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Ratchet up your redpoint grade—and ditch some needless pump—with this flagging primer.

For Tom Bolger, being a pro climber also means being an Airbnb host and an offshore oil rigger. His philosophy: being a pro is about doing whatever you can to climb as much as you can.

Sidelined by an ignoble injury, Dave Pagel contemplates his return to a sport that has moved on without him—or is it the other way around?

You, me, and everyone else reading this article could go full caveman and it still wouldn’t have a measurable effect on the pace at which our climate is changing. But it’s important to walk the walk.

Over the years there's been some really, really terrible climbing gear that surprisingly made it to market.

The 18-year-old Texan beat the previous record twice during the qualification round at the Wujiang World Cup

We’ll take your word for it!

I have never been a fan of superheroes, but I will happily overlook the Batman-vibes of Julbo’s new Ultimate Cover sunglasses.

She also got her first 5.14a onsight with ‘Crimptonite,’ in Oliana.

A lightweight vest is the most versatile layer for any climbing discipline. Here’s why Patagonia’s Nano-Air Light is my favorite.

Chimneys can be strenuous, runout, and baffling. They can also take you to some pretty incredible places.

In this excerpt from Ian Nicholson's new book, "Climbing Self-Rescue," two young climbers get over their heads in Alaska’s Ruth Gorge and wish that they knew the sorts of specialized rappelling techniques that Nicholson describes in Chapter 4. 

You may need to quit your day job to finish this one.

This is one of the worst anchors we've ever seen and is an inappropriate use of equipment.

Rope stretch and miscommunication are not to be underestimated.

If I was going to Céüse or Siurana or the New River Gorge tomorrow, I’d pack the Sigma first.

Leo Cea Bliedtner has completed the second ascent of ‘Tecnoking’ (5.14d) in Las Chilcas, Chile.

Added bonus: Ondra takes the most surprising whipper I’ve ever seen.

Our gear expert weighs in.

"If there’s one thing we can say about dirtbagging with absolute certainty, it’s this: the goalpost is always moving."

It's no fun climbing in the sun.

Depending on where you live (or how far you’re willing to drive), you may have the unique opportunity to experience this year’s eclipse out at the crag.

Green grass and wildflowers bend in the alpine breeze. Butterflies land on your head. Marmots chirp. Or were those unicorns? Break out the wineskin and marvel at stone in front of you.

We’ve outlined three different levels of home setup ranging from budget-friendly to pricey.

Unless, of course, you're literally about to blitz up the route in a matter of minutes.

Instructional series with Conrad Anker, Paige Claassen, Jonathan Siegrist, Dr. Jared Vagy, Heather Weidner, Sasha DoiGiulian, Rob Coppolillo and Marc Chauvin lays out advice for sport and trad climbing, strength training, footwork and injury prevention in digestible step-by-step lessons.

"Best" is a strong word. So is "strangest." But the Ondra Comp's is something of a masterpiece, with an innovative design that doesn't sacrifice structure in order to achieve its extreme smearing capabilities.

After making the first repeat of Shawn Raboutou’s ‘Megatron,’ American upstart D.B. Vernon is recommending a double downgrade to V15.

“Today’s climbers don’t realize how hard we had it back then,” read a statement from an anonymous group of former Yosemite climbers.

The Asheboro Boulders could have been destroyed by a mining company. Instead they were saved by the North Carolina Zoo.

Really?

Alcohol and climbing have a long history. A nutritionist dives into the pros and cons of crag drinks.

Climbing is hard on your joints, but take care of yourself and you can minimize the damage or at least delay the inevitable.

In an online world showcasing young, impossibly fit climbers, Jeremy Arntz—heavyset, middle aged—is proving that the sport is accessible to all body types.

The News Roundup! Elias Iagnemma uses some wild beta on the world’s most straightforward V17 // The first confirmed E12 gets its third ascent // Matt Fultz takes down his hardest climb yet // Bronwyn Hodgins hits the sport world with a 5.14c

14 climbing clips, all free on the internet, all funny.

Longtime board fanatic Matt Samet tested the three latest LED walls. Here’s what he thought.

Famed mountaineer, filmmaker, and Everest pioneer David Breashears died on March 14. Those who knew him best share memories of the legendary alpinist.

Roughly from 1986 to 1993, Armando Menocal was one of the founders and de facto leader of the nascent Access Fund. It is hard to imagine where climbing would be today without him. He fought for climbers’ rights, and though he wasn’t a fan of bolts he believed the government shouldn’t dictate how or where climbers place them. When government agencies tried to ban bolts, Armando stood in their way.

