In a world where chaos often feels like the new normal and stress seems to be an unwelcome companion on our daily journey, it's no wonder that mental health concerns are on the rise. According to the American Psychological Association's October 2023 survey, 37% of Americans report being diagnosed with a mental health [...]
Whether you’re an experienced climber or just getting into the sport, protecting your shoulders is vital for your long-term mobility, activities of daily living, and enjoying climbing! Combine a love of climbing with a spinal cord injury (SCI) and it is truly imperative to have a strong shoulder maintenance plan. So what does [...]
There is generally an intuitive benefit to having low body weight as a rock climber. Constantly fighting gravity to pull your weight would be a lot easier if you just weighed less. Even if this is true, rock climbers shouldn’t feel like they have to lose weight to be good at their sport. Disordered [...]
Three years ago I was halfway through a pumpy, overhung 5.12 in central Texas. I had just done around 20 moves and the pump was approaching rapidly. I sunk a bomber heel toe-cam on the same flat jug rail my hands were on to shake out my forearms before the finishing crux. While [...]
You're out at the crag with beautiful crisp temps. You just finished a training cycle and your core is rock solid. You calmly wait while every team-kid warms up on your project. When the coast is clear you get situated on the sit start, take a deep breath and….. you can't pull off [...]
I vividly remember one of my first experiences climbing in a gym. As I was being shown around by a staff member, he shared with me how amazing climbing was and the positive changes he had seen in his life as a result. Our conversation transitioned to my struggle with choosing the right [...]
Climbers innovate. It is in our nature. Every year, we bring new movements to ascend the ever increasingly difficult and technical routes and boulders, both inside and outside. Whether it is feet-first beta, or a combination of compression moves with a drop knee toe hook, our bodies and our minds work together in beautiful [...]
At the base of the climb, you tighten your harness over a tender, bloated stomach. The discomfort makes you irritable. In your mind, you start blaming your climbing partner for dragging you out of bed. The morning chill reminds you of where you could have been, that is, lying in bed with a hot [...]
When one considers climbing, many images come to mind. Daring ascents up sheer faces, powerful moves off of razor sharp holds, sleeping beneath the stars on a narrow ledge balanced precariously over the open air. When a climber is uninjured and in top form, the world is without limits. However, to the injured climber, [...]
You’ve been training hard to build the finger strength for pushing your climbing grade up a whole value for months. Throughout the training time, your forearms are less and less fatigued after each climb within your training range. However, your shoulder is starting to hurt each training day, but you’re so close to pushing [...]