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Sandbag: (noun) A route of substantially elevated difficulty in comparison to others of the same grade. (verb) To suggest a route of such character to a friend.

Want to enhance your rappelling skillset? Build better anchors? Perfect your gear placements? Crush your first multi-pitch?

Slopers may be harder to use than edges, but a climber can learn and practice how to use them, and the knowledge is part of being versatile and able to climb anywhere. Sooner or later, you will encounter them.

Seventy years ago, a woman climber-writer created a gritty, gifted, slum-born character.

Climbing gyms are great. But you can also train for climbing by climbing outside. Here are eight tips from veteran crusher Chris Schulte.

Training produces harmful free radicals. Counter them with antioxidants.

Kiersch topped her longest ever bouldering project and Puccio follows.

Athletes need a space to train. Kimanda Jarzebiak provides that, plus, everything else.

There are two miracles in this week's whipper: 1) He survived. 2) He caught the fall on video.

Just a few of the partner-wanted ads you'll likely see at your local gym.

Just who climbs a route first is nuanced, and with big money at stake the lines between success and failure have gotten fuzzier.

Until Gill came along bouldering was regarded as a leisure activity. He brought it front and center, legitimizing what is today perhaps climbing's most popular discipline.

Some climbers wait to attempt famous free routes until they’re good enough to do them in perfect style. But what if you are never that good? Purists would say you should stay off the climb—leave it for those who have the necessary strength and talent. I say go for it, with a few points of A0.

Sughra Yazdani fled the fall of Afghanistan in late 2021. A climber and involved community leader, her evacuation was made possible by Afghanistan Ascend, Leadership Through Athletics, a not-for-profit female climbing organization. Now, Yazdani hopes to pursue higher education here in the states.

Check out Delaney Miller's author page.

Mammut is one of the premier manufacturers of climbing gear. Right now, Backcountry.com is featuring a ton of Mammut gear for huge discounts, selling everything from ropes to harnesses to packs and more.

A longtime Everest chronicler looks at how much it actually costs to climb Mount Everest, where the money goes, and how costs vary by expedition type (and swankiness).

Check out Emily Ipsen BS CHN CNTP & MNT's author page.

Check out Frederick Dreier's author page.

The 33-year-old made the fourth ascent of Magic Line after first trying it in 2016.

1:00 a.m., on the way back from the Mountain Room Bar, wet rock after a rain. What could go wrong?

Hangboard training is one of the most efficient, effective ways to improve finger strength. Here's how to get started, safely and in good style.

The fearless American free soloist brought climbing into the limelight, and upped the risk ante so high it may never be surpassed.

The following photos provide a glimpse into the evolution of Yosemite's climbing scene, including pioneers like Royal Robbins and Warren Harding, as well as present-day badasses like Alex Honnold.

Girls weren't even allowed to use the local climbing wall. She fought for her access, and then made her way to the world stage.

We all seem to have some notion, likely passed on by a mentor or seen in a climbing video, of how long to rest between boulder problems or pitches, especially at max effort. But do these “tried and true” rules really hold up? And could we be resting smarter?

Growing numbers of hikers, bikers, and skiers are leaving Colorado SAR teams strapped. One new study offers some radical ideas

The UIAA takes a stand against Russian aggression in Eastern Europe.

Most climbers think that being good at onsighting means being good at improvising beta and hanging on for the ride. But the world's best don't just rely solely on improvisation: they map the route beforehand, from the ground.

Upper-body work is the backbone of climbing training, but an inobvious key to success could be stronger legs.

Ian Powell, hold shaper, recounts how art and addiction impacted his life. He was one of the best in the industry; then he went to prison. 11 years free, he's since changed the industry, again.

James Pearson couldn't be bothered to clip the bolt at his waist, and he logged some serious air miles while climbing above 13,000 feet.

Granite. Climbers love it, even as it tears their flesh, steals their gear, and makes them feel oh-so-small. You know how granite feels under your hands and feet, how it smells, and the way it turns to gold in the last light of day, but here are a few things you probably didn't know.

One of climbing's long-time pioneers, gear inventor and out-of-the-box thinker paved the way for modern competition, mixed and ice climbing.

Kai Lightner's foundation, Climbing for Change, partnered with Kevin Jorgeson and 1Climb to build a climbing wall in College Park, Georgia.

Insulated with kapok and with a recycled nylon shell, this jacket gets the thumbs up for being earth friendly—and versatile.

“An Accidental Life,” streaming from the Big Sky Documentary Film Festival 2022 until February 26, tells the story of an accomplished big wall climber who was paralyzed by a 120-foot fall on the Nose, in Yosemite, in 2017.

