Article by William WildCathedral is a door into the world of multi pitch climbing. At 500 feet tall it towers over North Conway, bringing tourists from all around to see the views from atop the prow. Few are brave enough to forego the auto road and earn their view with a more direct route. The Thin Air Face, named after the classic 4 pitch 5.6, Into Thin Air, that winds up the granite slab is the way to go if you’ve never been to Cathedral. This was my first route on the cliff and a stepping stone into harder and more adventurous climbing.The Prow as seen from Into Thin Air, Photo: William Wil ..read more

Welcome to season 4 of “Problems of the SET!”Once a month, we’ll pick a few problems of a recent reset at one of our gyms and give you some beta to try out. While there are multiple ways to crush a problem, if these are giving you a hard time, try this beta on for size.It’s been a little bit since our last episode, so thanks for being patient while we get back in the groove of getting these episodes to you monthly!Lots of updates across all locations, so be sure to subscribe!If there are any other problems you’d like to see beta for, please let us know in the comments below and we will try o ..read more

Article by Jackson BoyleLast week I had the opportunity to visit Rumney Rocks in New Hampshire as part of a Rock Spot Climbing Corporate Marketing Retreat. Our plan was to get some outdoor climbing in while talking marketing strategy and direction for the rest of the year. Being new to the East Coast, I knew basically nothing about Rumney. In fact I knew basically nothing about the whole east coast before moving from Seattle this past October. Embarrassingly enough, I actually thought Boston was south of New York City until I moved out here. Even after skiing all around the northeast this wint ..read more

Article by Jess MerrittAt the time of this article’s posting, I have been working at Rock Spot Climbing for 6 months. I had no prior rock climbing experience other than a couple Girl Scout trips back in high school. Full disclosure… I still consider myself a pretty new climber.Outdoor rock climbing wasn’t even on my mind considering I am still inexperienced in the indoor climbing world.About a week ago, I was invited to a corporate marketing retreat in Rumney, New Hampshire.“Of course!” I said very excited, but also extremely nervous. Here’s my advice on what to think about before,during, and ..read more

Article by Tim WolsonovichPhoto by Bob Sihler of Rainbow Mountain, Rainbow Wall and Juniper Peak Around New Year’s last year, my buddy Josh Squire asked me if I’d be interested in heading to Vegas with him for a climbing trip. After I’d agreed, I asked what his goals were and he said, “How do you feel about getting on a big wall?”  Without thinking very long I agreed, and this was how our Rainbow Wall adventure began. The Regular Route on the Rainbow Wall climbs a corner and crack system for 1000 feet up the middle of a curved rock feature at the back of Juniper Canyon. Originally an aid rout ..read more

Article by Doug PageHope you’re all getting as psyched for the 2017 Boston Boulder Brawl (B3) as we are at Rock Spot Climbing! If you are, then you are probably training your faces and finger tips off in anticipation at the greatness you will undoubtedly achieve in this test of wits, will and pure rock climbing prowess. Trusting that you have the rock climbing prowess thing covered, I’m going to give you a few tips to power up your mental game so you can be ready for victory come the Day of Glory: Saturday, April 8th!I’m going to make a few assumptions here as you come with me on this journey ..read more

Article by Forrest Kolaski When it comes mobility it all starts with the hips and shoulders. For general mobility work, refer back to the exercises to do before you climb, as these are an excellent starting point. The interesting thing about mobility is people often don’t realize they can’t reach something if they had better mobility. Oftentimes, things out of reach remain out of reach.Hip Mobility TestsHere are some milestones for hip mobility. For many, these types of positions are seemingly impossible at first and there are ways to get within reach of these maneuvers. But first, it might be ..read more

Article by Forrest KolaskiUp to this point we have talked about being prepared, having a plan and troubleshooting fatigue. Now we are going to dig a little deeper, talk about finding the low hanging fruit and how to develop as a balanced climber.There are three major categories for improvement within a the sport of climbing that you can focus on are: Mobility - Strength - TechniqueMobility will allow you to reach further, save energy by not having to fight your own range of motion and open doors to positions on the wall. It will also reduce cramping, hot spots in the muscles and muscle imbalan ..read more

The Competitive climbing scene has come a long way in America.Check out this incredible throwback to a simpler time. While the music and apparel are definitely of a different era, it could be argued that some things never change. http://www.climbingbusinessjournal.com/flashback-to-the-beginning/?utm_source=CBJ+Weekly+Newsletter&utm_campaign=1aee0fc1f4-RSS_WEEKLY_EMAIL&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_efd331ccc5-1aee0fc1f4-98021773&mc_cid=1aee0fc1f4&mc_eid=68b826a8e4 For more info our own competition, the 2017 Boston Boulder Brawl (B3) on Saturday, April 8, visit:http://RockSpotC ..read more

Article by Forrest KolaskiIf you’ve climbed once or regularly for years, you have probably experienced forearm pump and fatigue in your fingers. Climbing builds great grip strength, but sometimes your body speaks up and says enough is enough. There are a couple quick tips you can do in a moment or two that will help. Let’s call these the instant relief techniques. Holding your arms overhead for up to 3 minutes and then swinging them below your body is a way of refreshing the blood to your forearms and fingers. While your hands are up there you can extend you fingers, stretching the flexor musc ..read more