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Climbing Staff
My Stories
Weekend Whipper: Ripping Big Holds On His 70th Birthday
Sometimes you just have to climb on the route to see if you've cleaned it enough.
Six Proven Exercises to Chisel Your Core
Nearly every move a climber makes is based around the center of the body, the core. The stronger the core, the easier climbing becomes.
The Best Climbing Apps of 2023
Organize your spraywall! Structure your hangboard sessions! Navigate through heinous terrain! Meet partners (and PARTNERS)!
Weekend Whipper: Ripping Holds Off of 5.14 Trad
“I knew the crimp was a bit suspect, but it made the first crux flow better, so I just went for it.”
Weekend Whipper: A Reminder to Not Let the Rope Get Behind Your Leg
Seriously. It’s not pleasant.
Weekend Whipper: Why Heavier Climbers Need Ground Anchors
There’s a lot to learn from this video.
Weekend Whipper: Ripping Gear on a Patagonian Big Wall
“I got the pitch dialed but my arms were so pumped that I couldn’t quite put it together.”
Weekend Whipper: Stacking It On the World’s Most Famous Boulder
The fall is safe, at least, if a bit exciting.
Weekend Whipper: Don’t Relax Too Much When You’re This Runout
Sometimes it’s better to stay on-edge.
Weekend Whipper: Find a Secure Clipping Hold—or Else
Faced with a serious pump, this climber tried to clip in a very strenuous position.
Weekend Whipper: Need to Clear the Head? Try a Warm-Up Whip
Projecting is intimidating—especially if you’re working this airy route.
Weekend Whipper: Punching It to the Chains (Or Trying To) Over Tiny Trad Gear
Their commitment, at least, deserves high praise.
Weekend Whipper: The Perils of Stick-Clipping
Stick-clipping can be a safe way to start your route. But only if you do it right.
Weekend Whipper: Here’s What Happens When You Catch Your Foot Behind the Rope
Climbing falls can be disorienting and unexpected. Why not wear a bucket?
Weekend Whipper: Poor Cam Placement Nearly Spells Disaster
This one will make your palms sweat.
Weekend Whipper: Be Mindful of the Polished Classics!
What was once grippy, clean stone can devolve to a soapy mess.
Weekend Whipper: Over-Confident Belayer Gives Uninspiring Catch
There’s plenty to learn from this one.
Weekend Whipper: Crack-climbing Sport Climber Leans Into the Stereotype
Laybacking cracks works well—until it doesn’t.
Weekend Whipper: A Valuable Lesson for the Belayers Among Us
Critiques are tough—but so is belaying. Here’s to approaching both with caution.
Weekend Whipper: Wet Rock, Extended Cams, and Big Airtime
He was feeling good but the rock was not—it had rained the day before and the water-streaked wall still held plenty of moisture.
Weekend Whipper: Ice Climber Decks In Spite of Dad’s Advice
We’ll concede: the climber did some things right. But it didn’t matter in the end.
Weekend Whipper: A Miscalculated Dyno on a Red Rock Classic
He lined up for the famous move and launched with gumption, only to latch the edge’s chalky outer rim and face the music of his momentum.
Weekend Whipper: Teeny Tiny Cam Prevents 100-foot Fall
Just moments before, the climber had been cruising along a section of mellow terrain and hadn’t felt the need to place much pro at all.
Weekend Whipper: Huge Air Time in El Salto, Mexico
The climber logged nothing but air miles thanks to the cave’s steepness, and called her whip “the craziest air I’ve ever had.”
Weekend Whipper: Sport Climber Snaps Off Massive Stalactite Onto His Chest
This week’s whipper is a reminder that geologic time includes now.
Another 5.15b FA for Seb Bouin
Bouin had one of the greatest years of sport climbing on record last year, making the first ascent of DNA (5.15d), Nordic Marathon (5.15b/c), and Suprême Jumbo Love (5.15c), and repeating Change (5.15c), Jumbo Love (5.15b), and Iron Curtain (5.15a).
