Close Calls, Core Shots, and Space Shots by Amanda Kiessel
It was getting dark, and I was wedged hot dog–style in a two-man tent between two college boys who hadn’t…
Wearing our heart on our chalk bags.
It was getting dark, and I was wedged hot dog–style in a two-man tent between two college boys who hadn’t…
It starts with a plan like a break in the clouds. We set out thinking on the lines, the foods,…
It’s a dingy bar. Dark and musty. Where, I’m not exactly sure, but there is a feeling of sadness that…
The Korean folklore goes: the Creator called upon all domes and boulders of Korea to gather up north, where they…
We are offering a unique way to score some stickers / zines by simply sending us some dough on Venmo.…
The uninitiated, those who don’t climb, always ask me why I do. I normally begin my response with the statement…
by Joanna Spindler, published in Volume 16, now available. Banner art by Rhiannon Williams We didn’t have much time Because…
The Climbing Zine creates stories for all our readers; whether you’re able to pay to read them or not. Most…
In 2016 at the International Climbers’ Festival in Lander, Wyoming, we held a “love letter to climbing” contest. Ana Ally was…
Trigger warning: This article discusses topics of depression, suicidal thoughts, and anxiety. For some, the content may be triggering. Please…
Although the issue was delayed by COVID, we’re proud to announce that Volume 19 is now off the press. Banner…
“There were no girls when I started climbing [in England],” Alan said, in a tone more serious than joking. I’d…
My college years in The Desert were adventurous and crazy, a complete immersion in the unknown. After I graduated, I…
Walking up to the base of Freerider, I felt rested, light, but increasingly nervous. Two years ago, I’d never climbed…
The Factory Bouldering Gym in Orange, California, was by no means small, but it felt small that day. In addition…
I promised my father I’d never free solo. I remember, as a young kid, how his voice rocked back and…
I. Trapped Kaiser Santa Clara Hospital, June 2018 The haul bag sits, a stuffed pig in the trunk. Cams, nuts,…
Note: this piece is published in Volume 17, and it is an excerpt from his book, The Desert. Both are…
The expenditure of energy on a trip of this sort is massive and one only has so much of this…
As The Zine grows in popularity we have seen more and more interest from our European readers. We are psyched…
I hold and turn my helmet like a classroom globe, dragging my fingers over each mark, each sign of wear.…
A black fin of sandstone protrudes from the right side of the crack. I pinch it like a tufa and…
The night was cold, and where the moon and stars shone around patches of clouds, they were incredibly bright. There…
Our final episode for Season 1. Shout outs for the climbing podcasts that inspired us, plus Mehall reads his poem Grateful…
An Open Letter to the Buttermilks by Georgie Abel Photos by Tristan Greszko Dear person who climbed the Peabody boulders at…
Just A Climber (For Bears Ears) is the result of 20 years of thinking and recreating in Indian Creek. When…
Think back over your climbing career. I bet you’ll find a climb—or two—that define you. These won’t be your hardest…
The reflection targets my disfigurement. If only the borders of this mirror could protect the rest of the world from…
Mudstrosity Yes, it wobbled. Three feet high, one foot wide, a foot deep, probably outweighing me, the block sat at…
You know you’re getting old when they start replacing the bolts you used for a first ascent. That was my…
I see it being used all around me to describe women, often by other women: badass. I have always considered…
A remembrance of our fallen comrades, as well as the long gone friendships. Originally published in The Climbing Zine Book.…
Doug Tompkins opens the door to a South American summer evening. At seventy-one—stooped and shuffling, a button-down shirt tucked into…
I know he knows. Adam Lawton is proud. In every group of adventurers, there is a leader, and every great…
There are climbing partners, and there are the climbing partners. The partner you want to climb to the ends of…
My left hand cups a full undercling while my right shades the sun from my eyes. Above me, the short…
“If you just stop for a second, I can show you there’s no road out there!” Ben said. “I know…
Mehall gets a reminder of what life is like without climbing when he is suffering from some bad tendonitis. Stuck…
November is closing in fast, and on this turn around the fireball, we reach a strange and interesting milestone in…
The dance of renewal, the dance that made the world, was always danced here at the edge of things… …
This story starts and ends with a chicken. On a bright morning in a high valley of the Hindu Kush,…
For 20 years Luke Mehall, publisher of The Climbing Zine has been writing climbing poems. In 2020 he’s decided to…
by Lucas Roman. This story is published in Volume 18. Banner photo by Hobo Greg Brad Gobright is pure of…
In Memory of Towyn Williams (1926 – 2016) I associate much of my childhood with a little white farmhouse in…
The Climbing Zine is always accepting stories, photography, and art. Below are our loose guidelines. Words The Climbing Zine publishes…
As I listened to my boyfriend make his tenth phone call of the hour, I absentmindedly stirred vegetables and reflected…
June’s humid breath settles in waves over the Mount Washington Valley as the sun dips low in the west. A…
Mehall and his friends come up with a way to enjoy a long multi-pitch adventure in Red Rocks, near Las…
“I am glad / For every thought that puts my memory / On my past time.” —Michelangelo This piece…
Dedicated to Mehall’s fiancee Amber DeHerrera and all the medical professionals out there fighting COVID (and everything else).
