The Stoned Climbers festival in Ukraine's Zhytomyr region combines rock climbing with live music, offering a respite from the ongoing war. Hundreds gather for the event, which supports the Azov Brigade, as soldiers blend into the crowd and beginners learn climbing skills on granite cliffs.
A man climbs on a cliff during the Stoned Climbers festival near Denyshi, Zhytomyr region, Ukraine June 27. DENYSHI, Ukraine — Atop a steep granite cliff overlooking a river about two hours' drive west of Ukraine's capital, hundreds of people pitched tents on a festival camping ground.
As evening fell, live bands and DJs took over the stage as rock and electronic music drifted through the forest. The Stoned Climbers festival, which took place last week in the Zhytomyr region, is Ukraine's biggest outdoors event combining climbing and live music. Like many public events in wartime Ukraine, the festival blended ordinary leisure with reminders that the war is never far away.
Soldiers on leave quietly blended into the crowd, while organisers directed all profits from this year's festival to a fundraising initiative supporting Ukraine's Azov Brigade. Unlike last year, however, no Russian drones or missiles crossed the sky above the campsite on their way toward Kyiv. The volunteer-run festival was launched in 2023 by about 15 friends who had spent more than a year climbing together after becoming fascinated by Yosemite's climbing culture.
The US national park has long been regarded as one of the birthplaces of modern rock climbing, where climbers built a counterculture around sleeping in tents, living out of vans and spending months on the granite walls of the valley.
"We realised climbing could be much more than just a sport," said festival co-founder Dmytro Isaienko, 39. "It's about a specific way of life — in nature, camping, on the rocks. " Isaienko and his friends wanted to challenge the perception that climbing was reserved for elite athletes. Their first festival attracted about 150 visitors.
This summer, attendance grew to more than 500, most of them beginners or amateur climbers. He believes creating places where people can gather, learn new skills and spend time together has become a way of sustaining one's well-being through a prolonged war.
"You need to get away from the war for a while," he said. "Leave Kyiv and come spend some time here together, a little longer than usual. "On the rocks below, instructors help complete beginners fasten their harnesses, chalk their hands and search for the next hold on the granite wall. Whenever someone reaches the top of the 25-metre cliff — often for the first time — spectators, instructors and climbers break into applause.
Among the festival's newcomers was 21-year-old Liliia Karpach, who travelled from Ukraine's western Lviv region for her first Stoned Climbers festival.
"I decided to come because it had been a very long time since I'd climbed on real rocks," she said. "I also wanted to meet the community in person and get to know new people. ""If you're really nervous about coming on your own, invite some friends," she said. "Even if neither of you knows how to climb, you'll have a good time together.
" Helping first-time climbers gain that confidence is one of the most rewarding parts of the festival for instructor Andrii Lamei, 24. While belaying a young woman during her first climb, he calmly talked her through the most difficult part of the ascent. As she climbed higher, her movements became more confident.
"Look around," he shouted. "Enjoy the moment. You made it.
" "Climbing helps you work with stress," Lamei said. "It helps you manage stressful situations in everyday life. " He dreams of climbing outside Ukraine one day but, like most Ukrainian men, he cannot leave the country while wartime travel restrictions remain in place. "I want to go across the border to visit Yosemite, to visit Norway's mountains, but I can't," he said.
"But maybe this is how I'm forced to enjoy what I have here. "While many Ukrainians have put parts of their lives on hold during the war, he hopes the community taking shape around the cliffs shows that new traditions can still emerge. And each time another first-time climber reaches the top, the applause rising from the rocks below suggests that, little by little, that community is growing.
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