In Joe Simpson’s autobiography This Game of Ghosts he gives a tense account of an accident on the Dru in the early 1980s. A bivi ledge collapsed, leaving Simpson and his climbing partner dangling from a dodgy peg and staring at a two thousand foot drop. They spent twelve hours hanging there. “It was not…
Lattice Training has posted a great 6 minute workout for core strengthening for climbers that you can do at home, without a pull-up bar or really any equipment. List of exercises: Dish tuck Weighted twists Weighted sit-ups Marching plank Dish variation Superman What sort of climbing related training for core do you do at home?…
A climber friend once told me that there are no studies to confirm the effects of most of the drugs advertised as ‘groundbreaking dietary supplements’. Only a few are proven in sports. Here’s a list of supplements that might be useful in your climbing routine. Caffeine for climbing training? The literature states that the greatest…
Andy Kirkpatrick is a man who’s not afraid to look unflinchingly at himself in the mirror, and he’s not afraid to write about what he finds. Even as this book was being published, he was making a solo attempt on the Troll Wall in Norway, getting his fill of the “cold and suffering” in which he specialises. His…
One piece of mountaineering equipment often overlooked is a good pair of goggles. They’re an important part of your kit, and provided you get the right pair and look after them they should last for years. It might not be ice climbing weather in Yorkshire, but Scotland is definitely still keeping you winter mountaineers enthused. …
The subject of climbing rope can be pretty bewildering, but knowing how to select and care for this essential piece of climbing equipment should be high on every climbers list. Here’s my simple breakdown of the basic categories of rope, how and when to use them, and how to look after them. 3 main categories of climbing rope Climbing…
Jamming is used where the rock features a crack in which you can jam your hand, fist, finger or in some cases forearm, rather than pulling down on a hold. In most cases you don’t actually pull down on a jam, it is used to stabilise the upper body as you push up from your…
This article won’t make you improve your bouldering out of all proportion, overnight, but it might help you to start the process of improvement. I recently found myself in a bit of a rut with my climbing, a bit of a sticking point in my development. If that sounds like a familiar feeling to you,…
In addition to being enjoyable and rewarding, rock climbing can be a very demanding activity, and requires something of a perfectionist approach. This is why climbers tend to spend a great deal of time picking out the right equipment, considering different preparations for different climbs, etc. And it is also why climbers who rely on corrected…
There are some climbs where good friction between shoe and rock is absolutely vital, and they’re almost impossible to complete without it. When climbing on granite, I’ve found a few instances where I’ve had to trust steeply sloping footholds which I would rarely have trusted previously. To gain the required amount of friction on climbs…