Three years of dirtbag house sitting adventures in Durango. All to keep the climbing and writing dreams alive. This story…
A roommate and dear friend of mine used to talk both eloquently and incessantly about her Purple Rabbit. She would…
This is the most beautiful place on Earth, but of course, like Cactus Ed Abbey said, every person carries in…
Man what a route! As a child, I remember looking at photos of it in my Dad’s climbing books thinking,…
Luke takes us on some adventures with Two Tent Timmy, his best friend since high school, and climbing inspiration. This…
The black-and-white photograph is small and square, half a century old, showing my grandmother posing in front of the dark,…
A story about buildering. Originally published in Mehall’s first book: Climbing Out of Bed. Names changed to protect the guilty.…
My path as a climber had to face a most real enemy: pure unadulterated fear. This fear manifested itself in…
“If Jesus can’t save you, life starts when the church ends.” Empire State of Mind by Jay Z Some call…
Adventures with Mark Grundon, a climber with an infinite amount of energy, who endures an avalanche and cancer all while…
Gray and white clouds rack up in billowed folds like the belly scales of a snake and curl widely across…
Chuck Pratt: Liquid Sunshine by Pat Ament (note the full version of this piece was published in Volume 17, which…
Most women, at some point in their lives, get discouraged about their appearance because they may not possess the ideal…
Luke and Dave cruise The Cruise in The Black Canyon, and then on the Painted Wall, Colorado’s tallest wall, well,…
The granite escarpments of Castle Crags silhouetted the western skyway, massive gargoyles hunched and staring. I thought of my mother’s…
It is like any other start to a day of climbing in the Black Canyon. Dave and I are up…
Everybody poops, including us in Indian Creek. Luke and Tim Foulkes discuss a variety of Indian Creek issues: first ascents,…
Well here we are, old bolt; let me just say this before I remove you. You should be proud because…
Joshua Tree National Park is a refuge. I don’t know if I’d decided this by then, sitting folded into the…
I clipped her to the anchor, untied her knot, and pulled the rope through the gear. “I need more time.”…
Humbled The cam lobes slide in the fissure as I test it, useless. This dark, metamorphic rock, tortured entrails of…
“Hey, wake up. Wake up!” Brian whispered harshly. “There’s someone out there.” I half opened an eye and begrudgingly listened…
“Whatever you can do, or dream you can, begin it. Boldness has genius, power and magic in it.” Goerte I…
Acknowledging the roots and conceptualizations of the outdoor activities that we so passionately pursue enriches our participation and ties us…
I’ve heard some describe Yosemite as a vortex, and so is the culture that comes with it. I am sucked…
Season Finale. Mehall goes all in on new routes in Indian Creek, Bears Ears National Monument; following the adventure all…
“Oh you feel and you taste it and you want to go higher. So what do you do? And so…
“Life can be rugged and cold, or smooth and exciting. The climb these two have just performed today symbolizes life…
Journal entry from 10/15/2014 Zion is the word. Despite all of our differences, to so many people the meaning of…
In the mail that day came The Climbing Zine. It was addressed to Alyssa. I knew she wouldn’t mind me…
It’s 1981, and I’m 22 years old, about to graduate from college, trying to sort out what happens next. And…
I started climbing in Durango, Colorado, a small and isolated burg on the edge of the desert and the mountains,…
Luke Mehall explores Indian Creek, Utah for new routes; the land now part of Bears Ears National Monument. In the…
“Yucca sandals,” I say to myself. “How’d they do this move in yucca sandals?” The sheer sandstone wall below me…
I started seeing it sometime last year, and it got a small chuckle out of me then: #bitchesonpitches. But the…
When I heard that Jim Bridwell had died, my first thought was, I bet even he didn’t think he’d live…
Remembering our friend Adam Lawton. Finally getting a job in Durango. Getting The Zine going, and eventually having success on…
Mehall moves to Durango, Colorado, and fights for his soul by writing and climbing. Big wall adventures take him back…
The teenage Federale slings his machine gun over his shoulder and bends toward my bag. Cocaine? he asks. Marijuana? I…
At some point in my early to midtwenties, I came to the conclusion that life is not about rock climbing.…
In the late 1300s, experts point to drought and other environmental stressors impacting the Puebloan people in the Southwest leading…
Luke and Gene take The Freedom Mobile to Yosemite, to get a taste of failure and success on big walls.…
To Roy McClenahan by way of The Climbing Zine, Glancing through the pages of Volume 16 of The Climbing…
In love for the first time at 30 years old. Venturing out onto Stoner’s Highway in Yosemite. And a dream…
Have you been to the boneyard? The blank eye on the map perched above an asphalt brow there, an…
The dirtbag climbing life has highs and lows. Eventually I got to a point where I was tired of it,…
Check out our latest film from Luke Mehall and Jake Burchmore. Dedicated to Mehall’s fiancee Amber DeHerrera and all the…
Volume 19 of The Climbing Zine is now ready to preorder. Here’s a look at our cover and the lineup…
