The beauty of Reel Rock is in its variety and quality. The tour brings audiences a collection of the top climbing and adventure films from the past year. Each video is long enough to tell a complete story, but short enough that one’s attention never waivers. In two hours, viewers travel around the world, watching athletes…
Category: Lists
10 Reasons Why I’d Love to “Magically” Improve My Climbing
Most days I wish I was better at climbing. Even on the days I happen to send, I often secretly wish I was topping out something harder, not just for the V points or glory, but because breaking into V8 and 5.13 would allow me to send–or at least productively hang-dog–so many amazing routes. Now you might…
The Climbing Destination Acronyms You Should Be Using
You’ve likely heard of “The Red,” and maybe “The New,” but when have you ever heard someone say “The Virgin River Gorge”–we all know it’s the “VRG.” With so many something river gorges and other “long” climbing destination names, we’ve naturally begun to communicate via acronyms and other shortened word/letter/number combinations (HP 40) when discussing outdoor plans. While you likely know…
Valentine’s Day Special: 10 Reasons to Date Another Climber
Valentine’s Day is tomorrow, and I hope you’re giving chocolate, and/or flowers, and/or cams, and/or hand salve to a special someone. If you’re single, no worries; I highly recommend you buy yourself and your mom some chocolate. I also recommend that you choose your next date wisely: Here are ten reasons why, as a climber, you should…
The Ten Commandments of Bouldering
I. Thou shalt never use thy knees to top out. IIa. Thou shalt wait at least 7 minutes between attempts. IIb. Thou shalt also brush each hold thoroughly before each attempt. III. Thou shalt do anything and everything to climb during perfect temps, including hiking through snowdrifts and climbing by headlamp. IV. Thou shalt not consider anything…
6 Tips for Surviving Long Car Trips
Whether you’re making the 7-hour trek to Joe’s Valley for the weekend or driving coast-to-coast in less than a week, long days in the car are rough. However, YOU have the power to make them less terrible and even productive. Here’s How: Tip 1: Listen to Podcasts! Having driven from New Hampshire to California and…
Last-Minute Stocking Stuffers for Your Outdoorsy Family and Friends
Christmas is less than two weeks away, and Hanukkah begins in just 12 days, which means you’ve likely completed approximately 2 percent of your holiday shopping and are now scrambling. Coffee.Tape.Climb. has you covered with inexpensive gifts for the outdoor enthusiasts on your list. A HYDRO FLASK: This “water bottle” keeps beverages hot for 6…
The Ten Commandments Part 2: Trad Climbing
1. Thou shalt never fall. 2. Thou shalt not associate with sport climbers; they are wimpy ethic-less bolt-clippers. 3a. Thou shalt run out all easy sections. 3b. Thou shalt also run out all cruxes. 4. Thou shalt not become discouraged by extreme amounts of rope drag. However, thou shalt also not create excessive rope drag….
The Ten Commandments of Sport Climbing
1. Thou shalt think of tufas, training, red pointing, “the red,” fitness, your fingers, power-endurance, and/or clipping no less than 87.6 percent of your waking hours (and in at least 54.2 percent of your dreams). 2. Thou shalt not become a boulderer. Thou shalt only boulder for training and occasional fun. 3. Though shalt not drop thy partner…
5 Things You Should Know About Climbing with a Lightweight
Many climbers seem to be constantly trying to lose those last five or 10 pounds to reach optimal “sending weight.” However, there remain others, like me, who can eat a pint of Ben and Jerry’s every other night and still not gain a pound. Here are some things you should know about climbing with those of us in the skinny…
Explaining Climbing to Your Mother
My mother is fantastic. She has always been incredibly supportive of my fondness for scaling rocks, even when she didn’t understand quite what I was doing. She bought me my first pair of shoes, my first chalk bag, and my first harness for my 19th birthday without knowing anything more than that I’d joined the…
Six Tips for All-Day Climbing Energy
You know the unfortunate 3 p.m. slump, where suddenly you go from feeling strong to feeling a strong urge to nap. You’ve been climbing and belaying since 7:30 a.m., but there’s still five hours of potential climbing time left before sunset—Don’t waste it. Your initial thought might be: I’ll just chug a Red Bull. However, if you’re like me,…
Coffee. Tape. Climb. 