Cover: Lauren Lee goes with the flow on Le Bluebard de la Glaciere (8a), La Piscineta, Rodellar, Spain. Photo by Keith Ladzinski

FEATURES

GALLERY Supercracks from Squamish and Smith, and dyno hand drilling... ground up, on lead!

KING OF KINGS Chris Sharma put up Realization, the world’s first real-deal 5.15a, six years ago, cementing his status as a 21st century climbing icon. But he’s nothing if not human. Climbing sits down for Sharma’s most candid Q & A yet. By Fitz Cahall Photos by Corey Rich

TALES OF THE UNRULY We’ve all heard them, those campfire stories that seem too out there to believe, but are they true? Climbing goes inside the vertical world’s Top 10 “urban legends.” By Whitney Boland and Dougald MacDonald Illustrations by Keith Svihovec

NEW DIMENSIONS Welcome to Rodellar, the limestone mecca in northern Spain exploding standards with its rowdy, three-dimensional tufa climbing... and a king’s ransom of untapped caves. By Abbey Smith Photos by Keith Ladzinski

BANISHED! Gym season is upon us, as are the crozzly characters who haunt the chalky depths. Here’s how to survive. By Michael Kennard Illustration by Mike Tea

GATEFOLD COVER

DEPARTMENTS

CONTRIBUTORS Ian McEleney and Bernadette Regan, Cheryl Raether, Corey Rich, Michael Kennard: words (and photos), words, photos, words...

EDITORIAL A chilly intervention with the “World Dyno Record”

LETTERS

BASECAMP HOT FLASHES OFF THE WALL JUST OUT TEN THINGS WHIPPED ROADKILL SUSTAINED

EQUIPMENT Plug your digits into something that’ll make you mad strong — nine of the industry’s leading fingerboards, as real-world tested at The Spot gym.

CLASSIC CLIMBS Dark Shadows (5.8-), Pine Creek Canyon, Nevada: sucream sandstone a stone’s throw from the Strip

TECH TIPS Sport: Strong, like boulderer — whip yourself into hangboard-ready fitness Training: Pill power — a climber’s guide to supplements

PERSPECTIVE Johnny Dawes: climber, author, artist, teacher, thinker