A dollar and a dream in Joshua Tree, Califorinia. Easy solos and hard climbs. Living amongst the dirtbags and legend…
As I’ve said and written before, my favorite thing about publishing The Zine is the connections it helps create. I…
Luke and Dave’s first big walls in Zion. Benighted too. High on life and surviving in the vertical. Being a…
“All I wanted to be after graduating college was a climbing bum”…Working in a paper factory in Illinois for dough…
Over hundreds of thousands of years, water has trickled, raged, and poured down cracks and creases, winding and weaving through…
A nibble from a fox of the Western Colorado University campus. Costa Rica and Nicaragua with Amber (Mom) and Greg.…
I think I’ve read the words afraid, scared, terrified, anxious, and fear more over the last two weeks than in…
Continuing on with American Climber, Luke Mehall’s memoir. To subscribe to The Zine visit our site: https://the-climbing-zine.myshopify.com/ To support us…
Episode 7 of the Dirtbag State of Mind podcast. Mehall and friends have misadventures from Indian Creek to Yosemite National…
We are rolling along with Luke Mehall reading from his 2016 memoir American Climber. Here we get into yet another…
Words by: Luke Mehall Director: Greg Cairns Mehall is the author of five books, including The Desert, a dirtbag climbing…
We are back with episode 5 of our first season! This is our first episode that I’ve recorded from my…
In the rich caravan of climbers whom we meet at the crags, people come and go. Some, like the flowing…
Greg Cairns and Luke Mehall joke that it took them 2 years to create the 3 minute film, Just A…
This piece is published in Volume 18, now available to order. You can read Part 1 of the story here.…
I thought that my last column was hard to write, but this one might be even more difficult. Last time I…
Brad Gobright is pure of heart. So pure, in fact, that he may never have faced a dilemma in all…
There’s a lot to write about these days, yet I’m sure I’m not alone in struggling to find the motivation…
The Climbing Zine is proud to announce that Volume 18 is off the printer and will be arriving to subscribers…
Publisher’s Note: As this issue was going to press, the coronavirus began to ravage the United States. This issue is…
Footage shot by Jake Burchmore, an outtake from Grateful Hussle
A Message From Mehall 27. The poem one. 4.22 (EARTH DAY)
This episode is our first interview with Shaun Matusewicz. We originally intended to have a series of interviews with characters…
Footage from Purple Reign, a climb that Luke Mehall and Dave Marcinowski established in Indian Creek, Bears Ears National Monument.…
While we originally planned to drop an episode a week, we are continuing to post these episodes as quickly as…
Friends of The Zine: we are continuing the expediting of this new podcast. We know everyone is looking for more…
The Power of Close-to-Home Nature In The Time of Coronavirus From the Access Fund Brad Mering grabs the first real…
This first episode features a story I told at the Raven Narratives, a storytelling event held here in Durango. The…
Note: this poem is published in Volume 17, now available. Banner photo of the author bouldering in Coopers Rock State…
UPDATE: the second edition of Squeak! has been released. Same great story, with a couple updates, including The Climbers Pact…
Say a prayer for those you love and everyone else. That’s what I’ve written on my sleeping pad, and the…
Just A Climber (For Bears Ears) is the result of 20 years of thinking and recreating in Indian Creek. When…
The Great American Dirtbags is Luke Mehall’s second book. This promo was shot by Greg Cairns.
For 20 years Luke Mehall has been writing climbing poems, and in 2020 he’s decided to give the writers who…
This is part 2 of Pat Ament’s essay, published in Volume 17. If you missed part 1, you can read…
I remember arguing with my partner about wearing his helmet before starting a climb for the day. “It’s only 5.9,”…
Screams are a colorful thing. Each one has its own distinct message. An anger, a joy, a pain. The nature…
This last month, as we raise funds for The Climbing Zine Book, I’ve been telling a lot of stories about…
Since November, I’ve been in Modesto, California, with my family and, while here, digitally archiving the multitude of slides, negatives,…
It would have been hard to write about Phil Schaal even if he were still here—here meaning still alive. Alive…
As we get The Climbing Zine Book ready for publication we’re going to feature a few of our writers and…
Tim Foulkes of TFTV tells a story for a Creeksgiving film project. Filmed in Indian Creek, Bears Ears National Monument.
The Climbing Zine is celebrating our 10th anniversary by releasing a Climbing Zine Book featuring the best essays from Volumes…
No place soaks up sun like the Johnny Cat enclave at the Cat Wall, Indian Creek. The maroon cliffs are…
Most women, at some point in their lives, get discouraged about their appearance because they may not possess the ideal…
The fringe is where the magic happens. Four climbers pack into The Freedom Mobile, a graffiti-ed vehicle, spray painted red,…
We are super psyched to announce that the new DIRTBAG STATE OF MIND hoodies are in, and to celebrate their…
A short clip of The King, a 5.12+ in Indian Creek, Bears Ears National Monument. From an upcoming movie by…
Another clip from an upcoming film by Jake Burchmore and Luke Mehall.
