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…
Tag: climbing
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…
INTERVIEW: David Allfrey on Traveling, Staying Motivated Though Injury, and “Getting Back in Shape” for 2017
David Allfrey is best known for his unending psych and setting El Cap speed records. However, the 2016 recipient of the Robert Hicks Bates Award for “outstanding accomplishment by a young climber” who has “demonstrated exceptional skill and character in the climbing or mountaineering arts and has outstanding promise for future accomplishment” prefers to be known as a…
Homemade Spreadable Trail Mix: A Photographic How To
Trail mix and nut butters have long been outdoor enthusiasts’ staple foods. They’re packable, dense, nutritious fuel. Unfortunately, after several jars of creamy PB and a pound of almonds and dried fruit, you start to hate your go-to snacks. Here is an easy homemade twist on traditional trail mix to make you love “good ol’ raisins and peanuts” again…
Dirtbag Fun Facts: Numbers and Tips from My Experiment with the “Dirtbag Dream”
For the past two months, my boyfriend, Tommy, and I have been “living the truck-life dirtbag dream”–well trying to at least. In that time we drove from New Hampshire to California and back, sleeping in the back of Tommy’s 2009 Toyota Tacoma, plugging gear, clipping bolts, bouldering and scenic-overlook-bagging. Here are some trip stats and a few…
INTERVIEW: Margo Hayes on Her Semester in France, Three Gold Medals at the World Youth Championships, and Gaining Confidence Through Climbing Outside
Margo Hayes is one of American’s top female climbers both indoors and outside. She has ticked well over a dozen 5.14s, including the first female ascent of Bad Girls Club (5.14d), while consistently taking the podium indoors nationally and internationally, most recently winning three gold medals (lead, bouldering and combined) at the World Youth Championships in China. She’s also…
The Climbers’ “Turkey Trot”
Thanksgiving is just 10 days away, and you know what that means: Food, family, friends, football and people running pre-pie-binge 5Ks. As climbers, we could join the other non-runners, huffing and puffing for 3.1 miles, or we could sneak in a little fun, competitive climbing before succumbing to the mythical turkey coma instead. Ideally, you’re…
Horseshoe Canyon Ranch: Tips for Enjoying Arkansas’s Dude Ranch Climbing Resort
Feel good grades, short approaches, hundreds of routes 5.5 to 5.14a, onsite camping and abundant “wildlife”: Horseshoe Canyon Ranch (HCR) is a resort crag.* I’ve never before see so many sandstone chicken heads in one location, neither have I ever before had to wrestle my granola out of a horse’s mouth while taking a lunch…
Way Too Easy Maple Coconut Climbing Scones
It’s certainly convenient to snag a few coffee shop (or gas station…) baked goods on the way to the crag and/or boulder field for a delicious mid-day energy boost. But for those looking to save money and enjoy a just-as-tasty but healthier option, baking these simple homemade scones is the way to go. Not only are they incredibly quick and…
INTERVIEW: Claire Buhrfeind on Embracing Herself as a Strong Female Climber, Her Transition to College, and Climbing for Team Texas
Claire Buhrfeind began climbing for Team Texas eight years ago and since then has become one of the country’s top female competition climbers, most recently taking silver for her combined lead, bouldering, and speed scores at the IFSC World Championships in Paris, France, last month. This fall, she began her first semester at the University of…
A Glossary of Top Rope Terms for “TR” Lovers and Haters Alike
Whether you’re a top rope (TR) champion or wouldn’t dare to be seen anywhere other than on the sharp end, we all know that toproping isn’t “real” climbing in the sense that you can’t really “send” a route on TR…right? Not to say that TRing isn’t “real” climbing in that one still scales rocks while doing it,…
Coffee. Tape. Climb. 