Farmers markets are a unique place where the climbing and farming communities overlap. There are always familiar faces from the local gym (The Pad) that stroll through the farmers market and it is a joy to use conversation to blend the activities, farming, and climbing. To be at the center of this intersection is a special place to be and cultivates a strong community that bridges the local climbing and farming communities.

This winter I spent a day ice climbing in Hyalite Canyon with my dear friends Kate Rutherford and Anne Gilbert Chase, Farm to Crag founder and board member, respectively. Between laps on the Scepter, we talked about food, snacked on dried fruit and jerky, and reveled in the wintry beauty. And while we all tend veggie gardens in summer and buy local, there’s more needed to support healthy food systems.

Chris Petry, owner of Oh Yeah! Farms, is quickly gaining fame in the Farm To Crag community for coining the phrase “GET RAD FOR FOOD,” and for good reason.