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Climbing.com is your first stop for news, photos, videos, and advice about bouldering, sport climbing, trad climbing and alpine climbing. Since 1970, Climbing magazine's mission is to inspire people to climb, seek new challenges, and climb better and safer.
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Nirmal “Nims” Purja: The Man Who Climbed K2 in Winter Without Supplemental Oxygen
On January 16, 2021, Nirmal “Nims” Purja made history alongside nine fellow Nepalese mountaineers, completing the first winter ascent of K2. Up until then, K2 was the last 8,000-meter peak yet to be summited in wintertime—an objective that was widely considered to be the greatest unclaimed feat in... -
The Climbing Diaries: The Story of Stefano Ghisolfi's FA of Erebor (5.15b/c)
In early January 2021, Stefano Ghisolfi clipped the chains on Erebor (9b/+, 5.15c/b) in Arco and established the hardest sport route in Italy. Watch the full story of his ascent in the video above, the first entry in Ghisolfi's new The Climbing Diaries series. -
Speed On The Spur: Racing For The Yellow Spur FKT
The Yellow Spur (5.9+) is one of the most classic climbing routes in Eldorado Canyon, Colorado. In recent years, local climbers Bill Wright and Danny Gilbert have been using the famous route as a racetrack to push their limits of speed and cardio. This video documents the story of their journey,... -
Sergi Mingote Perishes on K2
Just hours before the all-Nepalese team history with the first-ever winter ascent of K2, Catalan mountaineer Sergi Mingote died after an accident on the mountain. Mingote, age 49, was co-leader of the Seven Summit Treks team, an expedition of nearly 50 climbers also bidding for the winter ascent of... -
Deal of the Week: Winter in the Hills
As winter bears down on North America, the rock jocks are trading chalk and rock shoes for ice axes and crampons. It's cold weather mountain adventure season, and right now Backcountry.com has great deals for all of your snow sport needs. Disclosure: When you buy products through links on our... -
Colorado Granite: Hard Boulder Sends
Watch a talented crew—Daniel Woods, Isabelle Faus, Sean Bailey, and Griffin Whiteside—send hard Colorado problems up to V16. Notable ascents include Bailey on the third ascent of Box Therapy (V16), Woods on the first ascent of Death Star (V15), Faus on the first ascent of Emasculator (V14),... -
Watch Oriane Bertone Climb Super Tanker (V14) at Age 15
Oriane Bertone exploded onto the bouldering scene at a young age. She ticked Fragile Steps (V13) in Rocklands, South Africa, when she was 11. The next year year she climbed Golden Shadow (V14) at 12, becoming the youngest person to climb the grade. At age 15, she became the fourth woman ever... -
Buckeye Knob and Denny Cove Paid Off and Permanently Protected
Access Fund is thrilled to celebrate two major wins in Southeast climbing conservation. Carolina Climbers Coalition (CCC) has made its final loan repayment on Buckeye Knob in North Carolina, and Southeastern Climbers Coalition (SCC) has made its final loan repayment on Denny Cove in eastern... -
World Class: The Story of Aidan Roberts' Bouldering Breakthrough
Every now and then, you get to witness a run of cutting-edge performance that defines an era of the sport. Even rarer, is when you see that purple patch unfold in an area that's not in the media spotlight and is renowned for sandbagged grading. This past summer, Aidan Roberts climbed not just a... -
All-Sherpa Team Makes First Ascent of Luza Peak
In late 2020, the 5,725-meter summit of Luza Peak in the Khumbu region of Nepal saw its first ascent by three young Sherpa: Pemba Sharwa Sherpa, Urken Sherpa, and Lhakpa Gyaljen Sherpa. The three climbers hail from the village of Phorste in Nepal. Eighty-three of the residents of Phorste have... -
Stefano Ghisolfi Makes the First Ascent of Erebor (5.15b/c)
Last week, 27-year-old Italian climber Stefano Ghisolfi made the first ascent of Erebor (9b/+ or 5.15c/b) in Arco, Italy. Erebor is not only the first route that Ghisolfi ever bolted, but it is also now the most difficult line in his home country. “It took me a lot of time, but I finally did it,”... -
Deal of the Week: Save on Rock Essentials
Though it is cold outside in most parts of the US, we can still keep our fingers crossed for that lone sunny day to get out to our favorite local crag. In the meantime, checkout Backcountry.com for the hookup for all your rock climbing needs. With up to 30% off on shoes, draws, harnesses, cams, and... -
