Remembering Michael Reardon, the free soloist, husband, father, and free spirit who passed away on July 13, 2007, after being swept away by a rogue wave.

157 years ago, today, the Matterhorn saw its first ascent. To celebrate that fact, we present 10 fun facts about Europe’s most famous summit.

ANSWER MAN knows climbing. (And he knows it.) Here he answers three questions: (1) when can you excavate landing zones? (2) What are best practices for simul climbing? (3) What's the best thing to do when you find old tat on a route?

Addiction. Encounters with death. The weight of everything, including happiness. Here are five personal essays about the intersection of climbing and dark manifestations.

Alex Honnold's free solo of El Capitan did not occur in a bubble of solitude and inspiration. In this archive piece, originally published shortly after Honnold's ascent, James Lucas dives into the story (and backstory) of Honnold's path to Freerider.

This guy had his partner lower him but she wasn't anchored. Luckily a guide was nearby to intervene.

Michaela Kiersch discusses the importance of running, weight lifting, and injury prevention exercises to her training regimen.

Progressing from weekend cragging to long alpine routes can be intimidating for anyone, even strong and competent traditional climbers.

The tougher you are mentally, the easier tough things will feel and the quicker you can recalibrate in the face of adversity.

Eight tips for climbing safely in loose terrain.

The guide was right about the loose boulder, but wrong to jiggle it.

This guy used 27 pieces of gear for one anchor, and that wasn't his only mistake.

Rappelling is one of climbing's most dangerous acts. Mark Synnott, through decades of experience, has figured out various techniques he learned the hard way so you don't have to.

High-gravity days aren't sourceless malignancies; they have causes, which means they have solutions.

Check out David Flanagan's author page.

This six-week program will hone you to climb the classics, whether it's a mountain, wall or long free route.

Always thread the rope through the anchor, not around it.

A directional is a piece of gear, be it a bolt or a cam or a nut, that places your climbing rope in the most appropriate location for zigs and zags on a climb.

When the wall kicks back past vertical, the pump clock starts ticking. It’s all about getting to the chains before that alarm goes off.

One of the easiest ways to improve as a climber is to get comfortable falling. It just takes some incremental practice.

This isn't a guide to 2022's newest approach shoes—it's the pairs we return to time and again.

If a nearby climber hadn't intervened the outcome could have been a disaster.

We tapped eight professional pullers from a variety of disciplines and backgrounds to compile a list of the best training advice for all of us regular folks.

A climbing gym isn't your home, so exactly what is cool and not cool to do there?

Getting pumped on a grade that within your limits? Then you lack Local Endurance. The good news is this simple training plan will address that weakness and have you hanging on virtually forever.

Climbing takes power, endurance and technique. Here's a simple step-by-step program that's concise, easy to follow and will have you climbing your best practically today.

They figured they knew enough about climbing to wing it, but took a dangerous risk that could have cost them.

Here are our six keys to master-class slab climbing.

A triple package of climbing blunders, near misses and outright stupidity.

Use these methods for better rappelling—and rap backups.

There are small, basic steps you can take toward epic avoidance, especially on long alpine routes. Here are seven tips.

Check out Paul Tusting's author page.

How To Prepare For Climbing Emergency Rescue Precautions Safety Tips

Bad form all the way around, and not the safest/smartest maneuver.

Might as well be soloing with this belayer completely out to lunch.

They needed to be prepared for disaster. Fortunately, a real climber stepped in.

I took Six Weeks To Stronger Fingers And ... It Worked. Check it out.

Nothing is more frustrating than falling because your foot slipped. Here's how to avoid it.

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.

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.

“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.

With public land managers clued in to the existence of us Pad People, it’s time to start bouldering smart and reducing impact.

A tossed rock and a lost belay would have killed this leader if not for a miraculous landing among the boulders.

He didn't know how to pass a knot toproping with two ropes tied together, so he just took her off belay.

Or ... should your fingers be soft for the best stickage?

The why, when, and how to shaking off the pump.

A true story that could have ended any number of ways.

Trying to turn that Grade VI into a mere 12-hour climb? Or just looking to make a 6-pitcher a feasible after-work feat? Proper strategy and preparation are crucial.

In the 1920s, British climbers carried pebbles in their pockets, slotting them into cracks and tying them off (with hemp cord) for pro.

If you've got young ones, that doesn't mean your climbing days are behind you.

Head trauma is among the most feared and catastrophic injuries in climbing. So why aren't more rock climbers wearing helmets?

Learn the safest methods for toprope belaying. If you're new to rock climbing, this will lay the foundation for future belaying skills.

Pro climber Nina Williams shares 4 competition climbing tips.

Thou shalt read this and do as I sayeth

Don't assume that because someone can climb hard that they are good belayers.

Climbing gyms make fantastic training and practice environments, but they also reward some bad habits that can be downright unsafe outside. Jump-start your transition to outdoor master by avoiding these five common mistakes.

Whether you’re seeking out pods and pin scars in Yosemite, tackling the blissful parallels of Indian Creek, or just trying not to blow your chances in your next bouldering comp, we’ve compiled tricks of the trade that will open up a whole new world of crack climbing.

Climbing your best and most efficiently isn't just about using your hands and feet.

Whether you’re already an offwidth fan or are ready to face your fears, check out this list for some of our favorites.

Directly linked to mental composure (hence technique) under duress, physical fitness, and your ability to recover, your heart rate is the engine driving your rock climbing. No surprise, then, that training with a heart-rate monitor (HRM) can be hugely beneficial.

Being up high in bad weather is both dangerous and... well... kind of inevitable. Here's what to do when it happens to you.

How do you train specifically for your route? There are tactics to employ both on and off route.

Check out Dr. Jared Vagy's author page.

This versatile hitch has a myriad uses. Here's yet another one.

Flash pump is real and terrible and can ruin your climbing day. And while the best way to get around flash pump is to avoid it (i.e. warm up), there are tricks to salvaging your post-flash-pump climbing day.

Internationally certified mountain guide Marc Chauvin gives a simple solution for addressing tangles and chaos during leader switches on multi-pitch climbs.

Send more routes first go with savvy planning and execution.

How long, how much, how often — everyone has an opinion. Here's how to get the most out of your training.

Failing on a route often comes down to beating the pump. Take these four exercises to heart and slay the demon.

Want to increase your maximum strength and power? Would you like to feel stronger on small handholds and increase your prowess on dynamic moves? Are you stuck in a performance plateau and need a boost to surmount it?

Everything you need to know about this faster version of climbing.

Ever wonder how the B-Scale relates to the V-scale relates to the Fb scale relates to the Dankyū system? We've got answers. And some history lessons.

Looking to bring a new angle to your hand- and finger-strength training? Then try these fast, simple, effective putty exercises, which will hone the smaller, hard-to-train muscles in your hands and fingers and help with injury recovery.

While it certainly helps to climb 5.15, you don’t actually have to.

Prevent injuries bouldering by learning to fall, place pads, spot, and customize landing zones.

So how does that pink V5 in the gym’s corner stack up against outdoor boulders?

Check out Rich Crowder's author page.

The balancing act of choosing home wall holds, according to one rain-soaked Oregon climber.

Check out Rich Crowder's author page.