High Country Adventure Film and Speaker Series brings Reel Rock Film Tour to campus for 15th year

The third event in the 2022 Lees-McRae High Country Adventure Film and Speaker Series, the Reel Rock Film Tour, will be held on Friday, Oct. 28 at 7 p.m. Students, faculty, staff, and community members are invited to gather at the Outdoor Amphitheater on the college’s South Campus at Grandfather Home to view a screening of this year’s films, “Bridge Boys,” “Barefoot Charles,” “Big Things to Come,” and “Cuddle.”

The Reel Rock Film Tour was founded in 2005 by filmmakers Josh Lowell and Peter Mortimer with the goal of bringing the best climbing and adventure films to live audiences around the world each year. This year marks 15 years of the tour’s partnership with Lees-McRae.  

“Lees-McRae has always had a long tradition of climbing. We've been able to bring Reel Rock here on a yearly basis because of the support of students, faculty, staff, and the community who love rock climbing,” Program Coordinator for Outdoor Recreation Management (ORM) Katie Wall said. “Our rock-climbing team and our ORM program both provide climbing opportunities to our students.”

Although the college has been a stop on the Reel Rock Film Tour for a decade and a half, this year will be the first time the screening will take place on the new South Campus at Grandfather Home property. With firepits and a backdrop of the beautiful mountains, the Outdoor Amphitheater on the property will make the perfect venue for films all about the great outdoors.

Each film or speaker in the High Country Adventure Series acts as a fundraiser for a program, club, or other group across the Lees-McRae campus. The Reel Rock Film Tour screening will support the Lees-McRae Climbing Team and the construction of the Adventure Park Learning Lab, a new experiential learning opportunity on campus.

“This really helps us out. The fundraiser will help provide uniforms and safety equipment like harnesses, helmets, ropes, and crash pads for when we go outdoor bouldering,” junior Outdoor Recreation Management major and president of the Lees-McRae Climbing Team Nicolas Aguilar said. “It will also help by providing us funds in order to go and compete.”

Tickets for Lees-McRae students, faculty, and staff are $5 per person, and general admission tickets for community members are $15 per person. It is recommended that attendees bring their own chairs and blankets.

Purchase tickets for the Reel Rock Climbing Film 16 screening

Explore the Reel Rock Film Tour 16 line-up