Earl Wiggins was a leading free climber and soloist in the 1970s and 1980s. (He did the FA of Supercrack / Luxury Liner in Indian Creek... placing hexes.) But in the early 2000s, he took his own life.
The staunch purist and Yosemite hardman pioneered modern free climbing ethics, and accomplished first ascents of some of America’s most iconic climbs.
"Eating disorders are often symptoms of larger issues. Bearing witness develops empathy.”
When swinging leads on a multi-pitch route, the belay transitions are often the biggest time suck. But they don't have to be.
During my seven-year return to the sport, I’ve used four basic concepts—constant flow, economy of movement, finding my center, and using my entire body—to refine and redefine the way I move.
Though climbing might not immediately come to mind when you hear “Cambodia,” the country is producing motivated youth climbers.
Jackson Smith, a 33-year-old climber, has clipped the chains on his 5.11d project that he’s been telling everyone at the gym about for the past three months.
Time to level up your finger training? This excerpt from Climbing Bible: Practical Exercises will get you started.
Learn about the Recency Effect to remember beta, improve efficiency, and expand your abilities.
“Road-Trip-Itus” is a well-known condition caused by spending too much time in close proximity to the same person. Here's how to prevent it.
"The Nooks will be the next big destination for GTA climbers to get a taste of what being ‘disconnected’ and climbing in nature feels like. [Plus] the climbing is GOOD—really good.”
A new grant provides historically underrepresented community members a three-month expenses-paid internship with award-winning filmmakers.
"The South is full of these quiet figures in the climbing community—people who have put up some hard, scary, beautiful, hard-to-find routes and problems. I think there is something special about recognizing these folks."
It's easy to build endurance on a small bouldering wall. Steve Bechtel shows us how in part 1 of this exclusive 3-part series.
The best climbers aren't always the strongest, they have the best technique. In this first installment of our new Quick Hits series, pro coach Neil Gresham teaches maximizing footholds.
Elbow problems are the most common climbing injuries after fingers and shoulders. If you are suffering nagging elbow pain, there's a road to recovery.
Your body begins to decline sooner than you like, and by age 50 your dietary requirements are quite different than they were when you were younger. But you can beat back aging to some extent by following this advice.
This versatile hitch has a myriad uses. Here's yet another one.
Stop wasting your money on shoes that don't fit or are painful or fail you. Don't be disappointed again. Here's how to buy what' just right, just for you.
He made the first attempts on K2 and Kanchenjunga, and was a visionary rock climber putting up difficult routes in the late 1800s, but his climbing later took a backseat to his unsavory reputation as an occultist and sex fiend.
Seven essential climbing knots to learn first: The Trace Eight, Prusik, Clove Hitch, Ring Bend, Double Fisherman's, Girth Hitch, and Figure-Eight On A Bight.
Check out Neil Gresham's author page.
You’re in your late 40s, 50s or 60s, keen as ever to crank, and unsure of whether to focus on strength or endurance. Your only certainty is that you want to avoid injury.
Over 50s, don’t sell your hangboards. The picture is extremely optimistic, especially for doing steep, hard sport climbs. Take it from me: I climbed my hardest sport route (a new 8c+ / 5.14c at Malham Cove in the UK) at the age of 46.
Historically, a host of factors, from anecdotes to misleading literature, have conspired to make older climbers fear strength training. Most veterans will have come across the depressing stats about age-related performance decline. In brief, we are told to expect, from age 35-40 onwards: a significant decline in muscle strength and power; to be able to handle lower volumes of training; and to need longer recovery between sessions. Additionally, we’re warned that when older athletes stop training, their fitness deteriorates more quickly than before, while regaining it becomes harder. Great.
Over the years, many climbing coaches have accepted these depressing stats and been prophets of doom about strength training for older climbers. A compounding factor was that many older climbers became injured back in the late 1980s and 1990s by training strength, leading me to write an article for this very magazine around the turn of the century advising them not to use hangboards and campus boards and to default to endurance training.
Over the years, many climbing coaches have accepted these depressing stats and been prophets of doom about strength training for older climbers.
