The Southern SloperFest Bouldering Competition and Music Festival brings together two of the South’s favorite pastimes—bluegrass and bouldering. On March 6 the annual festival at Alabama’s Horse Pens 40—a 120-acre craggy climbing haven in Steele—will combine a full day of slab grabbing with an all-night roots music and camping festival. The ancient exposed stone of the Horse Pens nature park isn’t just revered by climbers. Since the 60s, event organizers also have been using the pristine acoustics of its natural amphitheatre to host the likes of Emmylou Harris, Bill Monroe, Doc Watson, and Ricky Skaggs.