Weekend Whipper: Swinging Trad Fall on Stout Rockies Mixed Climb
This climber knew “the fall would be clean” so committed to running out the crux. He almost made it.
After Fleeing From Afghanistan, These Women Are Finding New Community in Yosemite
Patagonia’s new film, ‘Ascend’, follows three women who escaped from the Taliban and rediscovered climbing and community in Yosemite
Weekend Whipper: Warrior Calls Erupt From the Red
A Goldilocks catch: soft, airy, and just right.
Weekend Whipper: Dumb Luck Keeps This Climber Intact
How did he get away with that?
The Best Climbing Movies Streaming Online Right Now
An incomplete (but very long) list of the best films streaming online right now, organized by streaming service. Updated March 22, 2023.
Ukrainian Climbers We Lost
We’ve endeavored to recognize the climbers who lost their lives in the war effort
Weekend Whipper: Climber Decks Trying to Clip Anchor. (He’s OK)
“He was completely fine, in a shock to us all.”
Weekend Whipper: Ice Climber Falls With Rope Between Legs—Mid Figure Four
Lesson learned: “Clip the rope as soon as possible and don't do a figure four with the rope between the legs.”
New Sends We Cared About: FA’s of a V15 and One of the World’s Hardest Trad Routes; Bolger Sends Another 5.15a
Here are the coolest new lines (and repeats) of late.
Weekend Whipper: Have You Ever “Forgotten” You Were on Lead?
We haven’t heard this one before.
New Sends We Cared About: One of Patagonia’s Hardest Free Routes Gets an FA (and more)
Here are the coolest new routes (and repeats) of late.
Weekend Whipper: Big Fall Off One of the World’s Hardest Trad Routes
The video picks up as Pearson half-crimps some miserable sandstone divots, trying to punch it to the arête.
Weekend Whipper: Light Belayer Serves Up Soft Decking
No hate on the belayer here—just a cautionary tale.
Weekend Whipper: Why Belayers Should Always Wear a Helmet
“Neither of us anticipated that I would fall to the height her head was … and absolutely boot her into the edge of a flake.”
Weekend Whipper: Steel Perma Draw Snaps at the Red
Just because the rock is bomber doesn’t mean the fixed gear is.
Weekend Whipper: Blood-curdling Scream Down Razor Arête
One very real concern, the filmer said, was the climber’s rope cutting over the sharp ironstone edge.
Weekend Whipper: Greasing Off a Classic Indian Creek Layback
Second Choice (5.11) is a striking splitter with its steepest moves near the top.
Weekend Whipper: Skipped Clip Sends Climber For Inverted Ride
“Woo was pretty pumped and fixated on the final hard sequence. He forgot to clip the bolt, did the moves, and then slipped off.”
Weekend Whipper: Climber Fumbles Clip, Nearly Splinters into Tree
Many sport pitches can be fallen from with abandon. Not this one.
Weekend Whipper: Climber “Forgets” to Clip Second Bolt, Sweeps Across the Deck
The climber, miraculously, walks away without a scratch.
Dreaming of Front Levers? Here’s How to Do One
Even if caves and steep routes aren't your thing, one can never have enough core strength.
Weekend Whipper: Broken Hold Causes Ragdoll Down Slab
“The movement was fun—until it wasn't anymore.”
Weekend Whipper: An ‘Oh-sh*t’ Downclimb Goes Wrong
Most whippees are on their way up before they hurtle down. But that’s not always the case.
Watch Favresse, Villanueva Explore Remote Greenland Big Walls
The “Dodo’s Delight” crew is back for more sail-to-climb adventures, this time on the east coast of Greenland.
Start Your Next Session Right With This 5-Minute Warmup
A proper warmup will help you make the most of your climbing session and prevent long- and short-term injuries. Here's how to get started.
Weekend Whipper: Newly Minted Leader Wanders Off Route, Nearly Decks
“I realized there was no foothold to move across to the bolt and I took a 30-foot whip, face down, one-foot from the ground.”
