Delaney Miller

Grades were meant to guide climbers to appropriate challenges—but a new anti-grade sentiment seems to be gaining steam.

In 2021, Kai Lightner helped open a free climbing wall outside Atlanta for an underprivileged community. City officials fought to take it down.

But let's not forget the woman who really taught Letterman the ropes

The 18-year-old Texan beat the previous record twice during the qualification round at the Wujiang World Cup

She also got her first 5.14a onsight with ‘Crimptonite,’ in Oliana.

We caught up with Lightner to learn more about ‘Death of Villains,’ his training, and—after an eight year interlude—what it took to surpass what he believed to be the peak version of himself.

Was Adriene Akiko Clark "robbed" of gold, or are “rules rules”?

Everyone is different, but these training precepts seem to stick no matter who you are or what your goals are.

Miraculously, he is expected to make a full recovery

This first course opened today—it’s taught by Adam Ondra.

“There’s a pretty strong consensus from gym owners that the business side of this just doesn’t make any sense, and USA Climbing is going to bankrupt [themselves].”

“Climbers We Lost” is an annual tribute to community members we've lost in the past year.

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.

And how it might change after January 14.

Plus: Sean Bailey does Lucid Dreaming // Tomoa Narasaki flashes V16 (and downgrades to V14) // and Michaela Kiersch reveals an unlikely key to a recent success

The kid did it after just eight days of effort. Beckett joins a short list of great athletes who threw down at a young age.

NEOM, a new city project being built on Saudi Arabia’s Red Sea coast, hosted an IFSC-sanctioned competition this past November. The city has been called an ecological disaster and a violation of human rights.

“If little me could see me now and look at the body, he would probably be like, ‘There's no way he’s climbing that hard.’”

"I don’t think it felt like the hardest route I’ve ever done. … I figured adding to the conversation was better than just taking the given grade.”

Predictably, the morning’s ‘Today Show’ article led with “Jared Leto got about 30 seconds closer to Mars”

Sharma has been working the line for the past four years

It was a first of the grade for the Louisiana native

THE WEEKLY ROUNDUP: ‘Tis the season for hard sport climbing! Nicholas Milburn also made quick work of ‘Flex Luthor.’

On Sunday, October 22, Touchstone’s Hollywood Boulders management were made aware that a member of the gym had suggested that they were “strapped” with a weapon and “wanted scalps.”

THE WEEKLY ROUNDUP: Watch 'Floatin' get its third ascent. And Paige Claassen does 'Everything is Karate' (5.14c).

When dish soap and other lubricants weren’t enough, rescuers used ketamine to relax the climber’s muscles. 

“Adam Ondra: Pushing the Limits,” which will be available on November 1, opens a deeply intimate window into Ondra’s personal and competitive life. It drives home the message that getting to the top isn’t easy.

Heel hooks help you reach farther, use less energy, get your body over the lips of roofs or around corners, or simply keep your hips closer to the wall.

Kevin Junge is recuperating in the hospital after lowering off the end of his rope

She will compete in Paris alongside fellow compatriot Emma Hunt, who received her own ticket to the Games after placing second in the Bern World Championships this past August. 

Although the authorities would not confirm the exact location of the planned attack, it likely would have occurred in Smith Rock during this weekend’s Craggin’ Classic.

In back-to-back sends, Brooke and Shawn Raboutou put down ‘Box Therapy,’ in Wild Basin, RMNP. 

The climber fell 130 feet due to “equipment failure”

Vertical World and Perfect Descent manufacture settle with climber who sustained 30-foot fall 

The Neon 45 has long been a staple in Mammut’s lineup, but this year’s updated version features coated ballistic nylon on the bag’s upper.

Following the conclusion of the Speed World Championships, Hunt has secured her invitation to the 2024 Paris Games.

The bag is eloquently uncomplicated

Interestingly, the star cooler was created by a company within a country which has decidedly little to do with the cooler business

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

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. 

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.

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

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.

How to care for and extend the life of the most important piece of climbing equipment.

THE WEEKLY NEWS ROUNDUP: Austin Purdy breaks into the V16 grade; Canada's hardest-graded boulder sees a second ascent; Drew Ruana continues crushing Colorado; and Elnaz Rekabi competes for the first time since doing so without a headscarf last year.