Dave Marcinowski working out the final moves to Purple Reign, a climb in Indian Creek, part of Bears Ears National…
“I’m glad Royal Robbins isn’t here to see this shit show,” I said to myself as I watched the youngsters…
A short clip of Luke Mehall working out a project in Indian Creek. Full film will be released in 2020.
Long before we decide, the path is carved for us. Sliced through existence to be forged for this one, and…
Standing there, gaping at this monstrous and inhuman spectacle of rock and cloud and sky and space, I feel a…
We’ve never done this, and perhaps it would be a failure (anything can be) but I’m hoping to rally a…
“I’m not saying I’m going to rule the world, or I’m going to change the world, but I guarantee you…
One of the greatest joys I have as a publisher is discovering an amazing climbing project, and then being able…
Luke Mehall cleaning a loose rock while establishing a climb called Help On The Way in Indian Creek, Utah. Forgive…
From Townie Books in Crested Butte, Luke Mehall and friends tell stories from his books American Climber and The Desert,…
From Townie Books in Crested Butte, Luke Mehall and friends tell stories from his books American Climber and The Desert,…
“Think we could throw a haul bag out of an airplane? That would make the approach really easy.” Kennan was…
I see it being used all around me to describe women, often by other women: badass. I have always considered…
Publisher Emeritus Shaun Matusewicz tells some stories of failure by The Zine. Filmed at the fall book tour kickoff for…
We may be late to the game but better late than never…we’ve got a YouTube channel now!
Tim Foulkes yarns a tale speaking on Luke Mehall’s fifth dirtbag climbing book called The Desert. The Desert is Luke…
Publisher of The Climbing Zine, Luke Mehall, reads from Volume 16. Inspired by Mr. Rogers! One of six in a…
Fall Tour Kickoff: Thursday, August 15th 7:00 p.m. Townie Books 414 Elk Ave. Crested Butte, Colorado Dear readers, reviewers, promoters,…
One thousand twenty-seven. One thousand twenty-eight. One thousand twenty-nine. My head is lost in some sort of vortex. I’m not…
My father taught me how to climb, just as he taught me how to play guitar and ski—badly, I could…
Egestas augue ac molestie pharetra. Sed porta dui interdum elit blandit, volutpat nibh. Cras rutrum est et velit semper sodales.…
Some are blessed by fate With thews and spines of steel, Some work hard and fiercely fight To rise above…
“I’m not saying I’m going to rule the world, or I’m going to change the world, but I guarantee you…
I wasn’t sure if I should start this piece with being three thousand feet off the ground on El Capitan,…
“I try to pursue my enjoyment with the idea that folks care and love for the land the way I…
Greg Cairns and Luke Mehall have finished their second short film together, called “Just a Climber, For Bears Ears” and…
The sun’s last rays glance across the underside of a cloud-swept November sky as it sets south of the La…
“Everybody must give something back / For something they get” —Bob Dylan, “Fourth Time Around” On Writing (about climbing) Writing…
At The Zine we’ve got a plan. We started out small, really small, and we printed like 100 copies per…
The Climbing Zine and Benighted Publications pride ourselves on independent distribution. Below is a list of our beloved retailers where…
It’s the beginning of August, 2018. Two months earlier, I’d been fortunate enough to be working for a prestigious think…
The Desert, Luke Mehall’s fifth and final book in his “dirtbag climber series” begins a Kickstarter campaign today to fund…
It was just weeks into this move that I realized just how much closer I was to Indian Creek, that…
The best thing about America is that it gives you space. I like that. I like that you buy into…
Fear is the cheapest room in the house. I would like to see you in better living conditions. —Hafiz I’ve…
“They’re not like those trees,” said five-year-old Remi Middendorf, pointing at the young birches lining the hot springs. “They’re special…
A passion that fuels Is one that burns brightly Words by Devin Dabney. Photos by Angelique Brown. Published in…
Do only writers cry when a writer dies? Do only musicians cry when a guitar player dies? Do only climbers…
Volume 13 of The Zine is now printed and available to order. Here’s a look at the introduction from our…
Every once and a while I bust out my typewriters for a writing contest. This year at the International Climbers…
The Pinnacle of Technology, as we called her drifted through the endless space, the time continuum that is road tripping.…
The construction style “Mussy Hook” has always been one of my least favorite pieces of climbing hardware to see at…
Doing a gear review Climbing Zine style for a rope is difficult. For starters our method for reviewing gear is simple:…
Many a metaphoric parallel can be drawn between climbing and motherhood, and it’s plain to see neither activity makes the…
It’s your mom’s minivan pimped out And only seats two Because if it wasn’t hard enough to live in a…
Squish Squash, Squish Squash, Squish, the English mud through my toes feels soothing as I perch 30 feet above a…
Hayden, I am just so sad that you’re gone. The news struck me like a train. It literally knocked me…
Note: this piece was originally written for The Gulch, a fine, free magazine out of Durango, Colorado. Enormocast: climbing’s favorite…
Dusk comes gold Off the dust of farmlands Where tractors still plow Fields nestled below mountains Dressed in ribbons of…
Volume 12 is now printed and can be ordered here. The story only version is also available on Kindle. Below is a list…
