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Seven tips—to work on now and continually—for mastering the nuances of falling and catching falls.

Climbing has a knack for teaching hard-learned lessons—especially the ones I didn’t want to learn.

Each January we post a farewell tribute to those members of our community lost in the year just past. Some of the people you may have heard of, some not. All are part of our community and contributed to climbing.

A new film follows two climbers on their quest to normalize the partnerships between able-bodied and adaptive climbers and raise awareness about accessibility barriers

The film takes us from glacier to summit, highlighting the tip-thrashing cracks, portaledge cook-offs, and poopy travails of living on a wall.

The route is all but in the bag, just as soon as everything starts going my way.

Check out Paige Claassen's author page.

"After those first few days, I noticed that he hadn’t used the bathroom—he’d been too afraid to remove his harness leg loops. On day four..."

Projecting is intimidating—especially if you’re working this airy route.

Buildering is a discipline with a long history at the fringes and limitless possibility for the future.

Improve faster and avoid injuries by climbing just below your limit—roughly 80 percent of your maximum ability—about 90 percent of the time.

So where are all the climbers?

A Valley first timer gets a rude awakening on the particular brand of greasy holdless granite that eats the unaccustomed for lunch.

"It wasn’t until now, years later, that I’ve really come to realize what Steph realized all that time. Accidents don’t end during the ambulance ride, or even with apology publications years after the fact."

Uneven stances, hanging belays, anchors, roots and rocks your rope can snag on...belaying outside is full of hazards that aren't replicated in the gym. Here are some strategies to keep both the climber and belayer safe and secure.

I think about that fall nearly every day, and wonder if it had had to happen that way. The experience was one of many that have since made me reflect on the “things” going on around us, unseen and unknown.

Put both arms behind your head, and grab a double gaston. It’s not great, but it’s OK. Hang off that and wrap your right leg around the left side of your body. Way further than that.

Climbers do a lot of random exercises in hopes of getting more power. But the most effective thing they can do is adjust how they lift weights.

Exploring the small island's tufa-laden limestone sport routes, some requiring hair-raising rappels to precarious stances above the sea.

Unfortunate developments are: the price, the excessive use of plastic, the feeding of the pervasive and socially-sanctioned consumerism, and, far and wide, the zippers and drawstrings. 

THE WEEKLY ROUNDUP: Vadim Timonov flashes V14; Max Bertone does his second 5.14d; Watch Jakob Schubert send a 5.14d deep water solo.

"I was belaying from a ledge high up on the wall at 2 a.m. when my partner called 'off belay.' I was so out of it that I responded by untying myself from the rope."

Andrew Evans was on ‘Gardiner Buttress’ in the Beartooth Mountains when the incident occurred.

You can climb even harder when you get older, but you need to follow a specific training plan that balances endurance, strength, and power equally—emphasis on plan.

Their commitment, at least, deserves high praise.

Climbing is hard when it's hot. But these warm-weather tactics will help you excel. Plus: Here are our 12 favorite warm-weather climbing destinations!

When Ken Murphy soloed up an overhanging route to help a climber in a dire situation, he said, climbing “never felt so easy.”

Improving your mental-game can be easy. Seriously.

Check out Matt Samet's author page.

Todra Gorge has world-class limestone with hundreds of routes for every skill level. Here’s what to know when planning a trip. 

We posed your top questions to our resident outdoor nudist funhog

The granola brand bolsters naked hiking communities with a system to review the country’s top nude hikes

Before we decide how to best manage each climbing area, we first need to evaluate the sorts of experiences that the area offers to climbers. Here’s a criteria you can use to make those evaluations.

The crux of 'Magical Thinking' has an 80-plus-foot fall potential—with a leg-snapping slab lurking below.

Last year it was 'The Crew' (5.14c). This year, it'll be 'Fat Camp' (5.14d). This year alone, the 21-year-old has already put down three 5.14d's and his first 15a.

A stripped-back list of do’s and don’ts

Professional climber and coach Neil Gresham's advice for training yourself to grip holds just enough, and not so much you waste power.

For years this was the Mountain Project profile I used until, in late spring 2023, I realized I'd had enough. I killed off Pinklebear coldly and without remorse.

How many have you climbed?

The IFSC’s World Cup circuit rolled into Briançon, France, this weekend. It was the last stop on the circuit’s European swing before the upcoming World Championships.

