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.

Whether you’re a climber from Southern California or from Northern Vietnam, these will probably be familiar, and they probably changed the way you do business.

Descending at maximum efficiency on long routes should include lowering techniques as well as rappelling. Here's how to make it work.

A comprehensive guide to skin care for rock climbing.

The unique way women inspire each other to climb.

Use a long cordelette or sling to create a fast, safe, and self-equalizing quad anchor

We asked 12 pros: What's the best piece of climbing advice you've received? Some of their answers are obvious, others are enlightening. But all are worthy considerations when out on the rock, plastic, or ice.

Eight routes that keep the adventure high and the difficulty manageable.

Take a look at some of the best hand-sized crack climbs across the country, from Nevada to West Virginia.

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?

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

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.

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 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.

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.

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

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.

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.

When we're in a flow state we not only climb our best but also feel our best—it doesn’t matter if we fail because we know we could not have done any better.

Michael Reardon fell while free soloing... and lived. So Did John Bachar, James Lucas, Doug Heinrich, and Ben Heason. One of the five later died soloing.

On the sharp end and otherwise at the Midwest's most storied climbing area.

Almost every climber has ambitions, but often we simply don’t know how to move forward or at what pace—and so, perhaps, we plateau. Fortunately, there are five simple ways to track your goals and encourage steady progress.

140-footers on El Cap? Check.

What do you do if you find an injured solo climber halfway up a 1,600-foot face? In the 1930s, the only option was a high-elevation piggyback ride.

Out of draws, the leader opted to hold onto the chains and untie to thread.

Where have all the dirtbags gone?

Basic exercises to increase endurance and lockoff strength

Check out Josh Larson's author page.

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In a crisis, decisive action may be the difference between life and death. Sometimes only a bystander is prepared to take that step.

It doesn’t take much to learn the basics (ice axe and crampon use, self-arresting techniques, snow hazard analysis) and unlock big new terrain for yourself.

He bought all new gear then hit the cliff with his son. Unfortunately, he hadn't learned to climb and put both their lives in danger.

Where do you find superhuman strength? If someone you love is utterly dependent on your efforts, sometimes you discover it’s already within you.

A tiny ledge three pitches off the ground. The anchor is unclipped. Your belayer has just fallen over the edge. Now what?

Everyone has heard of the distraught mother lifting a car off of her baby. But grabbing a bolt while saving a falling climber? That one is new.

Unlock hard sequences and recover with a solid kneebar.

The climbers thought they might do a variation to the Steck-Salathé and brought a bolt kit—a decision that would prove crucial.

“She’s my favorite international climbing partner,” says Kate Rutherford. "She can make ramen and tuna taste gourmet."

Belaying can strain your neck, causing a host of health issues.

Check out Dougald MacDonald's author page.

Internationally certified mountain guide Rob Coppolillo shares five ways to ensure a safer belay.

A few eureka moments, plus years of refinement, led to the tricks, tools, and techniques we take for granted when out bolt-wrasslin’ today.

Check out Cedar Wright's author page.

Check out Dougald MacDonald's author page.

Check out Katie Lambert's author page.

Check out Matt Segal's author page.

Pro climber and coach Justen Sjong teaches the basics of this powerful training tool.

Sender Films’ Pete Mortimer shares his secrets to creating fresh, exciting climbing media.

Train on a train, at a desk, in the car, in a chair, on the plane. Seriously. You'll actually see benefits.

Check out Steve House's author page.

A 5.9 climber recruits the best climbing coaches in America to see if he can jump two number grades in two months. Here’s what he learned.

The evidence that going low-carb benefits any athlete’s performance is weak, mostly anecdotal, and often driven by dogma.

An easy and nutrient-rich meal for effective recovery

How Heather Weidner learned to embrace routes that challenged her weaknesses to become a stronger, more well-rounded climber.

Check out Chris Kalman's author page.

How skinny do we really need to be to crush? Where do you draw the line between strategic dieting and an unhealthy eating disorder?

The mountains are perilous places; packing these 10 items can save your life.

Check out Laura Snider's author page.

With four first winter ascents of 8,000-meter peaks, Simone Moro has taken the art of climbing in harsh conditions to new heights, but controversy plagues his climbing résumé.

Against a background of 10,000-foot peaks, icebergs, and the vast Atlantic Ocean, local Inuit kids in East Greenland are growing up stuck somewhere between traditional ways of life and the quickly encroaching modern world. Communities struggle with record suicide, alcoholism, and abuse rates. Four Icelanders and an American asked the question: Can rock climbing help?

How an immigrant from Portugal helped create America's premier sport climbing destination.

Check out James Lucas's author page.

The classic story of the first ascent of the East Face of Moose's Tooth by climbing legends Jim Bridwell and Mugs Stump.

From better boinking to a cleaner way to fill your chalk bag, savor these tips from climbers like you.

It's too beautiful. It's not crowded enough. You're better off at your local gym.

Gyms have a lot of rules and some of them might irritate you, but speed lowering is never a good idea

Climbing your best requires finding alignment between what you eat, when you eat, and what you're trying to do.

Is it true that the most effective way to improve your climbing is to simply climb? Yes. At least up to a certain point.

Knowing the difference between good and bad bolts can save your life.

Professional mountain guide Rob Coppolillo explains four ways simul-rappelling can be unsafe and why it might not actually save time.

Check out James Lucas's author page.

Climbing is a skill sport and simply working on your technique can improve your ability more than any fingerboard workout. Here's how to style your way to the next grade.

Tired of failing on single moves because you lack the power to do them? Then this power program is for you.

Robyn Erbesfield-Raboutou's 4-week plan will prepare you for those wicked overhangs.