The American Alpine Institute just received the following email from Mountain Gear:

Las Vegas, Nev. – With more than 920 climbers from across the nation converging on Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area near Las Vegas for the seventh annual “Mountain Gear Presents: Red Rock Rendezvous” rock climbing festival in March, the event continues to be one of the largest climbing festivals in the nation for paid participants. Presented by Mountain Gear and sponsored by The North Face and the American Alpine Institute, Red Rock Rendezvous has earned a reputation for having some of the world’s best climbers as instructors in the unique surroundings of Red Rock Canyon.

The 2010 climbing festival raised approximately $14,000 for non-profit organizations including: The Access Fund, a national non-profit organization dedicated to keeping climbing areas open and conserving the climbing environment; American Safe Climbing Association; American Alpine Club; Friends of Red Rock; and the Las Vegas Climbers Liaison Council. The event also garnered 100 more memberships for the Access Fund.

Representatives of the Red Rock Rendezvous also announced that event participants will be able to again camp at Spring Mountain Ranch in 2011 for the eighth annual rock climbing festival.

Since its inception seventh years ago, Red Rock Rendezvous has offered clinics for advanced, intermediate and beginning climbers. The festival also includes: an opening night celebration; a dinner buffet; demos, comps and mini-seminars by event sponsors; a beginners climbing package that includes registration to the festival as well as climbing gear; a blow-out party and slide show; pancake breakfast; and service projects to assist in the environmental conservation of Red Rock Canyon.