What is the Flash Foxy MINI FEST?

The Flash Foxy Mini Fest in New Paltz, NY is designed to be smaller and more intimate than our flagship Flash Foxy Climbing Festival in Bishop. The Flash Foxy Mini Fest in the Gunks will have a limit of 100 tickets for sale. This scale allows for more opportunities for intimate connection and community building, more opportunities for learning and sharing with and from one another, and finding ways to be able to bring our full selves to climbing and the outdoors. There will be opportunities for guided and independent climbing along with workshops, panels, and discussion groups. Our hope is that Flash Foxy Mini Fest will provide a welcoming space for women and genderqueer climbers of all ages and skill levels to gather while building skills both for climbing and community resiliency.

Mini Fest is a 3-day event, starting on Friday morning and going until Sunday evening. All clinics, workshops, presentations, and discussions will be led by women and genderqueer folks. This event will have opportunities for traditional climbing, top rope climbing, and bouldering!

When is the festival?

The 2026 Flash Foxy Mini Fest will take place the weekend of October 2-4, 2026.

Where is the festival located?

The festival is located in New Paltz, NY aka The Gunks. If you’ve never been to The Gunks, check out our recommendations for Lodging + Local Beta. Festival events will take place at the AAC Gunks Campground, Mohonk Preserve Visitor Center, Rock and Snow Annex, and various climbing areas. Please see schedule of events for more information.

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. There will be several intro and beginning clinics in addition to intermediate and advanced offerings. The festival will be a great opportunity to try out climbing in a safe and supportive environment.

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 100. Learn more about Registration!

What is included in the cost of registration?

• ALL WEEKEND: Complimentary entry to Mohonk Preserve (value $20 per day)

• FRIDAY: Climber Coffee, Meetups, Pizza Party, Arts & Crafts, Welcome Presentation, Evening Activity, DJ Dance Party

• SATURDAY: Light Breakfast, Climbing Demos, Workshops, Meetups, Arts & Crafts, Group Dinner, Social Hour, Panel Discussion, Raffle Fundraiser #1

• SUNDAY: Morning Workshop, Light Breakfast, Stewardship Project, Evening Community Conversation, Raffle Fundrasier #2

• SWAG from our generous sponsors!

Please see Registration page for more detail.

What is not included in the cost of registration?

• Clinics: $150 per clinic day. Registration is open only to festival ticket holders. Unfortunately, we are unable to offer refunds or transfers for clinics. Clinic registration opens on September 1st @ 12pm EST.

• Lodging: see Lodging + Local Beta for our reccomendations!

• Climbing Equipment Rental: All participants are responsible for their own climbing equipment. Shoe + harness demos will be available from our sponsors, however access to demos is not guaranteed. Climbing helmets are required for all clinics and are strongly recommended for all festival participants. Helmet rentals must be coordinated in advanced, but we suggest getting your own to keep ;)

• Transportation: All festival ticket holders will receive a link to a private Discord channel to help coordinate transportation. This link can be found in the festival linktree (it’s in your Eventbrite confirmation email, save it!!). All participants are responsible for their own transportation to/from the festival and to/from venues throughout the weekend. Access to a vehicle is necessary for getting to climbing areas independently. We highly encourage festival participants to carpool!

• No Refunds: This event is rain or shine. We cannot guarantee weather conditions, crag conditions or any other element of climbing, road or trail access. There are NO REFUNDS for this event.

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

Yes, clinics are only open to registered festival participants. Clinics are subject to limited attendance. Purchase of a festival pass does NOT guarantee that you will be able to register for any specific clinic. Our most popular clinics often sell out quickly! Clinic registration opens on Wednesday, September 2nd @ 12pm EST.

Are scholarships available?

Yes! Please see more information on our Registration Page (scroll down!).

Who can attend the festival?

Flash Foxy welcomes all genderqueer and women 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? Check out our FAQs about who Flash Foxy is for.