If you can't use the hold, you can't do the move. If you can't do the move, you won't do the route. Nina Williams makes the case for why sport climbers must train power

Stick-clipping can be a safe way to start your route. But only if you do it right.

They were trying to be safe, but in their zeal they neglected to follow three tenets of basic anchor construction.

How a legal fight between an esteemed climber and local politician in France is a harbinger of future tensions in the warming Alps.

I wrote off the potential repercussions of alcohol because I don’t identify as someone who has a drinking problem. But then I realized my performance was still being negatively impacted.

The story of the deadly avalanche in October 2022 on India’s Draupadi Ka Danda II.

Many a visitor has left our shores with crappy dacks (a quaint piece of slang meaning basically what you'd expect) after an exciting episode with this Aussie icon.

This circuit is designed to strengthen injury-prone areas and weak spots in a quick 15 minutes.

This isn’t a guide to 2024's flashiest bivy gear—although there are some instant-classics included below. This is the gear we return to time and again when we’re headed for the hills.

Plus: V13s for Shauna Coxsey; a nemesis route for Jonathan Siegrist; and hard, scary trad for Connor Herson and Brent Barghahn

The 26-year-old female was on ‘Blitzen Ridge.’

After his brother was paralyzed from the waist down, the climber was determined to make big adventures accessible for everyone.

Climbing has a weight problem, and many believe the IFSC isn’t doing enough to fix it.

After quitting climbing to join a Swiss monastery in the early 2000s, Berthod returned to Squamish with two goals.

Results and thoughts from this past weekend's Lead and Speed World Cup.

Climbing falls can be disorienting and unexpected. Why not wear a bucket?

A gym climber needed a belay, so a stranger offered to hold her rope. Literally, just held onto the rope for the belay.

Straightforward techniques for effective sloper sending

How many pitches do you climb in a year? For many of our readers it's probably close to 1,000. If you make a critical error one out of a thousand times, the outlook is bleak.

Affinity groups like Brown Girls Climbs, Queer Crush, and ParaCliffhangers worked closely with the AAC and the Yosemite Parks Service. From the start, the event was intended to be community-run.

Utilize the relaxing breath to improve on-route performance.

"When I see pads crushing bushes, small trees, and flowers, I wonder if it wouldn’t be more honest just to toprope?"

A Gen Z staffer meets an old-school climber, and the dreaded belay test ensues…  

Check out Julie Ellison's author page.

"The Roach was nonplussed about snagging the route. He didn’t apologize, nor did he brag, and he obviously had designs on other new lines. We considered chopping the bolts."

The linkup, which she nicknamed “Zamboni the Rinc,” included hard-trad benchmarks like 'The Evictor' (5.12d R) and 'Musta’ Been High' (5.13c R/X).

Only 10% of those who encounter lightning are killed, but 70% of survivors have lifelong debilitating injuries. If you've got any doubts, play it safe.

Here’s a rundown of all the World Cup action from both the lead and speed disciplines at Villars

This one will make your palms sweat.

Mugs Stump spearheaded a fast-and-light approach to alpinism during the 1970s and 1980s when siege-style expeditions were still the norm. His style was a form of artistic expression: He sought purity through simplicity.

Use these stretches as a way to balance your time hangboarding, climbing, or at home to keep your hands, wrists, fingers, and elbows strong and mobile.

In August 2007, Colorado alpinists Micah Dash and Jonny Copp made an alpine-style first ascent of the Colorado Route (1,000m, VI 5.11 M6 Cl) on the east face of the Shafat Fortress (19,500 feet) in Kashmir, India. As Dash's hilarious account testifies, some surprising things went wrong.

Whereas climbing was once a niche sport of soul seekers and dirtbags, it has transformed itself into a multi-billion dollar industry. That’s had positive and negative effects on the culture of indoor climbing, which in turn shapes the community at large.

Here's your checklist to stay injury-free out on the blocks.

Heat, ice, and contrast baths have all been touted as recovery tools. But to what extent (and when) are they effective?

A roundup of all the old gear we can’t stop using

The 22-year-old spoke with us about 'Law'—the hardest route of his career—and his desire to bolt hard new American lines.

Although the Gunks are known for spectacular moderates, the most prevalent grade is 5.10, and these seven 5.10s rank among the best.

Wright recounts that time he and Alex Honnold were sandbagged