The actor may have washboard abs and have taken the lead role of my teenage dreams, but I’m not impressed.

THE WEEKLY ROUNDUP: Dave Graham does another V16 FA; Denali gets a new speed record; Michaela Kiersch's "La Rambla" video and Will Bosi's"Burden of Dreams" video both drop.

Kaitlyn Brann, 34, was killed by rockfall on a popular route

THE WEEKLY ROUNDUP: An alpine legend pulls safety gear from Mt. Blanc’s trade route; a Ueli Steck FA in Alaska gets a second ascent after 21 years; and why Southern Smoke might just be the country's best 5.14c.

Siegrist has done other 5.15b's, but he says 'Stoking the Fire' was a whole new level for him

Barks is one of the few American climbers to have sent both V16 and 5.15. He needed just eight sessions to clip the chains.

After over a year of effort, Sharma clipped the chains on 'Sleeping Lion,' his second 5.15c. We caught up with Sharma to hear more about his process, training, and how he’s managed to balance his family, career, and climbing goals.

Taras Pona was a fierce Ukrainian patriot and an avid mountaineer. He died at the age of 50 on October 21 near Bachmut.

He was a candidate for a Master of Sport in rock climbing and he worked at Kharkiv’s climbing gym, Vertical, often volunteering to organize competitions and be a judge. At the age of 35, he died alongside his lifelong friend and fellow climber Oleksandr Zakolodny.

He was a highly accomplished climber, nicknamed the “Snow Leopard” for his seemingly effortless pace while scaling 7000- to 8000-meter peaks. 

Climbing, no matter how you define it, is hard, and however anyone chooses to go up a wall is valid. But when it comes to reporting on ascents, details are everything.

You can toss out those dryer sheets. This is your fool-proof, cheap solution for fighting stubborn shoe odor.

Last month the company discontinued its Guide Built program, letting go of over 20 athletes in the process. Who’s left? Influencers.

The author grieves for a dog that helped her find her love for climbing again, and then passed too soon.

All told, it only took about a month of using the R8 Plus (and, taking it easy on the pull-ups!) for my elbow pain to completely dissipate. 

Over the last decade, climbing gyms have become “cool.” But doesn't it feel like our community has lost something?

In doing so, she became only the second American woman to tick the grade.

With the help of digital scans, Athos is creating shoes that climbers won’t downsize.

“We know in certain sports like horse racing, where lightness is favorable, that if jockeys weigh in too low on the morning of a race, they ride with additional weights. Climbers should too.”

Mischa Ylva Ostberg’s upcycled climbing rope designs are intricate and unique. It’s easy to look at Ostberg’s designs and be overcome with nostalgia for the places you’ve been, the views you’ve seen.

HBO Max’s new show, ‘The Climb,’ airs today. 

Hesam Mousavi, a prominent rock climbing and highline instructor, was among the detainees. Climbing spoke with his ex-girlfriend, Nazanin Roshanshah, to get a better understanding of the situation.

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.

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.

Rifle Mountain Park has a history, reaching back to the canyon’s first sport climbs from the late 1980s and early 1990s, that played a critical role in the modern explosion of difficulty in American sport climbing, especially on overhanging stone.

Check out Delaney Miller's author page.

The projecting process is hard enough. Here are five mistakes I’ve personally made on more than one occasion. Do as I say and not as I do. 

Branched-chain amino acids are popular in weight rooms, but are they for climbers?

Good footwork is a skill that must be carefully cultivated. While it’s not always the most fun or flashy technique to develop, it is arguably the most helpful to upping your climbing game.

In a press release, HBO said it would be an “exploration of the human spirit.” Cheesy? You betcha. Imma stock up on popcorn now.

Hint: She loves being uncomfortable.  

22-year-old Nathaniel Masahi Takatsuno fell about 200 feet.

Footage identified of the family home shows the demolished structure. Rekabi became a symbol of the anti-regime protests after competing without her hijab.

For good measure, he capped his rampage in Spain off by flashing a 5.13b the same day.

We’ve all seen videos of pros hanging one-handed from tiny holds. But when is this something the rest of us can train? And what does the progression look like?