Again, this one starts with a crying baby. This time the baby is Isabella, and we’re deep in a wild…
This is an excerpt from the book, which documents Mehall’s tumultuous journey to climbing, which ultimately saved his life. You…
The Climbing Zine has recently updated our online store – with your experience in mind – and we’ve even added…
Luke Mehall, Publisher of The Climbing Zine will be embarking on a modest U.S. book tour this year, celebrating the…
The Creek 50 from Black Diamond was one of those pieces of gear I just had to check out. Since…
Steve Byrne on Equinox, Joshua Tree – CA (1986) Photo and Essay: Brooke Sandahl Note: This is included in Sandahl’s photo…
The single most important choice you’ll make before any big (or little) climb is your partner. The right partner hopefully…
We were about thirty minutes into our adventure and five minutes away from finding the explosives. I looked back to…
As we’ve grown from a black and white stapled together zine to our full color book/magazine hybrid we currently have…
Two years ago I pitched an idea about a film I really had nothing more than a spark of an…
To all our Climbing Zine friends and family: for the last year Greg Cairns and I have been working on our follow…
It takes ten sleeps Of sleeping in Ten Sleep To enter into the dream The Ten Sleep dream by Georgie…
Every once and awhile a climbing product will come along and as a community we’ll collectively be like, “that’s a…
There are certain products that come along on every adventure. This past fall, as temps cooled and the stoke rose,…
I’d been driving past this rock, near Hanksville, for years. It’s just begging to be climbed but looked impossible without…
And then there’s Lizard Head. I have never climbed such rotten volcanic rock in my life. I didn’t know volcanic…
My one-year-old and I are in Rocklands, South Africa, when I let a stinky one slip inside a bouldering cave,…
Creeksgiving, 11.24.2016 Hungry, fervent hyenas, eyeing the foil and fire, giggling with the steam and prospect of turkey. Side dishes…
Back in May, while hanging out in El Cap Meadow, I overheard a friend talking about Leah’s goal to climb…
Maybe she just has to sing, for the sake of the song And who do I think that I am…
How did this happen? I grew up in Queens, New York, and New Jersey after that, and now I’m a…
In the desert in rains In the desert climber brains Can think of nothing but climbing But climbing is not…
It was many, many years before I realized that this environment in The Desert was the ultimate. I just didn’t…
We always wanted to make some Zine hats, we were just waiting for the right design. Years of waiting led…
Tuesday, September 5th 6:00 p.m. Townie Books 414 Elk Ave. Crested Butte, Colorado The dirtbags are coming! As Bob…
With more and more options for a safer belay, The Zine got its hands on two of the most innovative…
I was put on drugs by the time I was seven years old, a kid labeled as having Attention Deficit…
Erosion [i roh zhun] The process by which the surface of the Earth is gradually worn away by the action…
It’s a singular feeling when you’re 33 and talking to your mother and she says, “You know what I think…
I looked down at my Gri-Gri as a salty tear rolled off my cheek into a thousand feet of space…
Climbing helmets have come a long way in the last few years—mostly by shedding weight and becoming ultralight. I’ve realized…
I could see him clearly from directly across the alleyway. A light was on and a white balding office worker…
On Sunday, Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke stood in front of a small, windowless conference room in Salt Lake…
Like most desert rats, I first heard of Tom Randall during his and Pete Whittaker’s infamous off-width tour of the…
If you are sick of new climbers coming in and ruining everything, do something about it. If you hate how…
We’ve got that springtime crazy Our hearts have grown hungry under desert skies by Georgie Abel, Contributing Editor, author of Go…
by Spenser Tang-Smith To the Tamers of the Fiery Rooster God, We three travelers attend no church, recite no prayers,…
Is climbing as innate as sharing, copulating, greed, or even walking? Many evolutionary biologists would offer that the essence of…
This spring I got to check out some items from The North Face’s Progressor Collection, and this piece, the Insulated…
Go to the desert Or whatever place Is The Desert To You by Luke Mehall, photo by: Greg Cairns For…
Note: this piece appears in the Off Route column of the newest Zine, Volume 10, The Raw Issue. Hello, I…
Oh baby I like it raw, Yeah baby I like it raw —Ol’ Dirty Bastard, “Shimmy Shimmy Ya” It’s a…
“Holy, shit!” was all anyone of us could say. A buddy of ours was showing us a ring off an anchor…
A memorial toilet is a hard thing to explain. But that’s exactly what my friends were constructing last weekend, a…
The Deuter Gravity Haul 50 is advertised as a backpack that can turn into a haul bag. That’s a combination…
Check out Climbing Zine publisher, Luke Mehall on the Enormocast with Chris Kalous. Please throw the Enormocast a buck or…
by Georgie Abel (photo by Dylan Hightower) I was this close To forgetting what it feels like To sleep in…
When my college crew began climbing in the Black Canyon, topos were scribbled out on beer soaked napkins, during big…
The Grivel Salamander 2.0, while designed with zero frills to keep operation straight-forward, is a versatile helmet with a few…
The other day, on the Internet, I read about a climber whose fingertip broke off in a crack when he…