Watch 3 Hard, Winter First Ascents in Scotland by Dave MacLeod
Dave MacLeod writes: "First winter ascents of one grade VIII and two IX mixed routes on Ben Nevis and Glen Coe which I did during December. The latter two routes were quite scary leads and I talk a bit about approaches to dealing with this sort of terrain." Read more about MacLeod's Ben Nevis FA... -
Carved for Attention: Why the Tradition of Carving Desert Plaques is Outdated
While scrolling through new routes on Instagram using #firstascent, one photo caught my eye: a large, glaring eyeball and the words “Super Cool FA 5.12” (name changed) were etched a half-inch deep into sandstone. This thing was a work of art. Each letter looked laser cut and the eye had a red iris... -
Pendulum: How Rob Pizem Balances Life and Climbing
Rob Pizem is driven, regimented, and compulsively productive. How else could he fit the roles of husband, father, fitness coach, high school teacher, and professional climber into daily life? It’s a balance, and one that occasionally suffers. “I’m constantly juggling,” he says. “I get buried just... -
The Climbers Attempting K2 this Winter
K2 is widely considered to be the most formidable peak on Earth. Located in the Karakoram on the Pakistan-China border, the mountain reaches 8,611 meters above sea level—just 200-meters shorter than Mount Everest, but far more technical and far more deadly. K2 has been summited a total of 355... -
Full Film: Stefano Ghisolfi's Journey to Send Change (5.15c)
On September 29, 2020, Stefano Ghisolfi completed the second ascent of Change (5.15c) in Flatanger, Norway. Adam Ondra made headlines when he completed the route's first ascent in 2012 and graded it 5.15c, a world first. The film above, by Ghisolfi and Sara Grippo, tells the story of the... -
The New River Gorge is Now a National Park
West Virginia’s New River Gorge is among the predominant climbing destinations in the Eastern United States. There are over 3,000 established routes along 60 miles of cliffline on the hardened Nuttall Sandstone of the New. Routes there are characterized by spread out holds and spread out bolts. The... -
Watch Brooke Raboutou and Natalia Grossman Send Hard RMNP Boulders
Brooke Raboutou and Natalia Grossman amassed an all-star tick list during their 2020 summer in Rocky Mountain National Park. Together they put down over fifty double digit problems including eight V13s. This video showcases 11 of their proudest sends V12-V14. Problems: The Automator (V13)European... -
Young, Rackless, Cold, and Psyched
The blizzard worsened and the cloud of snow covering the canyon grew thicker, veiling the opposing walls from sight. My hands became icicles on the cold stone, my fingers dry, cracked, and bloody, leaving smears of red on the rock. The final pitch was my lead. I pulled over an awkward bulge to find... -
Thunderbolt Ridge: The Unofficial Sequel to Free Solo
Filmmaker Jack Cramer writes: "Thunderbolt Ridge is the inspiring story of one man's journey to battle adversity and conquer the impossible. Actually, it's just proof of the stupidity that results when a pandemic shuts down Yosemite National Park, and the search and rescue team is left with way too... -
Caption Contest: Win an Edelrid Boa Eco 70m Rope
Fancy yourself a climbing humorist? Then we need your help! Email letters@climbing.com with your caption for this cartoon by Jordan Peterson (@jordankpeterson_ ). The best caption, as determined by Climbing’s staff, wins a new Edelrid Boa Eco 70m Rope—a robust, all-round rope produced using... -
Watch Jonathan Siegrist on the First Ascent of Nu World (5.15a/b)
Jonathan Siegrist is on an incredible streak. In March of 2020 he completed the first ascent of One Hundred Proof (5.15a) at Mount Potosi's Clear Light Cave, and on November he made the first ascent of Full Metal Brisket (5.15a), a longstanding project at the New River Gorge. On October 12, in... -
Climbers We Lost in 2020
One person in these pages was a 67-year-old surgeon who died after helping coronavirus patients and contracting the illness himself. Another was a 25-year-old who volunteered to help adaptive climbers in her community. A recent one was an icon in UK and global mountaineering, finally gone at age 90... -
Two New Big Routes in Alaska's Hayes Range
Alpinists Benjamin Lieber, Alex Hansen, and Austin Schmitz put up two new big routes this Autumn season in the Hayes Range in Alaska. The first was DeWild Style (AI4+) on the SE Face of Peak 9,250 that Lieber and Hansen climbed. After that success, they recruited their friend Schmitz for his first...