An Incomplete List of Yvon Chouinard’s Greatest Climbs
From the archive: an incomplete list of classic routes climbed by our sport's wealthiest (at least until he gave his fortune away) and second most famous (though actually he may rival the Honnold in overall name recognition) dirtbag.
Weekend Whipper: Butt-burning Fall With a Pocket Knife in Tow—Yikes!
“Needless to say I lowered off to check if any icing was taken off the cake.”
Jacopo Larcher Claims Third Ascent of “Meltdown” (5.14c)
"What Beth did in 2008... was way ahead of the times"
Weekend Whipper: Bold Arete Leads to Harsh Deck
Return of the Jedi is found in an abandoned gritstone quarry in the Peak District and is an unmistakable line: a sharpened prow that is intimidatingly tall and “that requires quite a few pads to make safe.”
Nine Tips to Keep Your Endurance This Winter
Sport climbing trip coming up? Dreams of long trad routes? Here are 9 tips to help you achieve your rope-stretching, enduro-climbing goals.
Weekend Whipper: Soaring Trad Fall From 400 Feet Up
The filmer breaks down exactly what happened—and what went wrong.
Weekend Whipper: Going for Broke on 5.13- Trad FA
'Love as a Weapon' is a stiff new route in Squamish, BC.
Weekend Whipper: Cheese-grater Slab Will Make You Wince
Those “easy sends” can still leave a mark.
Will Bosi Claims the Third Ascent of ‘Alphane.’ He’s Reluctant to Confirm the Grade
“I personally felt that ‘Honey Badger’ (V16) was more of a challenge for me.”
Weekend Whipper: Sharp Reflexes Keep This Climber Off the Deck
Some say the most dangerous section of a sport climb is between the second and third bolts.
Watch Seb Bouin do Hard FAs on French Alpine Limestone
Surprise, surprise, France has yet another barely-touched limestone mecca.
We Stand With Elnaz Rekabi
In not wearing her hijab, Elnaz Rekabi has become a symbol for the anti-regime movement. We hope she is safe and that her wellbeing is unthreatened, but we fear the worst.
Weekend Whipper: Climber Rips Gear—Wait, Was That a Bolt?
That could have been a lot worse.
Sneak Peek of Three New Climbing Shoes (and other Gear)
New goodies are coming to the market soon!
Weekend Whipper: If You’re Scared of Runout Mantels, Don’t Watch This
"The [route] description ironically says something like 'Don't blow the mantle at the top...' "
Weekend Whipper: Two Nuts Rip, a Third Unclips. Climber Decks.
This one's got to hurt.
Weekend Whipper: This Gear-ripper Is Good, Clean Fun
About as clean as any gear-ripper can be, anyway.
Weekend Whipper: Jumping Off 5.13 R—“I Wasn’t Ready Yet!”
"It took me a few attempts of climbing higher and higher above the last two pieces to eventually feel confident to commit to the final runout."
Weekend Whipper: Clipping Ledges By the Sea
Did anyone else feel their ankle snap just watching that? No? Just us? No matter—the climber, Maissa, is A-OK.
Weekend Whipper: Belayer Gives a Soft Catch…and Hoses Himself
This belayer had the best of intentions. At least the only victim was himself—and his lawn chair.
Weekend Whipper: Zippering “Piece After Piece” on Seldom-climbed 5.13
"Other than almost decking this is a phenomenal route."
Weekend Whipper: Leader Nearly Eats Loose Block on J-Tree Sport Climb
Steep, sandy jugs—what could be better?
Weekend Whipper: Even “Bomber” Gear Has Its Limits
A small cam provided a secure catch for five sessions. The #0.2 was bomber, until it wasn't.
Will Bosi Joins the V16 Club with First Ascent of “Honey Badger”
The Scottish climber has just opened what may be one of three V16s in the UK.
Weekend Whipper: Bolt Hanger Falls Off—With the Climber Attached
Who said sport climbers can't take gear rippers?
Think You Know Your Climbing Terms? Take This Quiz and Find Out.
Climbing is a jargon-filled sport. And sometimes the jargon isn't even a complete word—it's an abbreviation.