If these rocks could talk, they’d tell a hell of a story: one of nature and development, of perseverance and…
Awake. Alone. It’s 3 am. Only two more hours to sleep, the clock is ticking. The world is silent. Maybe…
I guess you could call it a town. It’s open three or four months per year. Driving east, hues of…
Scarpa’s Vapor V rock shoe now has an upgraded model. The new Vapor Lace shoe offers a more customizable fit,…
The trend of “stretchy jeans” for men in climbing seems to be gaining traction ever since Outdoor Research introduced the…
I won’t say that I’m afraid of heights, but to be standing on the edge of anything looking down more…
Pulling into The Chief campground in Squamish for my first time, I had to double-check the sign to make sure…
We rounded the bend and there were half a dozen people lining up at the base of the route. Rock…
“You know there’s something special you’re needing. And you know there’s no drug that’ll do the healing, and no liquor…
We couldn’t have planned for how perfect this truly went. The weather for that whole week in July was bluebird…
Editor’s note: Longtime Climbing Zine contributor D Scott Borden wrote this piece for Volume 7, and sadly as the Zine…
If you’re a climber, you have a puffy coat. That’s a given—the best climbing days usually give way to cold…
The alarm blared repeatedly until I was jolted awake, not knowing what was a dream and what was real. I…
This young hippie left a bag of his groceries with my stuff after last weekend climbing in the Creek—granola, ramen,…
Times are scary, and common sense decency seems to quickly be fading from day to day life. We’ve got a…
I’ll never forget it — we were three newbie climbers racked up for Supercrack in Indian Creek when an older…
When I was 33 I set a goal to write five books by the time I was forty—for a while…
Utah and Colorado. We are neighbors, and many of us go back and forth between our borders so often it’s…
The longer I review gear, the more jaded I become. It’s hard to be impressed. I’ve become more selective about…
It was a sign of the times, a turning of the page, a shift in aesthetics for these two climbers.…
Scott Adamson and Kyle Dempster no longer walk among us in this life. They died in Pakistan some time in…
Then, when all seemed like peace had been restored to my existence, 9/11 happened. I was out on a morning…
We sometimes treat them like the lowest of the low — like a new recruit in boot camp in the…
Climbing with a pack on is the worst. It’s heavy, it’s awkward, and you don’t even use half its contents…
Good friend of The Climbing Zine, and contributor for our next issue, Kathy Karlo recently created this beautiful short film…
Right now, this detail is all that matters: the carabiner just fell back into the crack, and you’re staring it…
I needed the perfect rope for my project. It had to be an 80 meter rope and it had to…
When one seeks out to know the full truth in a situation it seems like there are always twists and…
The RinseKit is one of those outdoor products that at first glance seems a little unnecessary—until you use it. I…
Freedom, where are you? I found you briefly, growing up in the flatlands And then, you were flattened By growing…
Mammut designed the Whymper Jacket to celebrate the 150-year anniversary of Edward Whymper’s ascent of the Matterhorn. With taped seams,…
I’ve been climbing for a just over a year now. The first time I pulled on real rock was only…
So you’ve spent the last number of weeks, months, and days obsessing about this upcoming adventure, but what have you…
I figured that it would be just a regular outing on the rock that would pose only minor difficulties given…
When climbing in remote areas beyond the reach of immediate help you learn to understand the importance of having a…
Marketed as a piece that blurs the line between a mid-layer and a shell, the Patagonia Dual Aspect Hoody turned…
While many of you are just starting to savor the latest Climbing Zine, Volume 8, The Old School Issue, at…
The gear: Exped Synmat Hyperlite sleeping pad, size Medium (msrp $169) and Schnozzel Pump Bag UL (msrp $40) Reviewed by:…
by Elliot Natz Note: This piece is published in The Climbing Zine, Volume 10 photo of towers in Canyonlands National…
“Ummm…honey, you know that nice hiking weekend we have coming up together? Well, ahhh…Dale just asked me if I…ummm…could climb…
In the process of looking for a new approach shoe that I could also do some running in I came…
Without climbing I’d be dead or in jail. This is not the first piece I’ve ever started off with those…
The climbing community applauded late last year when the proclamation of Bear’s Ears National Monument specifically mentioned climbing as an…
After a decade of writing, and re-writing, my memoir, American Climber is finally complete. It is a 75,000 word tale…
The Mountainsmith Mayhem 45 is an innovative and creative backpack—perfect for certain uses, but hindering for others. Here’s what I…
It’s that time again when I need a new cragging rope. It doesn’t have to be fancy, or particularly light,…
I am sitting in front of my computer, doing what I do to make my pennies, but in a few…
“What about you, Georgie? Are you a feminist?” I was sitting around a campfire with a group of friends. I…
Wearing something from Voormi—a clothing line based out of Pagosa Springs, Colorado, attracts attention and curiosity. Retail: $149.00 For the…
“This book is a gift…Karl’s gift to you,” writes Fred Knapp from Sharp End Publishing, in the foreword for the…
The story of climbing in Yosemite is one that is well known and well told, and at times it seems…
