Men's Journal

Dominion Riverrock. Photo credit: Sports Backers

Music, beer gardens, bouldering, mud runs, air dog competitions — this weekend we recommend running wild through the great outdoors in Richmond, Virginia, or Boulder, Colorado.

By Tara House and Chase Scheinbaum

Dominion Riverrock, May 14-15

Richmond, Virginia

If you like sports, music, and the adventures of river life, then strap on your helmet, grab a paddle, and bring your dancing shoes — we’re heading to Dominion Riverrock this weekend, in Richmond, Virginia. Back for a second year, Dominion Riverrock is a unique, two-day event with a mix of activities and friendly competitions throughout the downtown area of Richmond’s riverfront. The entire festival is free and includes musical performances from Grace Potter & the Nocturnals (one of Rolling Stone’s “Best New Bands of 2010″) and Robert Randolph & the Family Band.

A wide variety of sporting events will give amateurs the rare opportunity to compete side-by-side with pros. These include a 5k mud-run, a 10k trail-run, and freestyle bike, mountain bike, and kayak competitions.  There’s even an event for the furry, four-legged friends in your life: Ultimate Air Dogs.  In attendance will be world-class professional mountain biker, Jeff Lenosky.

Other fun outdoor activities will be available for families and the less competitive — raft rides down James River, kayaking in the canal, tree climbing on Brown’s Island, Segway test rides, and much more.

Travel and Accommodations

In honor of the festivities, discounted hotel rates have been secured for those participants coming in from out of town. If you still have enough energy after all the river activities, get out there and explore.

Flying in? Richmond International Airport is conveniently located just 15 minutes outside of the downtown area, where the Dominion Riverrock is being held.

The Battle in the Bubble Pro Bouldering Invitational and Outdoor Festival, May 15-17

Boulder, Colorado

The outdoor mecca of Boulder lives up to its reputation this weekend with climbing comps galore, slacklining, and beer gardens. The main event of The Battle in the Bubble Pro Bouldering Invitational and Outdoor Festival is a high-stakes professional competition at one of the country’s finest climbing gyms, but there’s plenty going on for the everyman climber, too — like a stand-up paddleboarding clinic in the Boulder Reservoir. And, of course, no trip to Boulder is complete without a visit to any one of the many classic climbing areas surrounding this hamlet of the hardcore.

On Saturday the festivities kick off at the reservoir with one and two-mile walks for a multiple sclerosis charity, the Wells Fargo Walk MS Boulder-Longmont. The rest of the day will be spent testing your mettle on demonstration slacklines and on a paddleboard. At 6 p.m., the gods and goddesses of cutting-edge bouldering will duke it out for a big purse at The Spot Bouldering Gym. Service-minded climbers — and those looking to accrue some good karma — will join pro athletes at Access Fund’s Eldorado Adopt-a-Crag day to clean up Eldorado Canyon, a place where climbers have been pushing the boundaries of the sport for several decades. Click here to register.

Be sure to grab a friend and sneak away to do some climbing on the Flatirons, the towering rock faces that serve as Boulder’s backdrop. Click here for an overview. And click here for all the info you’ll need to tackle Angel’s Way, a 1,200-foot 5.2 route that will get you acquainted with the area.

Travel and Accommodations

Fly to Denver International Airport and drive an hour to Boulder. The Boulder Mountain Lodge private campground is located minutes from climbing areas in the canyon and everywhere else you’ll want to be this weekend ($21 per night).

Print this article