Culture

Katie Lamb has racked up one of the most impressive bouldering ticklists of all time. But who is she?

The 32-year-old American has over 30 V15 sends and several V16 first ascents.

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.

Check out Delaney Miller's author page.

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.

Seventy years ago, a woman climber-writer created a gritty, gifted, slum-born character.

Athletes need a space to train. Kimanda Jarzebiak provides that, plus, everything else.

Just a few of the partner-wanted ads you'll likely see at your local gym.

Just who climbs a route first is nuanced, and with big money at stake the lines between success and failure have gotten fuzzier.

Until Gill came along bouldering was regarded as a leisure activity. He brought it front and center, legitimizing what is today perhaps climbing's most popular discipline.

Sughra Yazdani fled the fall of Afghanistan in late 2021. A climber and involved community leader, her evacuation was made possible by Afghanistan Ascend, Leadership Through Athletics, a not-for-profit female climbing organization. Now, Yazdani hopes to pursue higher education here in the states.

1:00 a.m., on the way back from the Mountain Room Bar, wet rock after a rain. What could go wrong?

The fearless American free soloist brought climbing into the limelight, and upped the risk ante so high it may never be surpassed.

Girls weren't even allowed to use the local climbing wall. She fought for her access, and then made her way to the world stage.

Ian Powell, hold shaper, recounts how art and addiction impacted his life. He was one of the best in the industry; then he went to prison. 11 years free, he's since changed the industry, again.

One of climbing's long-time pioneers, gear inventor and out-of-the-box thinker paved the way for modern competition, mixed and ice climbing.

He made the first attempts on K2 and Kanchenjunga, and was a visionary rock climber putting up difficult routes in the late 1800s, but his climbing later took a backseat to his unsavory reputation as an occultist and sex fiend.

Bickering goes bad—way bad—at Red Rocks.

Following his self-amputation and recovery, Ralston became a motivational speaker and continued climbing. Among other accomplishments, in 2005 Ralston became the first person to summit all of Colorado’s 14,000-foot peaks alone and in winter.  

First published in 1994, this interview with the late Jim Bridwell runs the gamut: aid routes, alpinism, fast free climbs, vivid dreams, Patagonia, sport climbing, and more.

A true master of rock, Tommy Caldwell reflects on his mega-project, the Dawn Wall, as well as having a family, being captured in Kyrgyzstan, and a lifetime spent climbing at the highest level.

Eddie Taylor, a member of the Full Circle Expedition, just became the first black climber to free a Zion classic, Moonlight Buttress.

While climbing Alaska’s Eagle Peak, Joe Yelverton’s life changed in a single moment. His account of the experience won Outside's inaugural survival-stories essay contest.

Ennis is a very strategic climber, who "runs hot" due to her amputation, yet must avoid any situation of waiting lest she incur frostbite due to cold transfer from the materials in her prosthetic, and lose any more of her femur.

Check out Gabrielle Tourtellotte's author page.

Knee pads, better shoes, better chalk, internet beta, and other reasons you might be tempted to downgrade a climb.

Full Circle, the first all-Black expedition to Mount Everest, is slated for Spring 2022. Its members consist of 10 Americans and one… Kenyan. How did he get there?  

The author was just 16 and a rookie climber when he was invited by a climbing legend to partner with him for a big north-face ascent in the Dolomites. "I'm the luckiest boy in the world," thought the author. He'd soon regret those words.

Climbers and gamers share a lot of the same qualities: obsessiveness, dedication, hours spent avoiding real life, a propensity for tantrums and unnecessary insults, poor social skills… Which got me to thinking: Why don’t climbers import gaming terms into our lingo, to freshen up our slang?

The cave divers are reminiscent of climbers, in their focus and individuality, and they have an unimaginable task. Then, amid the film of this critical operation, onto the screen appears a longtime climber, Josh Morris, one of six climbers from different countries who played key roles in the mission.