The Rockies in winter are known for their cold temperatures and fierce winds. When I’m climbing ice in these mountains…
Books often inspire me more than the imagery or dialogue in a movie and I think it has to do…
Every single physical activity I do (or don’t do) is related to climbing – even if there’s no climbing involved.…
Note: this article was originally published in The Durango Telegraph. Last week my monthly contribution to the Durango Telegraph was…
Note: this piece was published way back in Volume 2. That zine out of print, but you can pick one…
I must admit I’d never heard of Cypher rock shoes, and when I brought them to the gym I got…
Kansas City is situated in the navel of the United States surrounded by rolling hills, which make for beautiful ever-lasting…
How much is there to say about a chalk bag? All it has to do is hang out back there…
“Once in a while you get shown the light In the strangest of places if you look at it right”…
“Never pass up an opportunity to shut the hell up” I don’t have to squint to read the bumper sticker;…
Are you looking for a synthetic, 3-season technical pant that moves as you move? If so, read on. Featuring NanoSphere®…
Every sport has a Michael Jordan, the athlete whose fame stretches well beyond the playing field, and for climbing that…
My hands gripped a small undercling in the alcove I had been resting in. I looked up at the move…
As a pure rock climber with zero ambition for the alpine, but a desire to stay warm in cold camping…
Usually, just the thought of a new pair of mountaineering boots would make my feet ache, but that is not…
Morning light reflects bright off the white granite ledge as my pal Patrick is slowly pushing our rope up pitch…
We pull into the Supercrack parking lot in a rusty, mud smothered Subaru, named Shelly. The lot is dotted with…
A combined-gender review: both men’s and women’s versions If you’re a woman, I imagine you might be frustrated by the…
My second book, The Great American Dirtbags is now available in the printed form, and as an e-book. by Luke…
I woke up before dawn in the parking lot of an apartment complex. My girlfriend and I had been living on…
Scarpa redesigned their most popular shoes this year, with a new model to cover each style of climbing. I had…
True climbing encourages bravery and induces suffering. It’s at the heart of the endeavor, and all seasoned climbers recognize this.…
This was my first time wearing a pair of Tenayas. I felt like flatlanders must on their first visit to…
UPDATE: Sometimes initial impressions of a piece of gear change after months of use. After all, that’s what we do with…
As of last weekend there’s a brand new wall in Indian Creek: The Dove Creek Wall. The best part is…
For as long as I’ve been climbing Mammut ropes have had a reputation for durability and good handling. The Infinity…
Note: Since we all know we want our climbing gear to stand the test of time The Zine is starting…
It was sunny, warm and beautiful. There was no wind, and we were walking across the glacier to the base…
As climbers we all have that place, that favorite place where we’ve pushed ourselves to the limit and back, the place…
This shoe fits like a glove. Perfect for overhanging terrain with foot trickery when you don’t really need to edge…
Note: this is a new column for the Zine, Modern Dirtbags The dirtbag in us never dies, but we do…
I’ve got a confession to make people: I haven’t seen “Straight Outta Compton” yet. Like many hip-hop fans I’ve been…
How do you choose a single rope for multi-pitch and alpine climbing? Considerations include weight, dry treatment, durability, and the…
This tent is a great value for a 2-person, 3-season backpacking tent with some innovative features. The tent follows the…
Sometimes, the balm of the day is Happy Hour, when we can leave the stress and bustle of work and…
“I was crazy and I was wild and I have seen the tiger smile.” Drive On by Johnny Cash This…
Ever wondered what kind of dirtbag you are? Or have you spotted a hipster that kind of looked like a…
editor’s note: Last month we got word of a very inspiring project called Rewilding. The project is centered around Anthony…
Canadian ingenuity re-born: an elite all-around harness Let’s cut right to the chase: climbing harnesses range in price from $50…
With rock climbing gear we are living in the days of refinement, over pure innovation. Most of the gear is…
I wish I could tell you all about Clark in the exact way that my brain experiences it. But that has…
Do you know what a perfect hand jam feels like? Do you remember the first time you really nailed one,…
There is something to be said about reading books written by rock climbers – they seem to consistently capture the…
I’m standing in the closet, packing for weekend of ice climbing or skiing, holding a pair of pants in each…
Climbing does not always go as planned. Rosa Malloy-Post of Durango, Colorado, is evidence of that. At the age of…
Summer is finally upon us again and it’s time to get up and seek adventure in the high country. We…
As I start this piece it’s that time of the year when the Animas River here in Durango looks like…
To My Dearest Cascades, Thank you for some of the best four months of my life. After exploring the remotest…
Dirtbag instincts suit the gear reviewer well. Which is why, for each and every day over the last two months…
I have a road trip rule: when in doubt, listen to some Bob Seger. This rule stems from a trip…
Our vehicles make statements about our lifestyles, and in the mountain town of Crested Butte, Colorado there is quite the…
I always think I’ll write about something else, but these stories keep happening. Then I realize that is the channel…
