The Seven Plagues of Rifle
Every year, the climbing gods find a way to throw a wrench in our best-laid plans
Every year, the climbing gods find a way to throw a wrench in our best-laid plans
Achieve even strength on both sides of your upper body for harder sends
Laybacking cracks works well—until it doesn’t.
It’s Friday, it’s June, and if you’re anything like me, that means it’s time to watch all the week’s new climbing videos. Here are some that I thought were especially worth your time.
Some blame the weather, while others point the finger at the economic trends that are shaping Himalayan mountaineering.
Alpine bouldering requires way more effort and consideration than a casual day at your roadside rocks.
Most know him for his historic big wall ascents in Yosemite. But in fact, his favorite pastime was always bouldering. Here, he reflects on the discipline's evolution.
Queerness is not a deficit that I was unfortunate to be born with, it’s an asset that both sets me apart from the crowd and connects me to so many others. By embracing myself as both a gay man and an athlete I have the ability to assure young people, who may be feeling the apprehension that I did, that gay people are not only all around us, but we don’t have to hide who we are to get respect.
From high-altitude ATMs to walking up Kilimanjaro backward, here are some of the weirdest alpine records.
‘Both & Neither’ profiles two Mexican American climbers who have spent their lives attempting to bridge their two cultures, trying to find a space that feels like home.
And maybe even learning to love them.
This eight-phase (12-month) training series will present specific workouts based on the principles of periodization. Each six-week segment will build upon the previous one.
Honnold is famous for (among other things) cramming as much climbing as he can into each day. To do so, he's developed some efficiency tricks that the rest of us can imitate.
The void swallowed him alive, his streaking form more easily imagined than described. The air froze in my chest.
There are two miracles in this week's whipper: 1) He survived. 2) He caught the fall on video.
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.
When one of the world’s best crack climbers was grounded by chronic fatigue syndrome, his life became an uphill struggle just to feel human again.
They figured they knew enough about climbing to wing it, but took a dangerous risk that could have cost them.
During my senior year of high school, my friends and I were bored. We decided we collectively knew enough about climbing for it to be safe. We went to the local outfitter and bought harnesses, carabiners, and belay devices, but we scoffed at the price of a rope. It was way outside our budget. Instead, we went to Home Depot and bought 100 feet of poly cord that was rated for 200 pounds. We climbed on that rope all day, just easy 5.3 climbing on toprope. I’ve included a couple photos. It wasn’t until I was lowering at the end of the day that I realized what a mistake I’d made. The 100-foot rope had stretched to about 200 feet, shrinking to the size of 8mm cord. I bought a real climbing rope the following week. Wanted to share because we are all new at some point and even with the best intentions mistakes are made. We should collectively work together to improve safety across the sport. I wish someone would have stopped us from climbing on that poly rope.
—Kyle Harris, via email
—
LESSON: Modern climbing ropes include a number of climber-friendly features. They can hold thousands of pounds of force. They have durable sheaths that prevent abrasion and cutting. They have the ideal amount of stretch to catch a fall softly, and then bounce back to their original length and diameter. They’re supple and easy to tie and untie. They’re tested to meet rigorous safety standards. And they work great with modern belay devices. A random hardware store rope is not designed with any of these goals in mind, and can’t be expected to meet them. Always use proper climbing gear designed and rated for climbing.
These Kids Used Parachute Cord For Slings …. Said They Learned It From The Boy Scouts