FESTIVAL FAQ

What is the Flash Foxy Climbing Festival?

Flash Foxy Climbing Festival* is a three-day event that brings together and celebrates the growing community of women and genderqueer climbers. The inaugural Women’s Climbing Festival in February 2016 helped us establish an alternative climbing space in real life that did not center cisgender men. After a two year hiatus due to COVID-19, we came back in 2022 as the Flash Foxy Climbing Festival with an expanded mission to serve women and gender non-conforming (GNC) folks ! We hope that the Flash Foxy Climbing Festival* will not only reach veteran climbers but also provide a safe space for beginner climbers to come and learn more about all that climbing has to offer! Check out the 2023 Photo Album and 2022 Photo Album to see what it looks like when hundreds of women and genderqueer folks gather in the desert for a weekend of community + climbing.

*The Flash Foxy Climbing Festival was formerly known as the Women’s Climbing Festival

When is the festival?

The 2024 Flash Foxy Climbing Festival will take place the weekend of March 15-17, 2024.

Where is the festival located?

The festival is located in Bishop, California. Festival events will be occurring in several locations throughout the town of Bishop as well as at several climbing locations. Specific event locations will be listed on the Schedule of Events when finalized.

Do I have to be an experienced rock climber to attend the festival?

Not at all - beginners are welcome! We welcome women and genderqueer folks of all climbing experience levels and there will be several intro and beginning clinics and workshops in addition to intermediate and advanced offerings. The festival will be a great opportunity to try out climbing in a safe and supportive environment.

We even made you this sample Desert Packing List to help make sure you’re warm enough, cool enough, and watered enough out here!

Do I need to register to attend the festival?

Yes. Registration is required to attend the festival and the number of participants is limited to 350. More registration information can be found here.

What is included in the cost of registration?

Entrance into all scheduled events on the festival is included EXCEPT clinics (+$85) and workshops (+$10-$35). This includes select meals. Please see the Registration page for more detail.

What isn’t included in the cost of registration?

Clinics (+$85), workshops (+$10-$35), transportation, lodging, and climbing equipment rentals are not included in the cost of registration. Please check our Lodging and Services page for more information on lodging, transportation and local climbing areas.

Do you need to be registered for the festival to sign up for a clinic or workshop?

Yes, clinics and workshops are only open to registered festival participants. Clinics and workshops are subject to limited attendance. Purchase of a festival pass does not guarantee that you will be able to register for a clinic or workshop. Our most popular clinics often sell out within minutes! Clinics and workshops will be announced in winter 2024. Registration links be sent to festival ticket holders on February 15, 2024.

Are scholarships available?

Yes! Please see more information on our Registration Page.

Who can attend the festival?

Flash Foxy welcomes all women and genderqueer climbers to join us at the Flash Foxy Climbing Festival. We use this as an umbrella term for all folks of non-dominant genders, including all trans and gender non-conforming folks. Still not sure if this space is for you? We’ve got more FAQs about who Flash Foxy is for.

This is an all-ages event - children and elders are welcome! Young children are encouraged to attend with a guardian. If you are a guardian for a young climber who wants to attend, please email us at events@flashfoxy.com.

Our goal is to create and maintain a safe and diverse space where consent and respect are our first priorities. Harassment of any kind (unwanted contact, verbal or physical abuse, racism, homophobia, transphobia, body-shaming, etc.) will NOT be tolerated and will lead to being asked to leave.

Can I bring my dog?

As much as we love dogs, they are not allowed at primary festival programming including the opening party, film screenings, presentations, clinics, workshops and stewardship projects. Our events are jam packed with both humans and activities and can be an overwhelming experience for our canine friends. Additionally, dogs can be a safety hazard during clinics and workshops. To avoid conflict, we would prefer that you leave your pup at home. Thank you for understanding!

Dogs are welcome to come hang out at the Open Air Market on Saturday at the Tri-County Fairgrounds!

Service dogs are allowed at all festival programming. If you will be bringing a service animal to your clinic or workshop please email lou@flashfoxy.com so that we can ensure that the venue can accommodate dogs. Some approaches involve delicate scrambling and are not safe for dogs.

What if I purchased a festival pass and no longer can attend?