The sixth volume of The Climbing Zine is now live on Kindle and available in print. Titled “Prose and Parables From…
My first impression of Scarpa’s redesigned Vapor V was how comfortable they were out of the box. I sized mine…
Love them or hate them, fixed draws are becoming more and more of a staple in the sport climbing world.…
Amongst the hot new climbing gear released this season, something I’m most excited about is the newest ultra-light triple-rated rope,…
I awoke in the Indian Creek desert to the sound of a crying baby. I tossed and turned over in…
My life is now unmistakably entwined in the rhythms of grad school; work ebbs and flows, and when it flows…
“The world has enough for man’s need, but not enough for man’s greed.” Gandhi Where do we look for hope,…
At the Climbing Zine we get lots of gear to test, sometimes too much to really wear something for longer…
I knew this whole Dawn Wall climb was big when President Obama started tweeting about it. In case you’ve been living…
A line graph showing the hipness of my sunglasses over the years would look like the jagged silhouette of the…
To dirtbag or not to dirtbag, that is the question. The technique of dirtbagging is one that can only truly…
The Mutant 28, by Osprey, packs the essentials for a minimalist looking to get into alpine, ice or vertically mixed…
For us posting this video, is a case of “I don’t always (fill in the blank) but when I do…”…
It’s amazing that climbing El Capitan in Yosemite is no big deal for a lot of people: routes that originally…
For once, I’m actually psyched to “leave it on,” as their ad campaign suggests. For climbers and skiers, the best…
Westcomb’s Tango Hoody is a formidable layer for a variety of conditions, with a lot to love in a simple,…
I have been alone on the road bouncing from park to park for 2 months. My car is a wreck.…
These days, more often than not, someone in a climbing crew of craggers has a speaker. If you want the…
“This stillness to which all returns, this is reality, and soul and sanity have no more meaning here than a…
The Mammut Sensor is a perfect name for a rope that encourages safety in the way it feels and handles.…
Green, jasmine, earl, chai and black. Tea. I love it all! A day of climbing ice, I pack my thermos…
Light is Right! is the new slogan for today’s alpinism. We pare down the grams in our clothing, sleep systems,…
The good times are moving fast these days, zipping by as we fly through space on this big ball of…
For a climbing slipper priced under $100 the Evolv Addict may be the best out there. The Addicts are a…
In the Last Pitch section of the new Climbing Zine, there’s a great, sentimental piece, written by Mallory Logan. Titled…
Soft-shell clothing has become popular over the years because of its adaptability, allowing athletes to bring fewer clothes and be…
There are many sacrifices and struggles to live the dirtbag life, but my most major gripe has always been…
There’s always room for innovation in climbing gear, but I thought belay devices had been pretty well figured out. I…
Canadians are nice, it rains a lot in the Cascades, and Idaho is quiet and quaint. I’d heard these things…
In the deep of the twilight, the night, buzzed on something, spirits, smoke, the usual, a change occurs: an athletic…
“The Psicocomp was even better than last year,” seems to sum up the response to the second annual deep water…
The 5.10 Guide Tennies have long been my favorite approach shoes. I like them primarily for two reasons: the burly sticky…
“What are those?” I’ve been asked that question 20 times in the last month, while testing out my new belay…
The Western United States is a developed land, yet it is also very wild. Especially when you hail from the…
The Climbing Zine’s guide to helping men and women understand the complexities of the ever increasing bromance. bromance: A bond…
When I was in my later years of being a teenager I was convinced that I was born too late.…
The Dream In May 2012 I leaned against the rail of the overlook on the North Chasm View Wall on…
Sanuks have always looked comfortable and sexy – I’ve wanted to check out a pair for a while now. The…
As we descended further into the dark abyss, that haunting, uncanny mood settled in once again. It was an awareness…
When the going gets weird, the weird turn pro. Hunter S. Thompson made a life and a living off that…
I’d been reading a book on relationships. It suggests not to spring things on your partner; that if you have…
Early summer in Durango, Colorado is great. Blissful. Idyllic. A typical afternoon usually involves waking up from a sound nap…
“This is a low key festival that was formed to share the genuine love of climbing.” That’s how Mandy Pohja…
Amongst the wide variety of approach shoes available today, these shoes stand out as the armored tank of the fleet.…
I have a hard time with gear geeks, those who go on and on about features of the equipment for…
It was 2004 and Kelly Cordes and Josh Wharton had just climbed the Azeem Ridge on Great Trango Tower in…
“It hurts so good”…Tom Petty must have been wearing these when he sang that line. Scarpa’s new Instinct VS brings…
We all need to be taken down a notch, as my mother would say, every once in a while. While…
The night was silent apart from our winded breaths and quiet footsteps; largely stifled by the dirt and pine needles…
Last month The Climbing Zine hosted “Climbers’ Beer Night” at Carver Brewing Company in Durango, Colorado and had a Haiku…
The Climbing Zine Volume 5, The Dirtbag Issue, is available in print and on Kindle. The all-color print version is…