FOREST CITY, IOWA, Feb. 13, 2019 – Waldorf University will host a screening of the “Reel Rock 13” independent film festival on Sunday, Feb. 17 from 3 p.m. – 5:30 p.m. at the Boman Fine Arts Center located at 225 John K. Hanson Dr., Forest City, IA. The doors will open at 2:30 p.m. Students can attend for free. There is a $5 entry fee for the general public. There will be an intermission with raffle prizes including autographed images from featured climbers, climbing passes to area climbing facilities, and Waldorf University gear.
 
“Reel Rock 13” is an independent film festival featuring rock climbing and mountaineering. This year’s event will screen “Age of Ondra,” “Queen Maud Land,” “Valley of the Moon,” and “Up to Speed.” 
 
“Age of Ondra” follows 25-year-old climber Adam Ondra, the Czech crusher, as he explores a new realm of human potential in climbing. Late last year, Ondra established a benchmark for the sport; a 5.15d in Norway he dubbed Silence (as in, drop the mic). The film follows Adam from his home in the Czech Republic, across Europe to North America, as he innovates new training methods, establishes upper echelon first ascents, and attempts to be the first person to send 5.15 on the first try. “Age of Ondra” is a rare, intimate journey with one of the greatest athletes at the peak of his powers.
 
“Up to Speed” brings viewers up close and personal with the sport of speed climbing. When climbing was announced as part of the 2020 Olympics, it was a monumental occasion for the sport. But many climbers were shocked to learn that one of three combined events required to compete for a medal is speed climbing. REEL ROCK correspondent Zachary Barr looks into this little-known and seldom practiced sub-discipline of the sport, and the role it will play in shaping climbing’s future. Barr’s journey from the U.S. to France (the birthplace of modern speed climbing) to South Asia culminates at an international competition in Moscow, where speed demons race up a 15-meter wall in less than six seconds.
 
A team of six elite climbers mount an expedition to one of the world’s last great climbing frontiers: the remote frozen towers of Antarctica in the film “Queen of Maud Land.” Jimmy Chin and Conrad Anker tackle a new route on the 3,600-foot Ulvetanna; Savannah Cummins and Anna Pfaff summit the towering Holtanna; and Alex Honnold and Cedar Wright make a harrowing and hilarious blitz of 13 different spires spread across the ice field, including one pitch that Honnold calls “the scariest I have ever led.” “Queen Maud Land”— the name of this icy region — showcases a stunning, rarely visited wilderness, and the suffering and vision needed to climb at the bottom of the world.

“Valley of the Moon” takes viewers on a journey to Wadi Rum which is a vast landscape of sandstone walls in the desert of Jordan. Hoping to lure international climbers, two Israelis team up with a local Bedouin guide to establish an 1,800-foot route, eventually recruiting American climber Madaleine Sorkin to help achieve their dream. This film explores the importance of climbing as a way to cross cultural barriers, build friendship and chase adventure in one of the most breathtaking regions on earth.
 
Tickets can be purchased in advance or the day of at the door. For more information contact Audrey Sparks at Audrey.sparks@waldorf.edu. 
 
About Waldorf University
Founded in 1903, Waldorf University is a regionally-accredited liberal arts university located in the heart of Forest City, Iowa. Waldorf delivers engaging learning experiences through innovative residential and online instruction, providing its students associate, bachelor’s and master’s degrees and certificates in the areas of business, communication, criminal justice administration, education, music, psychology, theatre and more. Visit Waldorf.edu to learn more.
 
Photo caption: Conrad Anker traverses the edge of a peek in ‘Queen of Maud Land.”