“The vibes at Chandler Mountain Challenge are just unbeatable. Because everybody is climbing unified for the same purpose, to raise money. And because of that, everybody knows that every climb they do is actually counting for something.”
Joshua Reyes, a staple in the Alabama climbing community, has been the event director of the Chandler Mountain Challenge for several years now. A bouldering competition put on by Climbers for Christ, and taking place at Horse Pens 40, the Chandler Mountain Challenge strives to give back through a sport that is often seen as an individual pursuit.
“Whatever the grade is of the climb, then that's the dollar amount that's raised when that climb is completed. So if you climb a V3 and complete it, that's three dollars that you just raised in your name. And we give them a big block of time, I think it's about seven hours or so, to just rack up as many climbs as you can.”
This money is donated to a variety of charities, including Orphan Voice in Vietnam, which seeks to assist orphans with special needs as well as combat sex trafficking. But this year, the Chandler Mountain Challenge will send some of its funds much closer to home.
“The main focus is Hurricane Helene recovery efforts. We're really wanting to help our neighbors in North Carolina. As you know, there's a ton of devastation from something that nobody even imagined was possible, a hurricane in the mountains of North Carolina. That's ridiculous, right? That's the stuff that sci-fi movies are made out of. But truth is stranger than fiction, right? And it happened, it hit, they weren't prepared for the flooding, and it wiped out a lot. So those recovery efforts have been ongoing, and we want to jump in on the mix and do our part. So everybody's climbing is going to help raise money for people to get their lives back.”
Some proceeds will also go to the Southeastern Climbers Coalition, which is dedicated to preserving and maintaining southeastern rock climbing areas like Horse Pens 40. Another recent domestic partner, Catalyst Sports has joined the mix as a beneficiary of the competition.
“Their mission is basically to make outdoor activities accessible to people with physical disabilities. And then they have another sublet of their organization that is focused on helping military veterans. As a Navy veteran myself, that's near and dear to my heart. It's tough getting transitioned into the civilian life after military life, and not everybody has an easy time of it. And then especially combat veterans, they come back, who knows what they've seen. And they can come back pretty messed up with not a lot of resources. So getting outside with buddies and just hanging out, whether you even climb or not, it's just awesome to connect and grow closer for vets that are dealing with PTSD and other mental health problems that could be a life changer. So the fact that they focus on helping veterans is huge to me, and I love that part of their mission. And then, of course, getting people with physical disabilities a chance to experience what we do in climbing and hiking, mountain biking, kayaking, they do all kinds of stuff.”
It’s for these reasons that the climbers at the event are so motivated to try their hardest. A test of sheer endurance, it’s not uncommon to see many participants pushing to their absolute limits.
“We're like “do it for the kids, another dollar for the kids!” and people are just ragged and, you know, tips on the verge of bleeding. But another V1 is another dollar and another dollar in Vietnam, it does a lot. So it's pretty amazing to be able to send four, five thousand dollars to Vietnam each year and help with their mission.”
And because of this commitment to help, the competition can often break down barriers. Reyes credits this feeling of unity as one of his favorite parts of the event.
“Because of the nature of the event, it takes a bunch of people who are very, very different in pretty much all the ways that you can be different. But they have climbing in common. And we all have a common purpose for that day. And I love that about the climbing community, we can put our differences aside and lock arms and just be a force for good on that day. And so different ideologies, worldviews, values, political beliefs, race, color, gender, creed, social status, all of that, you see the full spectrum. But at Chandler Mountain, everybody as I mentioned is united and all smiles and just supporting each other. And that is a beautiful and unfortunately rare thing to see in general. So to be able to experience that with my passion of being a Christ follower and also a climber, all that combined in one day, man, that's a beautiful day to see community.”
The Zachos Team has been a longtime supporter of the competition, both in sponsoring and participation. With the multipurpose nature of the event, supporting great causes both locally and overseas, we’re happy to be a part of this endeavor. If this is a cause that speaks to you, we’d like to encourage you to donate as well.
“You guys have been steadfast and so generous in your giving. So again, huge thanks to you guys for believing in our organization and in our event and in our mission. That's been awesome.”
And even besides the charitable angle, the Chandler Mountain Challenge draws in willing participants for another reason: fun.
“It just makes for tons of smiles all day. One of my favorite things to do is to look back over the photos that some of our different photographers take. And dude, it's just smiles. Everybody is just laughing and smiling, having a great day, even towards the end of the day, when everyone's just wrecked and fingers are trashed and body's aching, there’s still smiles.”
You can donate to the Chandler Mountain Challenge here.
Written by Paul Zachos III