With a record number of climbers heading outdoors, it’s more important than ever to keep a low profile at the boulder field. Here’s how to bring it up without killing the stoke.

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.

The U.K. comp-climber Molly Thompson-Smith struggled with being known as just a plastic puller.

Check out Sheny Benzesh's author page.

The Ukrainian-born author grew up in the shadow of the Chernobyl disaster. Plagued by childhood sickness he immigrated to the U.S. with his parents where he pulled himself out of poverty, graduated from nursing school and got hooked on climbing, becoming one of the greatest all-around soloists of all time. Alone, he met his match in the High Sierra.

Check out Owen Clarke's author page.

Finding balance between climbing and "life" is difficult. Pro climber Michaela Kiersch learned how to do it early in her career.

The Kiwi alpinist Pat Deavoll was just below the summit of Alaska's Peak 11,520 when the whole face around her cut loose. It was the beginning of the ordeal of a lifetime.

"In a community that’s fixated on optimizing health and performance, I was heartbroken to realize how many people were barely hanging on."

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.

Tired of bickering over climbing grades? Then check out this new, streamlined rating system.

Guided by Herman Buhl's famous "truisms," a young John Long gets into a ropeless jam high on Tahquitz Rock.

The Slovenian is one of the most dominant competition climbers of all time. Fresh off winning Olympic sport-climbing gold, she has her eye on the next prize.

60, legendary Southwest climber. FA’ed thousands of boulders up to V10; free-soloed Fainting Imam (trad 5.13a; later 5.12c/d), Dreamscape (5.12a), La Espina (5.12a), Cochiti Mesa, New Mexico. Gifted skier, cyclist. Teacher, lives near Beijing; married.

Check out Owen Clarke's author page.

Check out Owen Clarke's author page.

Fred Beckey was one of America’s most accomplished and celebrated climbers. During his 77-year career he has made hundreds of first ascents, including routes on Denali, Devils Thumb, Mount Hood, Mount Edith Cavell, Mount Hooker, Mount Deborah, Devils Tower, and, of course, the celebrated Beckey/Chouinard on the South Howser Tower in the Bugaboos. He was the author of eight books including the popular Cascade Alpine Guide series. This feature originally appeared in Rock and Ice.

Pavitra Vandenhoven was adopted by a Belgian family at the age of five. It set off her climbing dream that has today led to two World Cup golds.

Climbing has long celebrated hard drinking and drugs. Many climbers become lifelong alcoholics and addicts and their families, friends and climbing partners bear the high price. One of climbing's most iconic figures fell into the pit, but pulled himself out and now has an important lesson every climber should read.

Irene Yee (she/her), a climber of eight years, breaks down barriers through her photography. She reflects on our community, privilege, and what it means to be loud.

At some point in your climbing path–no matter who you are–you’ll likely become entangled in the trap of endless expectation, peer comparison, and the insidious need to always get better. Here’s how to overcome that and actually enjoy climbing again.

Specters, “third men,” and otherworldly encounters... Are they trying to tell us something?

Paddle dynos, white claws, and a slew of LET'S GO!!!'s. The next generation of climbers is ruining the culture.

Affinity groups provide community for BIPOC climbers. But are they sustainable?

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.

Inventor of the Armaid, opera singer, massage therapist and professional deep-sea diver.

Friends and family all seem to have a Mason story, and all laugh while telling them. But beyond the laughs, those close to him remember his kindness. 

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.

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.

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. This week we highlight a representative cross-section, one a day.

“Climbers We Lost” is an annual tribute to community members we've lost in the past year. Clark Jacobs, age 67, was one of those climbers.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

He was the kind of guy you want to be with in climbing: curious, patient, and focused, with a love for the outdoors.

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.

An early protagonist for Crane Mountain, Indian Lake Region, and initiator of the second Annual Southern Adirondack Rockclimbers' Festival.

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.

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.