A glowing bonfire gained center stage when the sun went down and bellies were full.

Fifteen languages representing 24 countries drowned out the crackle of the fire as tales of the day's climbing adventures were spun well into the star-studded night. Jane from Ireland raved about finally learning how to hand jam; Julia from South Africa proudly recounted her hardest trad lead ever; Yasushi from Japan gesticulated his hilarious (and successful) struggle up a 5.11 offwidth.

Last week, the American Alpine Club hosted America's first ever International Climbers Meet, drawing nearly 80 climbers â 48 from overseas and 30 American hosts â to Indian Creek, Utah, a crack climber's paradise near Moab.

The sandstone climbing at Indian Creek is world-famous for its unique character and the specific skill set required to climb there. Nowhere else do you find vertical cracks void of face holds that yield most easily to jamming â often painfully â any body part that you can stuff into them.

Once you get the hang of it, jamming a crack is exponentially more efficient than using a different technique like laybacking, but everyone's gotta learn: Indian Creek is the only climbing area in the world where I've seen 5.10 climbers giving technique tips to 5.13 climbers.

A steady rain on the first of five climbing days couldn't dampen the motivation of the multinational team no matter how hard they climbed. A mix of excitement, jet lag and pent-up energy dictated that we climb despite the poor weather.

If day one didn't offer the best conditions, it provided a relaxed introduction to climbing at the creek. By the time we all gathered around our first campfire, stars began peeking through the heavy clouds one by one, and what started that night as a spontaneous spoof became a campfire tradition: the award of the day, presented by the indefatigable Brittany Griffith.

The first award went to Sarah from Canada who completed the Manliest Lead for a Girl. She fought her way to the top of a wide hand crack rated 5.11, which, for her small hands, was more like a dreaded fist-size crack.

Perfect weather on day two offered opportunity and stiff competition for the Girliest Lead By a Man award. This sought-after decoration went to Jorge from Mexico who couldn't quite stuff his sausage fingers into the tips crack he led that day. He stood up in the glow of the fire to accept a brand new Black Diamond quickdraw from Griffith and the applauding crowd. He mimed his layback sequence and shouted, "I couldn't feet my teeps in the crack!"

On the third night of the meet there was no question who won the Biggest Whipper of the Day award. Nuno Pinheiro of Portugal stole the show when he fell halfway down a 60-foot 5.11+ called Fingers in a Light Socket. At the bouldery crux just below the anchor, Nuno's legs wobbled as he forced a tiny cam into a flaring slot above his head. He pumped off moments later and ripped the poorly placed cam, sending him for a 30-foot ride that left him dangling with his feet above his head.

Antics and awards aside, the best part of the meet was getting to know people from places as diverse as Bulgaria and Brazil, Switzerland and South Africa. I was paired with Magdalena Waluszek, a young woman from Poland who, in four short years, has become an accomplished rock and alpine climber. As a career she teaches at a preschool for handicapped children.

On our first day together, Magdalena, like many of the visiting climbers, learned the basics of jamming on a toprope. Just four days later, she tested her new skills by leading a 5.10 crack that required every jamming size from fingers to offwidth, though it wasn't without excitement (read: stress).

I don't think I've ever been more nervous belaying than on the last day when Magdalena would thrust a cam in without looking at it, clip the rope and press on. Most of her gear was bombproof, but that didn't keep me from scrupulously eyeing her first few cam placements and giving her a yea or a nay to continue. She quickly climbed out of range of scrutiny and after that, what could I do? My hands just gripped the rope a little tighter and I laughed out loud, wondering which one of us was having more of an adventure.

This year's International Climbers Meet was all about sharing a desert adventure with the rest of the world, and in the process all 80 participants set the bar high for what the American Alpine Club hopes will become an annual event here in America. I can't wait to do this again next year, as long as my tortured hands and feet are healed by then.

Contact Chris Weidner at cweidner8@gmail.com.