Accolades & Media
Accolades
American Alpine Club Community Changemaker Award
In 2024, the Adaptive Climbers Festival received the American Alpine Club’s Community Changemaker Award. An award voted upon by the public, the recognition is for “the people who, no matter the size of their platform, are making an outsized difference in shaping the future of our climbing community.”
Members of the ACF planning crew attended the American Alpine Club’s annual awards gala in April of 2024 in Los Angeles, where the festival was announced as the winner. We had some worthy competition, Marcus Garcia and Tommy Caldwell, but the support of our ACF community put us over the top. Co-founder Ronnie Dickson accepted the award on ACF’s behalf and gave a rousing acceptance speech while he was at it.
Media Coverage
Clinics, Sandstone & Pancakes at Third Annual Adaptive Climbers Festival - Climbing Magazine
Welcoming All Climbers in Appalachia - Inside Appalachia
Connect: Mo Beck on the Impact of Adaptive Climbing Fest, and Retiring from Competitions - American Alpine Club
The Others - Cail Soria
Oral History & Exhibit
Every Body Climbing
In 2025, archivist, adaptive sports reporter and climber with a disability Emily Chen-Newton launched Every Body Climbing, an oral history and photo exhibit detailing the Adaptive Climbers Festival. The entire exhibit is designed to be accessible for people with a range of disabilities. For instance, display pieces are at wheelchair height, info panels feature braille, and audio is available via QR code.
Emily's work is supported by Berea College Archives and Special Collections, where the audio and photos will be permanently housed. The exhibit first made a public appearance at the Paul Sawier Public Library in June 2025.
The Adaptive Climbers Festival operates under Catalyst Sports, a 501c3 nonprofit organization (tax exempt number: 80-0760565). View our 2024 Impact Report to learn more about our contributions to the adaptive community.