“This is a low key festival that was formed to share the genuine love of climbing.” That’s how Mandy Pohja describes the International Climbers’ Festival in Lander, Wyoming. I got to speak with Pohja, the director for the festival, recently for a phone interview, and she had me ready to hop in my Subaru and…
Amongst the wide variety of approach shoes available today, these shoes stand out as the armored tank of the fleet. They are extremely durable and built to withstand years of hard abuse. In fact, many retailers and reviewers (e.g. Outdoorgearlab) classify them in the “light hiking shoe” category, and for good reason. Scarpa Zen Pro,…
I have a hard time with gear geeks, those who go on and on about features of the equipment for the outdoors. For me, I either like it, or I don’t. And, the Hot Dome Hoody from Core Concepts, I like. I like it, a lot. Simply put, the Hot Dome Hoody (Retail: $139.00) is…
It was 2004 and Kelly Cordes and Josh Wharton had just climbed the Azeem Ridge on Great Trango Tower in Pakistan, which was the longest rock route yet climbed in the world, and a very impressive accomplishment. We were sitting around at my friend Jeff’s house talking about it. It must have been a Wednesday,…
“It hurts so good”…Tom Petty must have been wearing these when he sang that line. Scarpa’s new Instinct VS brings forward all the best qualities of an aggressive, asymmetric, powerful shoe. The Instinct VS (Retail: $169.00) excels in steep terrain. The stiff, down-turned sole and tight fit turn a human foot into a spring-loaded hook; when…
We all need to be taken down a notch, as my mother would say, every once in a while. While I don’t necessarily enjoy it at the time, I definitely need a good ego-spanking now and then, and I received just what I needed this weekend. by Drew Thayer, Senior Correspondent Spring finally has come…
The night was silent apart from our winded breaths and quiet footsteps; largely stifled by the dirt and pine needles dispersed across the mountain trail. The incessant stars and full moon illuminated our path before us, eliminating the need for artificial light. I remember how each moment seemed to pass by so slowly, each step becoming…
Last month The Climbing Zine hosted “Climbers’ Beer Night” at Carver Brewing Company in Durango, Colorado and had a Haiku contest. These are some of the finest. Enjoy. (and, yes, these were written on real typewriters) Enjoy these? Feel free to leave a haiku yourself in the comment section below!