Tomoa Narasaki and Akiyo Noguchi are the king and queen of Japanese comp climbing, and they have a home climbing gym befit for royalty. Magnus Midtbø recently visited the couple’s home gym in rural Japan, which he documented in a recently released video (embedded below). The training facility includes three commercial gym-sized bouldering walls (with both comp-style and spray wall sets), an 18-metre lead wall with eight bolt lines, a full-sized speed wall, a truck with a platform lift to make setting easier, and a huge training room with weights and exercise equipment.  “This is the crazi ..read more

Found among the boulders at Lower Sheriff’s Badge Trail is this classic V10 called Tim’s Arête. Simon Yamamoto recently released a short film featuring himself working on the boulder in 2022 and sending it this year. Be sure to follow Yamamoto on Instagram for future film releases, or visit his YouTube page and subscribe. For a list of 10 quick-drying boulders visit here. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Simon Yamamoto (@simon_yamamoto) Tim’s Arête V10 The post Simon Yamamoto on a Classic Squamish V10 appeared first on Gripped Magazine ..read more

Yamnuska has been witness to countless tales of triumph, struggle, and unwavering determination. Sitting at the eastern edge of the Canadian Rockies, the iconic wall stands as a testament to the indomitable spirit of adventure. Follow two modern day adventurers as they embark on a rock climbing journey through time, celebrating the rich history and folklore of one of Canada’s most iconic climbing cliffs and paying homage to the colourful characters who have etched their names into its vertical walls since the 1950s. Yamnuska: The Ragged Edge premiered in 2023 and went on to win several awards ..read more

American alpinist Steven Swenson has received the 2024 President’s Award from the American Alpine Club for extraordinary accomplishments in the climbing world. About the award, Swenson said, “Being given such a prestigious award is very humbling, and I’m thankful for my friends and family who have offered tremendous support since I started climbing with Boy Scouts in 1968 at age 14. I’m also indebted to all my climbing partners whose friendship and caring deeds have been an integral part of any success I have had as well as surviving some difficult situations. My goal now is to put in the effo ..read more

Veteran Himalayan climber Nirmal “Nimsdai” Purja just reached the summit of an 8,000-metre peak for his 45th time with a successful ascent of Makalu. He’s now climbed Makalu, the world’s fifth highest mountain, four times. Purja shared the news on Instagram, saying that he made the ascent without supplemental oxygen and without acclimatization. Of his 45 ascents, 21 have been done without supplemental oxygen. The climber with the next most ascents of 8,000-metre summits is Kami Rita Sherpa with 38. “Never let anyone tell you that you are not possible,” Purja said on Instagram. “Believe in ..read more

The Everest spring climbing season is in full swing as nearly 2,500 climbers are currently at the base camp for Mount Everest. That includes foreign permit holders and local guides. Here’s the climber breakdown: 41 teams with 75 female climbers and 339 male climbers. The climber count at base camp includes those hoping to climb Lhotse, the world’s fourth highest mountain, and Nuptse. Due to less than normal snowfall amounts this past winter, more loose rock has been exposed earlier in the year. The result has been several rockfalls that have left some climbers with minor injuries, according to ..read more

A Nepalese climbing guide has died during a descent from the summit of Makalu, the world’s fifth highest mountain, according to the department of tourism. The climber has been identified as Lakpa Tenji Sherpa, 53, who worked with Seven Summit Treks. “He passed away at camp III while his fellow guides were carrying him down,” Rakesh Gurung, head of mountaineering at the department of tourism, told Everest Chronicle. Lakpa Tenji was one of 12 climbers who summited on May 6, for the full list see Seven Summit Treks post below. This is the first death of the 2024 climbing season on the 8,000-metre ..read more

The IFSC has banned a climber for the presence of Stanozolol metabolites, saying, “The IFSC have received an official communication from the International Testing Agency (ITA), delegated by the IFSC as anti-doping service provider, about a rule violation in accordance with Article 8.3.3 of the IFSC Anti-Doping Rules committed by Iranian climber Reza Kolasangian.” Read more about it here. La Crux TV has released a video titled Does Climbing Have a Doping Problem? “We spoke to pro climber Adam Ondra, sports scientist Patrick Matros and head of competitive sports at the Swiss Alpine Club Urs ..read more

At this weekend’s Boulder World Cup in Salt Lake City, Utah, Sorato Anraku of Japan came out on top, winning his fifth World Cup gold medal. Anraku was the only competitor to top three of the four problems in the final. Every other athlete only topped one problem. Anraku was joined on the podium by teammate Meichi Narasaki in second and Austrian Jakob Schubert in third. “I’m very happy to have won gold in this beautiful place,” said Anraku after his win. “I feel good about my climbing today, even though it was a very nerve-wracking competition. When I figured out the moves on the final boulder ..read more

The spring Himalayan climbing season is in full swing as climbers summit several famous peaks, including a rope-fixing team to the summit of Everest via the North Col route. The ropes up the popular South Col route have not yet been fixed to the summit. On Makalu, 18-year-old Nima Rinji and his guides recently summited as the first team of the year to do so. Rinji has climbed 12 of the 14 8,000-metre peaks, as he hopes to become the first teenager to climb all 14. One of the two peaks that he must still climb is Shisha Pangma, however it’s not currently open to foreign climbers. Also on M ..read more