Unfortunately, we are unable to guarantee refunds. If the festival sells out and a waitlist forms, we may be able to facilitate a refund. Usually the closer we get to the festival, the harder it is to accommodate refunds. March 6 is the last day for refunds and March 13 is the last day to transfer your ticket. If you purchased a pass and are no longer able to attend, please email us at events@flashfoxy.com.

How does the waitlist work?

People are taken off the waitlist in the order they were added to the waitlist. When someone alerts us that they can no longer attend, we send an email to someone on the waitlist and they will have 2 days to redeem the ticket.

Is this event rain or shine?

Yes, our event is rain or shine! Regardless of the weather, we will have a good time!

Where can I find information about accessibility of venues + programing?

All primary festival event venues (opening party, open air market, film screenings, panels) will be held at wheelchair accessible venues and will have accessible bathrooms. The Friday Opening Party takes place outdoors in a a paved parking lot, limited seating is available and all participants are encouraged to BYO chair. The Saturday Open Air Market and Workshops will take place in a grassy field and sidewalks, other outdoor programming takes place in parking lots. Film screenings, panel, dinner and other activities will take place in the Heritage Arts Building at the Tri-County Fairgrounds - this building is ground-level. The Friday Climber Coffee and Sunday Community Slideshow will take place at Mountain Rambler Brewery - this building is ground-level.

Approaches differ by climbing area. Details about approaches can be found on our Clinics Page or can be found on Mountain Project.

All films will have captions in English. ASL interpreters can be coordinated upon request. Please reach out to events@flashfoxy.com to discuss your needs.

Have an accessibility concern? Reach out to events@flashfoxy.com and we’ll see how we can help!

We are always working to make the Flash Foxy Climbing Festival a more inclusive and welcoming space, please let us know what we can do to make our event more accessible for you. Unfortunately, we are not always able to arrange accommodations, but we will do our best and will provide honest answers about the our event spaces, staff capabilities and the activities that take place at our festivals. Thank you for learning and growing with us!

What’s your Covid-19 Plan?

All festival attendees must be fully vaccinated to attend the Flash Foxy Climbing Festival in Bishop. To request a vaccine exemption please email events@flashfoxy.com. Exemptions will only be granted for those with medical conditions preventing them from receiving a vaccine. 

If you are unvaccinated and have purchased a ticket please email events@flashfoxy.com and we will do our best to accommodate a refund. Please refer to our refund policy (above) for more details. 

Face masks will be required at all indoor events. Disposable face masks will be available on site.

If changes in your personal circumstances related to Covid-19 affect your comfort levels with attending the festival you may be eligible to transfer your ticket. We cannot guarantee refunds.

If you have a positive Covid-19 test or contact with someone with a confirmed or suspected case of Covid-19 the week of the festival, we ask that you do not attend. Please inform us immediately and we will do our best to facilitate a ticket transfer. We cannot guarantee refunds.

If we have to cancel the Flash Foxy Climbing Festival in Bishop due to rising Covid-19 cases or other national emergency ticket holders will have the following refund options:

• 50% Refund (standard policy if no action taken by ticket holder)

• 100% Refund (by email request to events@flashfoxy.com)

• Donate full ticket price to Flash Foxy

We ask ticket holders who have the financial ability to keep in mind that the majority of our festival expenses are fixed and non-refundable (employee salaries, insurance, perishable goods, deposits, etc). We greatly appreciate our community and your on-going support as we navigate this ever-changing situation. 

Our Covid-19 plan is constantly in progress and may be updated at any time. If you have any questions please email events@flashfoxy.com.

Insurance

Flash Foxy is not responsible for covering additional trip expenses, including change or cancellation fees for travel, lodging accommodations, rental cars, or other arrangements. For your protection, we strongly recommend purchasing trip insurance. Trip insurance can compensate you in the event that you’re no longer able to attend a program. Check out this article for more information about finding and choosing travel insurance.

Climbing is dangerous. Especially if you don’t have regular health insurance, we recommend getting some kind of medical coverage such as accident insurance. Global Rescue is one such service.

Don’t see your question? Please email us at events@flashfoxy.com or fill out our Contact Form.