Skills

When they’re bad, the redpoint jitters can reach such a distracting crescendo that I’m shaky and robotic on the rock. I’ve had to learn strategies for approaching that relaxed, unattached state.

The belay had three bolts yet he only clipped one, and didn't use a single locking carabiner.

Sometimes the hardest part of climbing is not climbing.

Pelvic problems are overwhelmingly prevalent—but they do not need to be accepted as part of life.

Check out R. Bryan Simon and Seth C. Hawkins's author page.

A primer for modern-day climbers on this vanishing—but still necessary—art.

Seven tips—to work on now and continually—for mastering the nuances of falling and catching falls.

Check out Paige Claassen's author page.

Improve faster and avoid injuries by climbing just below your limit—roughly 80 percent of your maximum ability—about 90 percent of the time.

Uneven stances, hanging belays, anchors, roots and rocks your rope can snag on...belaying outside is full of hazards that aren't replicated in the gym. Here are some strategies to keep both the climber and belayer safe and secure.

Climbers do a lot of random exercises in hopes of getting more power. But the most effective thing they can do is adjust how they lift weights.

"I was belaying from a ledge high up on the wall at 2 a.m. when my partner called 'off belay.' I was so out of it that I responded by untying myself from the rope."

You can climb even harder when you get older, but you need to follow a specific training plan that balances endurance, strength, and power equally—emphasis on plan.

Climbing is hard when it's hot. But these warm-weather tactics will help you excel. Plus: Here are our 12 favorite warm-weather climbing destinations!

Improving your mental-game can be easy. Seriously.

Check out Matt Samet's author page.

We posed your top questions to our resident outdoor nudist funhog

Professional climber and coach Neil Gresham's advice for training yourself to grip holds just enough, and not so much you waste power.

If you can't use the hold, you can't do the move. If you can't do the move, you won't do the route. Nina Williams makes the case for why sport climbers must train power

They were trying to be safe, but in their zeal they neglected to follow three tenets of basic anchor construction.

This circuit is designed to strengthen injury-prone areas and weak spots in a quick 15 minutes.

A gym climber needed a belay, so a stranger offered to hold her rope. Literally, just held onto the rope for the belay.

Straightforward techniques for effective sloper sending

How many pitches do you climb in a year? For many of our readers it's probably close to 1,000. If you make a critical error one out of a thousand times, the outlook is bleak.

Utilize the relaxing breath to improve on-route performance.

Only 10% of those who encounter lightning are killed, but 70% of survivors have lifelong debilitating injuries. If you've got any doubts, play it safe.

Use these stretches as a way to balance your time hangboarding, climbing, or at home to keep your hands, wrists, fingers, and elbows strong and mobile.

Here's your checklist to stay injury-free out on the blocks.

Heat, ice, and contrast baths have all been touted as recovery tools. But to what extent (and when) are they effective?

A beginner climber is forced up a route, gets in a dangerous situation and her partner refuses to help. Should you intervene?

If you’re an aspiring trad leader, this document will provide you with more bad advice than you can shake a rack of hexes at.

Endurance isn't merely a function of fitness. The best climbers have tricks for fighting off the pump.

And how to prevent these simple mistakes.

There’s a fatal flaw to many climbers’ training regimen: monotony. Get strong by having fun.

It's easy to dismiss pinches as a grip you seldom use, but in fact you use your thumb in pinch mode more than you think. Train pinches and your overall skill and performance will improve.

The Keto diet may be all the rage, but your body needs carbs to perform optimally and be healthy.

Here are a few reasons to haul, tips on how to do it, and some cautions gleaned from years of experience.

If you’d like to add yoga to your training program, below are a few poses that open and stretch injury-prone areas.

Steve Hong, prolific first ascensionist and career dermatologist, explains the best way to heel splits, gobies, and worn tips

Achieve even strength on both sides of your upper body for harder sends

Alpine bouldering requires way more effort and consideration than a casual day at your roadside rocks.

