The sport of rock climbing appeals to people of all ages. Look around any climbing gym on a busy day, and you’ll probably spot climbing team kids, elderly adults, and all ages in between. Climbing is a lifelong sport, but aging brings greater wear and tear on the joints that could manifest as [...]
There are over 25 million climbers in 150 countries around the world. The best climbers from all over the globe will be competing soon at the 2024 Olympics in Paris. In the Olympics, sport climbing consists of two climbing disciplines per gender: bouldering & lead climbing combined, and speed climbing. In this article [...]
Are you tired of feeling stuck on those challenging climbing routes? Are you eager to overcome those pesky projects and explore more climbs at your gym and crag? Perhaps you're unsure about the most effective training method. Should you solely focus on just climbing more? Or is off-the-wall training beneficial? Are you wondering [...]
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 [...]