Vertical Life was invited to attend the second Tubbalunganer Exposé Climbing Festival, held March 20–22, 2026, at Mount Buffalo.
The event, organised by Ange Malysheva and Simon Murray under FieldCraft Guides Initiative, centres around three ideas: community, safety and stewardship. It brought together a mix of climbers, guides, brands and volunteers for a weekend that felt grounded in the climbing community rather than built around it.
The festival hub at Lake Catani was where most people drifted in and out of, across the weekend. Evan from Terra Rosa Gear led sessions showing climbers how to make their own crack gloves and chalk bags, while a fair bit of time was also spent in the Climbing Anchors gear tent and participating in competition-style games. Each evening, Rijan from Buffalo Boulders brought a surge of energy to the festival with strength-based games. His high-energy approach quickly drew a crowd, creating a fun, slightly competitive atmosphere that carried well into the night.
Left: Lake Catani Right: Morning briefing at the festival hub. Images by Claire Williams
Across the weekend, a range of clinics were on offer for climbers looking to build skills beyond standard cragging. The Rescue Progression Series ran through three levels, covering lowering systems, raising techniques and more complex rescue scenarios in exposed terrain. Other sessions included Take it for Granite, focused on movement and confidence on Buffalo slab, The Dark Arts crack climbing clinic, and Intro to Light Aid, which introduced basic aid systems and techniques.
Climber’s during the Aid Climbing Clinic at The Gorge, Mt Buffalo. Images by Claire Williams
Saturday night brought everyone together at the Gorge lookout, where Climbing Anchors and a crew of volunteers put on a Mexican feast. Climbers gathered on the cliff top, eating, watching the sunset and settling into that easy kind of shared moment that feels pretty unique to climbing spaces.
After dinner, things shifted up to the Chalet for a panel event. A group of speakers opened up conversation around how we climb and why we climb, creating space for a bit more reflection beyond the weekend’s movement and skills.
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There were also opportunities to step back from climbing and look more closely at the landscape. The alpine ecology walk and workshop, run with TERRAIN and Friends of the Earth, explored the environmental significance of the Buffalo plateau and how climbers can better understand their impact.
The overall feel of the weekend was simple. People showed up to climb, learn and spend time together. It felt community-led, supported by volunteers and a mix of sponsors including Arc’teryx, Edelrid and DMM, alongside smaller contributors like Terra Rosa Gear and Climbing Anchors.
Climbers on The Great Wall of China, The Horn Area, Mt Buffalo. Images by Claire Williams
The Tubbalunganer Exposé is still finding its shape, but it’s clear what it’s trying to do: create space for climbers to build skills, share knowledge and engage more thoughtfully with the places they climb.
Overall it was a fun weekend to get out and meet climbers, touch rock and learn some new skills. The VL team are definitely looking forward to the next one!
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