These all-too-common climbing mistakes could kill you, hurt you, beat you down, delay your send, or ruin your reputation.

Becoming a pescatarian, or replacing much of a red-meat diet with fish, has numerous benefits for climbers.

Pro climber Ned Feehally’s new book, Beastmaking: A fingers-first approach to becoming a better climber, has everything you need to know about training for climbing.

Check out Climbing Editors's author page.

The 200-page compendium highlights lesser-known crags in 50 countries around the world.

Solid on 5.9 gear routes? Ready for the greatest adventure of your life? From hauling to lower-outs and poop tubes, our step-by-step guide will show you the way.

Upcoming novel explores a great climbing partnership, a calamity, and the effects of loss on two different people.

The film follows the journey of an injured climber, Jim Ewing, guided by a climber-amputee, Hugh Herr, an MIT biophysicist who works with brain-controlled prosthetic limbs.

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.

Soudain Seul is the hardest problem in Fontainebleau. But it's unclear how hard it actually is.

Went too hard on your Saturday redpoint burn? Feeling too sore for another attempt on Sunday? Turn the second-day-on blues into pain-free sending prowess with a few minutes of yoga.

Rappelling in alpine terrain can be the crux of big routes. Stuck ropes, high winds, leaving gear... a lot can go wrong. Here are five tips to stack your odds.

The Colorado-based alpinist was 400 feet up The Ribbon when an avalanche released. He caught the ensuing moments on video.

Campusing has clear benefits for improved contact strength and explosive arm power. Here's how to get started.

Climb and stay injury free by following the doctor's advice.

At a glance, you’d think that these guys and girls might climb on a different planet than you do, yet a closer inspection may surprise you.

Bickering goes bad—way bad—at Red Rocks.

Climbing caught up with Jonathan Siegrist to talk about his sends, his training tips, and the importance of downgrading.

This Weekend Whipper isn't gory or violent, rather it's a reminder that lead falls can be simply awkward, graceless moments.

Check out Owen Clarke's author page.

Following his self-amputation and recovery, Ralston became a motivational speaker and continued climbing. Among other accomplishments, in 2005 Ralston became the first person to summit all of Colorado’s 14,000-foot peaks alone and in winter.  

The double bowline gets a bad rap—here's how to use it correctly

First published in 1994, this interview with the late Jim Bridwell runs the gamut: aid routes, alpinism, fast free climbs, vivid dreams, Patagonia, sport climbing, and more.

Author Alison Osius, a senior editor at Climbing, has been climbing hard and writing about it for decades. Here are five crucial things she's learned.

It may be President's Day Weekend now, but spring break is right around the corner. And for many young climbers, that means a trip to Bishop or Red Rocks, the Red or the New, or just your local crag. So we've put together a list of backcountry's best deals on bouldering and sport climbing gear. Go forth and crush.

Visualization techniques for improving recovery and pushing limits.

In the new climbing thriller, The Ledge, lead actress Brittany Ashworth must out-climb a group of murderers to the summit. Eventually, they’re at a standoff between two ledges. 

The writer and stonemaster John Long dives into the lore (and his own experiences) on his favorite 5.10: The East Buttress of El Cap

Boulders in Big Bend, near Moab, were defaced with grease over the weekend. Cleanup efforts are underway. 

At an age when most kids are playing Qwirkle, these two have their Mixed Game on and are leading the way.

Step-by-step tutorials and uses cases for the figure-8, prusik, clove hitch, munter hitch, and more

They say you can’t teach old dogs new tricks, but I found this amazing rope-cleaning hack that gets rid of washing-machine rope tangles.

Suit up for all manner of mountain mayhem with the finest down gear in the business

How one photographer got the perfect shot, plus his tips for seeing this phenomenon in 2025 and taking your own epic pic

A true master of rock, Tommy Caldwell reflects on his mega-project, the Dawn Wall, as well as having a family, being captured in Kyrgyzstan, and a lifetime spent climbing at the highest level.

We may think that because we participate in a physically difficult sport that vitamins will help make up for high output. Think again.

The causes of climbing injuries often fall into predictable patterns, and are preventable by taking a few simple precautions.

Eddie Taylor, a member of the Full Circle Expedition, just became the first black climber to free a Zion classic, Moonlight Buttress.

If you can do a one-arm (or ten) but only boulder V7, it's time to train the technical side of climbing.

While climbing Alaska’s Eagle Peak, Joe Yelverton’s life changed in a single moment. His account of the experience won Outside's inaugural survival-stories essay contest.

Check out The Editors's author page.

Ditch the treadmill. The Airofit respiratory trainer will boost your cardio for your proj. 

A comprehensive analysis of 30 years worth of data of climbing accidents recorded in Accidents in North American Climbing.