The Cuba Connection [Cont.]
in Vinales from January 29th to February 2nd. Visit http://
www.srcfc.org/cuba for more information.
Many local guides can show you were to climb. Through a SRCFC
(Solid Rock Climbers for Christ)/ IMLI (International Mountain
Leadership Institute) Spanish guide training program, many are
learning how to become better guides. Due to the politically
uncertain nature of climbing in Cuba, many have begun to develop
areas away from Mogote del Valle, often on the backside of Valles
The cliffs outside of Vinales; Photo By Rick Krause
de Vinales. Other areas have begun to spring up due to such
sanctions, and if you are into a more adventurous type of climbing, places such as Sancti Spiritus and Campismo
Gibara await. To reach Campismo Gibara, you will need to fly to Holguin, which costs around $300 dollars. Buses can
be cheaper, around $44 dollars, but take almost 13 hours from Havana. A bus ticket to Sancti Spiritus from Havana will
run around $23 dollars and take about 6 hours. Each area offers
more than just virgin climbing, with picturesque beaches, colorful,
vibrant towns, and the always friendly Cuban people.
Showing Your Appreciation
The U.S embargo of Cuba began in 1950, two years after Batista was
ousted by Castro and his revolutionaries in a military coup d'état.
Ever since then, the United States has refused to have economic
relations with the island nation. Humanitarian aid is still given, but
Climbing at Sancti Spiritus climbing area;
outright trade with Cuba is considered a felony. For most of the country's
Photo by Rick Krause
communistic existence, it relied heavily on aid from the Soviet Union. With the
collapse of the USSR in 1991, Cuba fell into an economic depression known as the "Special Period".
Since then the country has slowly begun to right itself, both with aid from foreign powers and reformations to its own
internal policies. Private businesses are now slowly
being allowed, as well as food markets where
producers are allowed to sell off whatever excess
goods they have after the state has taken its share.
Still, the country's isolation from its immediate
neighbor has stifled Cuba economically. The many
classic cars that roll along its streets are original,
but kept alive by ingenuity and love more than
anything else. Access to the internet is unheard of
except in resorts and tourist areas. As of 2012, the
average income of a Cuban worker was $19 dollars
The economic situation of Cuba has affected its
populous entirely and the climbers of Vinales are
no exception. Gear is almost impossible to buy in
the country. Essentials such as shoes and
harnesses, ropes and bolts, must be brought in by
Photo by Rick Krause
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