When my college crew began climbing in the Black Canyon, topos were scribbled out on beer soaked napkins, during big nights at the Alamo bar in Gunnison. Well, on at least one night they were. by Luke Mehall, publisher of The Climbing Zine and author of American Climber. This piece is an excerpt from the…
The Grivel Salamander 2.0, while designed with zero frills to keep operation straight-forward, is a versatile helmet with a few highlights as well as drawbacks. Designed for alpine, rock and ice use, the 2.0 comes in three colors – white, yellow, and black. The Salamander 2.0 is an improvement over it’s predecessor, the OG Salamander,…
The other day, on the Internet, I read about a climber whose fingertip broke off in a crack when he fell. Fingers in a Lightsocket the climb is called, and it’s always had a reputation for being fierce, a finger crack that increases in difficulty right up until the last few desperate layback moves. The…
If these rocks could talk, they’d tell a hell of a story: one of nature and development, of perseverance and triumph, of mountain lions and men. by Joy Martin, Senior Contributor. Banner photo of Rush Linhart by Ben Brashear. This piece is from Volume 9 (out of print) This tale is set in one of…
Awake. Alone. It’s 3 am. Only two more hours to sleep, the clock is ticking. The world is silent. Maybe there’s a breath of wind here and there. Late July in California and it isn’t hot at all – I’m in a big puffy coat, sitting on a half-inflated sleeping pad, sleeping bag wrapped precariously…
Scarpa’s Vapor V rock shoe now has an upgraded model. The new Vapor Lace shoe offers a more customizable fit, which provides slightly more comfort and control. This shoe is ideal for vertical to slightly overhanging face climbing and mixed face and crack climbing. Reviewed by Drew Thayer Performance: The Vapor Vibram XS Edge Rubber soles…
The trend of “stretchy jeans” for men in climbing seems to be gaining traction ever since Outdoor Research introduced the Goldrush jeans a couple years ago. After testing out the Goldrush’s I was definitely sold on the concept of wearing jeans that have a blend of cotton and synthetic fibers — for comfort and for…
We rounded the bend and there were half a dozen people lining up at the base of the route. Rock climbing pioneers had valued the virtue of good clothing: well ironed shirts, collared and tucked. We paused momentarily—not because of the crowds but because of the publicity—before stripping down to our birthday suits and soaring…