring Alex Honnold and Tommy Caldwell, hits Eagle climbing gym on Friday

Gym will also celebrate 1 year in business on Saturday with party from 12-8

Alex Honnold, right, and Tommy Caldwell atop El Capitan in "The Nose Speed Record."
Screen shot | Reel Rock 14
IF YOU GO:
What: Reel Rock 14 film festival
Where: Eagle Climbing + Fitness, 700 Chambers Ave., Eagle
When: Doors open at 6 p.m., showtime at 6:30 p.m.
Cost: $15 for students, $20 for adults
More information: Buy tickets at the door or visit eagleclimbing.com/reelrock

Eagle Climbing + Fitness will host the 14th edition of the Reel Rock film festival on Friday. The festival is a traveling event that visits towns across the U.S. each fall with the latest and greatest films from the climbing world.

With film providing the platform that recently catapulted Alex Honnold to fame, it’s only fitting that another film featuring Honnold will headline this year’s Reel Rock festival. Honnold became a household name this year as his film “Free Solo” won the Oscar for Best Documentary Feature. His friend Tommy Caldwell also appeared in the documentary, and just weeks after Honnold was recognized at the Academy Awards, Caldwell’s film “The Dawn Wall” was released on Netflix.

Between “Free Solo” and “The Dawn Wall,” a new era of climbing-focused feature films is officially upon us in the U.S., and Reel Rock is primed to continue the momentum with the release of “The Nose Speed Record,” the festival’s marquee feature this year. The film focuses on Honnold and Caldwell’s attempt to break the speed record up a section of El Capitan known as “The Nose.” Brad Gobright and Jim Reynolds, who beat Honnold’s previous record by more than 4 minutes in 2017, held the record.



In a review of “The Nose Speed Record,” Deadspin describes Honnold and Caldwell’s effort as a dance between absolute human performance and the endemic messiness of big-wall climbing.

“Honnold is an athlete driven by a monomanical pursuit of perfection, a necessary trait to do what he does, and Gobright and Reynolds clearly revel in putting one over on the king of Yosemite,” writes Patrick Redford with Deadspin.

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The Reel Rock festival will also feature the short films “The High Road,” about boulderer Nina Williams’ attempt to free solo a 50-footer, and “The United States of Joe’s,” a cultural examination of the inhabitants in rural Utah as they observe climbers who are strange new inhabitants to their area.

Party continues on Saturday

On Saturday, Eagle Climbing + Fitness will continue its weekend of fun activities with a celebration of the one-year anniversary of the gym in Eagle.

“We’ll have $10 entries, free rentals, gear giveaways, gear demos, gear sales, food and music from the Runaway Grooms,” said Larry Moore with Eagle Climbing + Fitness.

There will be Yoga with Vinyasa from noon to 12:45 p.m., and a raffle from 1-5 p.m.

The event will feature pizza and cake from 1-7 p.m., and the live music starts at 5 p.m.

Bonfire Brewing will be providing beer for the event and will also host an after party starting at 8 p.m.

Membership specials will be available throughout the weekend, as well.

“We’re hoping anyone who might have enjoyed the gym over the last year comes and celebrates one year with us,” Moore said. “But also anyone who is curious what it’s all about, this will be a good time to come check it out, as well, with the extra fun atmosphere and all the specials going on.”


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