Climbing Magazine

Updated July 8, 2026 09:24AM Unfortunately, I can’t use my short height as a valid excuse for being a mediocre climber. That’s because here in the 5’2” Climber Club, I’m in extraordinary company. My cohorts include Lynn Hill, who also has a negative ape index.

Published July 7, 2026 09:56AM On June 2, competitive ice climbers around the world got some bad news: France has rejected a proposal to add their sport to the 2030 Games. For over a decade, representatives of competitive ice climbing have been locked into a song and dance to catapult their sport to the Olympic level. In Sochi, Russia, in 2014, ice climbing served as a demonstration sport, with a tower and ice speed wall in one of the main areas and daily demos.

Everything you need to climb farther, better, and with deeper purpose.

Culture Two Russians illegally topped out the Empire State Building this week, and, no, they aren’t climbers. Here’s how to know the difference, plus a few actual climbing documentaries to stream. The Empire State Building, which two Russians illegally "rooftopped" on July 1. (Photo: Pedro Kummel) Published July 2, 2026 01:11PM When my dad sends me an article about climbing, it’s usually a red flag.

Published July 2, 2026 12:31PM When Lane Mathis and I made the first ascent of a dangerous, 900-foot route called Forest Creatures, in Wyoming’s Wind River Range, we hiked out knowing that maybe no other person would ever climb it. We hadn’t placed any bolts, and left no protection fixed in place, which was a memorable exercise in mind control, but also yielded a potentially lethal 5.9 crux pitch. I couldn’t imagine future climbers lining up to tick this one off.

Community New Zealand’s legendary mountaineer Margaret Clark passed away on June 17 at the age of 91. (Photo: Margaret Clark Family Collection) Published July 1, 2026 04:50AM Though she barely cleared five feet tall, Margaret Clark was a towering legend of mountaineering. The New Zealander was part of the first all-women’s team to summit one of the high peaks of the world: Denali, in 1970.

Published June 30, 2026 08:14PM Table of Contents •Aid ladders•Approach shoes•Belay gloves•Sun hoodies•Crag shoes•Lightweight wind layers•Headlamps This spring, I came to Yosemite Valley with a few goals: reunite with my friends, climb El Cap, launch a newsletter, start back up the Yosemite Writing Club, and report on breaking Valley news. Along the way, I got to try out a host of products developed for climbers.

Gear Mammut’s Crag Classic 9.5mm is the best cord I’ve found for handling rock climbing's daily abuses. Nat Bailey follows the fourth pitch of 'The Gremlin' (5.11d) in Squamish, B.C. (Photo: Anthony Walsh) Published June 30, 2026 05:13PM I have blown up a lot of ropes in my life. Rock fall, hungry alpine rats, scary whippers over sharp edges, swinging an ice tool through the sheath… you name it. Generally, though, climbing ropes weather a war of attrition: whip after whip after whip.

Updated June 30, 2026 02:29PM The Small Stick and I got off to a bad start. I decided to try out a presale model of this new product last fall on the heady first clip of Pocket Rocket (5.10c) in Moab, Utah. This first bolt of this steep hueco line comes just above the lip of a roof. Even though the Small Stick is technically designed for mid-route clipping, I wanted to give it a first go from the ground to test out its mechanics.

News Two weeks after a guidebook author re-ignited a firestorm by “de-fanging” a classic, climbers have restored the route to its original, runout state from the ‘60s. A now-removed bolt on pitch three of 'Snake Dike' (5.7 R; 800ft) on Half Dome. (Photo: Sam MacIlwaine) Published June 30, 2026 01:00PM It felt inevitable from the start.