This is an all-ages event - children and elders are welcome! Special pricing is available for families with young children. To learn more about Family Festival Passes, including bringing your kiddos with you to the festival or supporting a young climber who wants to attend, please email us at events@flashfoxy.com for a custom discount code! Pricing for children attending with a paying adult is as follows: Under 3 = free to attend; 3-6 years = $50; 6-12 years = $100; 12-18 years = $150. Discount Guardian passes are also available for allies supporting young climbers 12-18 years. Young Climber 12-18 years = $200; Guardian = $100.

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 encouraged at primary festival programming including the opening party, presentations, clinics, workshops and stewardship projects. Our events are jam packed with both humans and activities, which can be an overwhelming experience for our canine friends. Additionally, dogs can be a safety hazard at the crag. To avoid conflict, we would prefer that you leave your pup at home. Thank you for understanding!

If you cannot leave your dog at home, dogs are allowed at the AAC Gunks Campground, Mohonk Preserve Climbing Area, and Peterskill Climbing Area if they are leashed and under the control of their owner at all times. Dogs are not allowed at the Mohonk Preserve Visitor Center Terrace or at the Rock and Snow Annex (evening programs).

Service dogs are allowed at all festival programming. If you will be bringing a service animal to your clinic or workshop please email events@flashfoxy.com so that we can ensure that the venue can accommodate dogs. Not all venues are dog friendly.

I have a food allergy, can I still participate in event dinners?

Gluten free and vegan options will be available for breakfast and dinner. Catered food is not prepared in a celiac/gluten free kitchen. It is up to individuals to make their own decisions regarding sensitivities. Nut-free food will always be available, but again we cannot guarantee that there is no cross contamination. At this time, no refunds or discounts will be given for those with allergies. We apologize for any inconvenience and thank you for your understanding!

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

Unfortunately, we can NOT offer refunds. However, we truly understand that circumstances can change and that you probably want your money back. While we cannot offer refunds, we strive to facilitate ticket transfers whenever possible! You must find someone who wants your ticket (tag us in your stories or post in our Facebook group for help finding someone!). If tickets sell out and a waitlist forms, we can offer ticket transfers to folks on the waitlist. Please note that as the festival date approaches, processing refunds and ticket transfers becomes more challenging.

The deadline to request a ticket transfers is Wednesday, September 30th. If you've purchased a pass but find yourself unable to attend, please contact us right away at events@flashfoxy.com.

Is this event rain or shine?

Yes, our event is rain or shine! Regardless of the weather, we will have a good time! We cannot guarantee access to climbing or any specific climbing areas. Part of climbing outdoors is respecting the land and learning to make the best of whatever Mother Nature throws our way!

We cannot guarantee weather conditions, crag conditions, or any other element of climbing, road, or trail access. There are no refunds for this event.

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

Scroll to the bottom of almost any page and you’ll find detailed information about our venues and accessibility. All primary festival activities will be held at wheelchair accessible venues and will have accessible bathrooms.

ASL interpreters can be coordinated upon request. Please email events@flashfoxy.com to discuss your needs.

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

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

We are always working to make Flash Foxy events more inclusive and welcoming spaces, 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!

Is there cell service throughout the area?

Yes, but it varies depending on your location. Service is great in most of the Mohonk Preserve, but is extremely limited at Peterskill at Minnewaska State Park. Service is reliable at the AAC Gunks Campground and in the town of New Paltz.

What’s your Covid-19 Plan?

All festival attendees must be fully vaccinated to attend the Flash Foxy Mini Fest in the Red River Gorge. 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 ticket transfer. Please refer to our refund policy (above) for more details - although, we hope you’ll choose to get vaccinated instead!

Face masks will be optional for all events (indoors and outdoors). 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, we may be able to facilitate a ticket transfer. We cannot guarantee ticket transfers. NO REFUNDS.

If you have a positive Covid-19 test or contact with someone with a confirmed or suspected case of Covid-19 within one 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 ticket transfers. NO REFUNDS.

Additionally, we request that if you are sick - even if it’s not Covid - that you stay home. We don’t like missing events any more than you do, but we also really don’t like being sick. We especially don’t like putting our immunocompromised community members at risk. If you’re recovering from illness or think you might be getting sick… consider wearing a mask in all group settings <3

If we have to cancel any Flash Foxy event or program 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. 

Our Covid-19 plan 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.