Competition

The two climbing events will be Boulder & Lead and Speed, and the roster will expand from 40 to 68 climbers.

From November 21-25 athletes will compete in speed, bouldering, and lead for a place in the upcoming Olympic Games.

The 2020 IFSC World Cup season has concluded after one lead competition in Briançon, France.

The first—and possibly-only IFSC World Cup of 2020 made for an exciting event amidst the pandemic. It was also a bit weird.

While it appears a simple job, the routesetter is part architect, part designer, and part choreographer. Take a glimpse into what it takes to be the best at this demanding role.

Get your competition fix during the IFSC hiatus with these athlete highlights, featuring some of the most-exciting moments of the last few years.

The first person to redpoint each newly bolted route, with video evidence, wins €1,000 worth of gear.

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The university professor and mother to Kai Lightner will begin her role effective September 1, 2020.

The World Cup season will proceed with new COVID-19 measures, though the events will not count toward overall rankings due to travel restrictions.

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How this unassuming college student—and pedigreed super-climber—became the first American climber to qualify for the Olympics

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Having to wait another year for climbing to be in the Olympics is a bummer, but there are upsides to the situation.

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With Olympic buzz in the air in 2019 and 2020 (and now into 2021), manufacturers are creating a new category of climbing shoe.

“The X1 is soft enough that I can trust my feet on volumes, but not so soft that the mold of the shoe falters.”

Their performance on heel hooks and toe scums is nearly perfect—the toe-scumming patch is huge and is über-grippy.

Jaubert and Piccolruaz were awarded the IFSC's Tripartite Commission invites because no one was eligible to receive them as intended, according to the rules.

We talk to comp climbing expert John Burgman about the fallout from COVID-19 on the Olympics and World Cup season, and his new book High Drama.

Climbing fans will have to wait another year to see the sport's debut at the Tokyo games.

The 2020 Olympics have been in a state of uncertainty due to COVID-19. Now an IOC committee member says that they will not happen this year.

Ledet working at an IFSC event (photo by Christian J. Stewart)

Ledet talks about how he got involved with competition climbing, what it means to be an Olympic judge, and how he is gearing up for the historic occasion.

The decision was made " to protect the climbing community and do our part to limit the spread of the Coronavirus amongst the broader community."

The story behind the American Bouldering Series, which eventually evolved into USA Climbing's Open Bouldering National Championships.

While the Olympic Committee will decide the fate of the 2020 Summer Games in May, the IFSC has already had to start making difficult decisions due to the coronavirus.

As speculation grows that the 2020 Olympics could be cancelled or postponed due to the coronavirus, here are the five most-likely outcomes for the games.

The inclusion of climbing in the Olympics is new, but the idea dates all the way back to 1989 with several false starts before it became a reality.

After an exciting competition, two more climbers have earned Olympic berths and the US team has hit its athlete quota. Here are the best and worst moments from the event.

Percy Bishton provides a behind-the-scenes look at the route-setting process for the Tokyo Olympics, as well as the unique challenges posed by the combined format.

Norman discusses USA Climbing's newly released four-year Strategic Plan and provides an inside look at where the organization is headed.

This year's Bouldering Nationals featured breakout stars, interesting routesetting, and even some cracks. Here's the best and worst from the event.

Watch the country's best competition boulderers face off for the title of national champion.

Learn what went on behind the problems for the 2019 IFSC Boulder World Championships, with introspective interviews from the setting team.

At the second USA Climbing Combined Invitational, athletes competed for slots at the upcoming Pan-American Championships. Here's the best and worst from the event.

Based on the Olympic format, this weekend's Combined Invitational will have climbers participating in speed, bouldering, and lead events.

While many see the climbers racing up the wall as a new subset of climbing, speed climbing has been around since the earliest days of the sport.

While Adam Ondra's spot on the Olympic roster seemed, at first, like a foregone conclusion, his struggle to achieve it created a more compelling story.

A series of recent competitions, which chose to throwback the routesetting to the pre-parkour days, suggest a reverence for a bygone era.

Russian Luliia Kaplina, and any subsequent Russian climbers who qualify for the 2020 Olympics, will have to compete with a _neutral_ national affiliation. (Photo_ Eddie Fowke-IFSC)

A recent ruling will impact Russian climbers vying for Olympic berths—including Iuliia Kaplina, who has already qualified for the Games.

After she won the first two National Cup events, we caught up with Natalia about her competition career, how she improved her head game, and how she avoids burnout.