Hayden Kennedy gave the closing keynote presentation at this year’s International Climbers’ Festival in Lander, Wyoming. His topic: The 10 Rules of Alpinism. His presentation was by far the best, as he didn’t stumble over his words like several other athletes, despite being more than a handful of beers deep, and he talked humorously about…
Category: How To
Training for the Lander International Climbers’ Festival
The International Climbers’ Festival has been a Lander, Wyoming, summer highlight since it began in 1993. Each July, hundreds of climbers from around the world come to Lander to climb limestone pockets at Wild Iris, slide down natural rock waterslides after exploring the sport and trad routes in Sinks Canyon, camp for free in City Park,…
A Guide to Gathering Free Stuff at the GoPro Mountain Games
I spent last weekend “working” at the GoPro Mountain Games. It was inspiring, exhausting, and quite lucrative for gathering free stuff. Vail is a strange town with random signs saying “like nowhere on earth.” It’s more like a European-themed amusement park with chair lifts and a ski mountain as rides and tons of Swiss-chalet-style Patagonia outlets….
12 Ways to Hate Climbing
Buy a gym membership and feel like you have to “get your money’s worth.” Set a schedule and climb five days a week on the same problems/routes whether it’s pouring rain and 33 degrees or sunny, 55, and perfect in every way for sending your outdoor project(s). Even better, do this to yourself every day….
The Ultimate Guide to Dry Climbing Snacks
There are many benefits to packing extremely dry snacks for a day of climbing, hiking, or any other type of adventuring that involves cramming food into the bottom of a backpack. First, they won’t get your backpack incredibly sticky or damp when crushed against the rest of your gear, unlike the bananas I too often attempt…
What You Should Know About Girls and Camping
First of all, yes, girls do camp. Not all females are innately afraid of nature and believe that a Marriott in the woods is camping. Some of us actually enjoy sleeping in tents, even for a week or more at a time. However, before you embark on a camping trip with a girl there are…
Valentine’s Day: What to Get Your Special Climbing Someone
So Valentine’s Day is a week away, and you still aren’t sure what to get your favorite belayer/spotter/partner who means a little bit more to you than just making sure you don’t die falling off your project. I’ve got you. GIFTS FOR HER: She’s awesome. You’ve hiked a few approaches, sent some routes, met up…
Training to Beat the Winter Climbing Blues (and Stay Strong for Spring)
Climbing in the winter in New England is a test of how many frigid approaches you can walk to icy, unclimbable top outs before you become discouraged. It can be difficult to stay psyched when it’s 15 degrees out and your project is under two feet of snow. All those approaches lugging crash pads and extra layers…
Horseshoe Canyon Ranch
I spent the past two weeks climbing in Jasper, Arkansas, with Tommy and Tristan. Despite rain followed by sub-zero temperatures, difficulty finding gas stations at 3 a.m., and having entire walls missing from the guidebook, we managed to tick off a few of the over 400 routes. Welcome to Horseshoe Canyon Ranch (HCR) where camping…
Climbing Tips for Boys (About Climbing with Girls)
First, lets clear up one myth: Girls are not that complicated. Climbing girls are even less complicated: We have one-track minds to, you guessed it, climbing. So now that you know what climbing girls think about, you no longer have to be confused by our intentions when we ask if you’re going climbing, invite you…
Climbing in the Cold
It’s November, which means only the oak trees still have leaves, it gets dark at 4:30 p.m., and everyone gets excited about eating pumpkin pie with their relatives. It also means it’s cold, with air and rock temperatures routinely dipping into the 30s. Sure this supposedly makes crimps “sticky,” but it also makes my hands…
The Reverse Warm-Up (and Variations)
Some people really like to warm up for a day of sport climbing. My friend Erin is a big fan of starting the day on a nice easy 5.6-5.7 before hopping on her 5.11 project. But sometimes starting out too easy can have adverse effects. I have a tendency to get used to jugs. I wonder…
Coffee. Tape. Climb. 