And maybe even learning to love them.

Don’t believe that this resting exercise will improve your climbing and change your life in only 5 minutes a day? Try it for one month and get back to me.

The list of dangerous climbing acts continues to grow.

LED climbing boards have the potential to send your climbing ability skyrocketing. But only if you use ‘em right.

Accidents happen. Every climber should be able to troubleshoot difficult rappel situations, and one of the best ways is by mastering the buddy rappel.

As we age, does climbing hard go out the door? According to hard data, the answer is yes—and no.

With such a wealth of training information out there, it’s hard to know where to start. For some of us, simpler is better, as with this easy gym workout you can do solo, once or twice a week, either to maintain fitness gains or even push to the next level.

While there are numerous ways to haul and lower, we’ve outlined simple and efficient methods that are versatile for a number of situations and easy to learn by beginners and longtime climbers alike.

Heidi Wirtz, pro climber and yogi, shares 5 reasons climbers should take up yoga

Avoid these dangerous mistakes (and how to politely tell off others when their actions are unsafe)

Steep approaches, weighty loads, and full days make climbing in the alpine a serious affair. Likewise, climbers with big alpine goals should take their training seriously.

Parents love their kids and will do anything for them, including taking them toprope climbing when they don't have a clue.

Ever wanted to work your grip strength while sipping on a hot cup of joe? Take your morning multitasking to the next level by making your own climbing hold mug.

One great way to feel weak and damage your confidence or your tendons? Fail to warm up properly.

Strength training is intimidating, but trust me: If you can climb up a boulder, you can lift something heavy off the ground.

Climbing isn’t that special… physiologically, that is.

Training too hard and too much without allowing adequate rest and recovery can quickly get us into an overtraining cycle, which ultimately stunts progress.

Follow this handy flowchart to find out if you’ve earned a day off.

Learn to use your legs, because finger strength is useless on its own.

Michel Serres, mountaineer and philosopher, wrote that inhabiting the body and finding flow can serve as antidotes to our increasingly immaterial digital world. It worked for me.

What statistics can tell you about training to be a better climber.

Alongside a group of climbing-oriented phsyio students, "The Climbing Doctor" lays out how you can become your most powerful self.

Check out Kevin Corrigan's author page.

If you thought you'd seen everything, you haven't.

An ascender failure, a gear-stripping fall, a rappelling accident—Two Yosemite veterans analyze five Yosemite accidents and how they could have been prevented. (From 2017)

Why do some people take Tums for cramps while other people drink pickle juice? And why, in most cases, are bananas utterly unhelpful? 

From the print archive: "Having one leg created new balance points, and understanding them was crucial for progressing to the point where I am able to climb routes now that I wasn’t able to climb pre-accident."

Arousal regulation and mental toughness are crucial for success on climbs at your limit. Knowing when to activate your mind and how to control it takes practice, and here Justen Sjong shares his insight.

Once the training and physical preparation are done, and we’re at the crag in front of our objective, sending just isn't about strength. We have to cultivate a presence of mind, relax into our bodies, and climb at our peak of performance. All of which requires... breath.

 “Aside from knowing how to safely operate the belay devices, giving a soft catch is the most important, and least understood, aspect of great belaying.”

Will Bosi has been livestreaming his attempts on Burden of Dreams. There's a lot to talk about.

Check out this hard-won advice from one of climbing's veterans.

When considering avalanches, skiers are often the first group to come to mind. But avalanches are just as perilous for ice climbers, and perhaps more deadly. 

Project Direct coaches take a statistical dive into the strength tests and surveys of 600 climbers and find some interesting results 

No so long ago, hand jamming seemed a trad-only skill. But now jams play a crucial role in World Cup Comps and on America's first 5.15c sport route. Is it time you learned?

Her mother was "belaying" by holding on tight to the climber's end of the rope with her bare hands. The girl had the Grigri clipped to her harness with the rope running through it.

Having strength and being able to apply strength are two different things. But your training should work both.