As war grinds on, Ukrainian climbers build a new outdoor culture inspired by Yosemite

(5 Jul 2026) RESTRICTION SUMMARY: ASSOCIATED PRESS Zhytomyr region, Ukraine - 27 June 2026 1. Various of rock climbers 2. SOUNDBITE (Ukrainian) Dmytro Isaienko, Stoned Climbers festival co-founder: “This festival is for everyone - including people who've never tried climbing before. There's music, there are lots of different activities, and with all of that around you, climbing doesn't seem nearly as intimidating as you might imagine. Personally, when I climb, I don't have any problems except one - making it to the top and holding on. That's why, it is such a mental release. You're climbing, you're not thinking about anything else, you're just enjoying it. It's a very meditative experience.” 3. Various of climbers 4. SOUNDBITE (English) Andrii Lamei, climbing instructor: “I want to come across the border to visit Yosemite, to visit Norway mountains, but I can't and maybe that's the way how I'm forced to enjoy what I have here.“ 5. SOUNDBITE (Ukrainian) Liliia Karpach, first-time climber: "I love that feeling, especially when I finish a route and think, I'm awesome, I'm so strong, I did it. Just a month or two ago I wouldn't have been able to climb it, so I can really see my progress.” 6. Various of people climbing STORYLINE: Atop a steep granite cliff overlooking a river about two hours' drive west of Kyiv, hundreds of people pitched tents on a festival camping ground. By day they climbed the rock face, swam in a nearby reservoir or enjoyed stand-up paddling. 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. Visitors received multiple air raid alert notifications on their phones throughout the weekend. Soldiers on leave quietly blended into the crowd, while organizers 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 U.S. 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. "Personally, when I climb, I don't have any problems except one - making it to the top and holding on," said festival co-founder Dmytro Isaienko, 39. "That's why, it is such a mental release. You're climbing, you're not thinking about anything else, you're just enjoying it. It's a very meditative experience." 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. Organizing the festival during wartime has given it a broader purpose, Isaienko said. He believes creating places where people can gather, learn new skills and spend time together has become a way of sustaining one’s wellbeing through a prolonged war. For Isaienko, that is precisely why festivals like Stoned Climbers matter. Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork Twitter:   / ap_archive   Facebook:   / aparchives   ​​ Instagram:   / apnews   You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/you...