“Upside-down double-heel hook” is not in our mixed-climbing vocabulary. Maybe that’s for a reason.

The ‘Travesía Doble M’ (5.11 A2; 2,200m), is the first time all four summits have been connected in a push—with or without a partner.

It’s all fun and games until you start ruining narrative flow.

We caught up with Lightner to learn more about ‘Death of Villains,’ his training, and—after an eight year interlude—what it took to surpass what he believed to be the peak version of himself.

With the acquisition of the Citadel, one of the oldest climbing access projects in the southeast, another killer Bama crag is open for business.

The 55-year-old Japanese icon recently completed a crack project he’s eyed for the last 40 years. In an interview with Climbing, he talks about why “adventure is much more important than grades."

The weekend warrior's version of the 1970 'Fifty Classic Climbs of North America'

A 2022 landslide destroyed dozens of boulder problems in Rocky Mountain National Park’s Upper Upper Chaos Canyon. After a two-year closure, Chaos is open again, giving climbers a chance to explore the numerous “house-sized” boulders deposited by the slide.

Was Adriene Akiko Clark "robbed" of gold, or are “rules rules”?

“I let the feeling of being done take over, and I forgot to use my feet.”

As a part of a new series, we’re interviewing pros and joes about the things they wish they knew before beginning climbing.

‘Pot’ (5.11 A3; 2,500ft) marks the end of a three-year project for Luka Lindič and Luka Krajnc.

Amid proclamations and revisions, guides and operators are left scratching their heads

Learn how to extend your draws to minimize rope drag and rope abrasion while making falls less dangerous.

First climbed by Daniel Woods in 2015, ‘The Process’ gathered rumor and cobwebs for nine years before Zach Galla finally scrubbed them away with his recent ascent.

Watch Swiss climber and paragliding pilot Mario Heller team up with Argentina’s Pablo Pontoriero and Switzerland’s Roger Schäli to climb up and fly off Cerro Torre.

Allison Vest is a three-time Canadian Bouldering Champion. Here, in the form of a poem, she offers a mantra for other female climbers.

Be wary of clipping above your head while close to the ground.

Establishing new routes is tons of work and takes a vision and drive (and lots of free time), but it's also a selfish pursuit, done to make the FAer happy.

Everyone is different, but these training precepts seem to stick no matter who you are or what your goals are.

These two self-rescue methods will help you safely extricate yourself if you miss a rappel anchor

Semi-final and final rounds will be livestreamed on Outside Watch

“I put myself off-route, on the far end of an unprotected traverse, and climbed up moves I could not protect nor easily reverse.”

The first dyno? The longest dyno? A system for grading dynos?

Not everyone has a smooth entry point into climbing, and not everyone starts in a friendly, supportive community. Let’s change that.

Don't wait until they start to ache.

The 34-year-old American gave us the lowdown on his “savage” new boulder, ‘Adrenaline’ (V16— his first hard FA since ‘Return of the Sleepwalker’ (V17)

It’s easy to think that we can look after our pets’ needs at the cliff, but, in reality, we can’t.

Nearly 60 years after its first ascent—and 45 since its inclusion in “Fifty Classic Climbs of North America—the Hummingbird Ridge remains as fearsome as ever.

The climber would have knocked his teeth into the roof had he placed a cam a bit higher.

The 1,300-meter behemoth was freed over 18 stormy days. Over a meter of snow fell on their portaledge camp, and winds exceeded 80 miles per hour.

Whether you're prepping for or recovering from a climb, this practice will bring much-needed focus and release

Bosi, who has now climbed three V17 boulders, considers ‘Return of the Sleepwalker’ harder than ‘Alphane’ but easier than ‘Burden of Dreams’

Ondra has now climbed the hardest grade in every climbing discipline except bouldering (he has yet to do a V17). 

These destinations check all of the important boxes, offering short approaches, a high density of routes at various grades, a flat staging area, zero to minimal rockfall, and overall safe climbing terrain.

The policy mandates athletes to undergo questionnaires and tests before competing, with those identified as at-risk receiving further evaluation and treatment.

This anchorless belay relied on bodyweight and broke all the rules in the book, including some that weren't even in there.

Although staying upright would be nice.

In 2023, Catalina Shirley took a life-threatening fall and questioned whether she’d ever lead again. This year, she returned to the site—and became the first American to podium in an Ice Climbing Lead World Cup.

Heed these 10 principles of neuroplasticity and motor learning to increase your performance. Ignore them and you can expect to languish in a never-ending plateau.