The Water Meets The Rocks At The North Face’s Climb Festival

As climbers free-climbed the gravity-defying rock climbing wall within seconds, they only had the East River water to break their fall.

Photography by Joe Haloes.

Hundreds gathered along Brooklyn Bridge Park’s Pier 5 to catch the beautiful view that was The North Face’s Climb Festival. Over the weekend, the world’s leading outdoor brand paid homage to climbers by giving them the opportunity to compete side-by-side on a 55-foot wall. As climbers free-climbed the gravity-defying rock climbing wall within seconds, they only had the East River water to break their fall.

Partnered with Psicobloc Masters, the adrenaline-pumping competition also included panel discussions, freestanding boulders, bouldering walls, merch stores, and DJ sets by Beltran, Cosmo, Toribio, Las Flaquitas, and EDEN, as well as afters at The North Face x Renegade: Closing Set Party.

Photography by Olivia McCausland and Joe Haloes.

The all-day, all-weekend event hosted notable The North Face athletes like Alex Honnold, Olympic 2020 silver medalist Nathaniel Coleman, Olympic 2024 silver medalist Brooke Raboutou, and actor Brandon Perea of Twisters. This year’s winners were Brooke Raboutou for Women’s Climbing, Zander Waller for Men’s Climbing, Nat Vorel for Women’s Para Climbing, and Benjamin Mayforth for Men’s Para Climbing.

Honnold moderated the Culture of Climb panel, which featured Chris Sharma, Sam Elias, Robyn Ragins, and Mario Stanley. The Hood Hikers founder Jasmine Guadalupe moderated the Building Outdoor Communities in Urban Landscapes panel, featuring panelists Mike Saes, Brittany Leavitt, and Angie Chavez.

To learn more about The North Face Climb Festival and The North Face athletes, visit thenorthface.com.