Getting a good bouldering crash pad can make all the difference on those big days out on the rocks. We’ve rounded up all of our favorites and pointed out some of the small but significant things you need to know. Plus, what marketing claims you can safely ignore! If you’re planning your first trip outdoors or just updating from an old beat-up pad, let us help. Our guide to the best bouldering crash pads of 2023 features some great new models and updates on classics. There’s a lot of competition out there which means some great deals if you know what you’re looking for. The popularity of boulde ..read more

Seb Bouin has repeated Bibliographie, a 9b+ route in Céüse. This route now has four confirmed top-outs and continues to draw the world’s hardest climbers. On the first weekend of June 2023, Seb Bouin managed to clip the chains. He said in a post that “Bibliographie was a big goal for me this year. Since Alex did the first ascent, I was psyched to try something really hard from someone else here in France. Even if Céüse is very far away from my own natural climbing style” The route is very crimpy. At 35 meters (115 feet) it isn’t the longest of the world’s hardest, but the two cruxes being sepa ..read more

Indonesian speed climber Veddriq Leonardo has broken the 5-second barrier – finally achieving a time once thought impossible. He achieved a stunning 4.984 seconds in his second qualification climb, setting a new speed climbing world record. Update: Veddriq’s done it again in the finals! Plus Aleksandra Miroslaw broke her record four times today. In the qualification rounds, Veddriq managed a 4.984, breaking the 5-second mark for the first time. We thought he’d be done there. However, in the quarter-finals, he managed to pull off 4.902. That smashed the previous record and put him well under 5 ..read more

The iconic traveling climbing film festival is back with three films in different styles. Featuring one of the hardest climbs in the world, one of the hardest places to climb in the world, and how a small community climb despite immense challenges. The series is again streaming online in a worldwide premiere on April 20th. You can also go outside of your home and watch it with other people! The classic tour will hit up local theatres and climbing gyms which could do with your support and will be starting in mid-April. Watch The Reel Rock 17 Trailer How To Stream + Watch Reel Rock 17 Reel Roc ..read more

Will Bosi has made the first repeat of possibly the hardest boulder in the world “Burden Of Dreams”. The V17 / 9A bloc was first established by Nalle Hukkataival in 2016 and has seen countless pros visit without a send – until now. How he sent the route has given us a modern template for what top-level climbing may become. Will trained for Burden at first on a replica with the same incline, using 3D printed holds made from high-quality scans of the handful of holds on the route. The route is as straightforward and old-school as it gets. Five holds and eight moves on a severe 40-45 degree overh ..read more

In March 2013, Chris Sharma climbed his first 9b+ “La Dura Dura”, a historic route for many reasons. Now, nearly ten years to the day later, he has climbed his second of the grade. On March 28th, 2023 Sharma finally clipped the chains on “Sleeping Lion”, named after the Clinton Fearon song he was listening to on the last tries. He’s given it the elusive grade of 9b+ (5.15c), which would put him back in the top handful of climbers in the world at the age of 41. Watch Chris Sharma projecting “Sleeping Lion” 9b+ in early 2022The Route The route sits just five minutes walk from the parking spot ..read more

Bolts forever changed climbing. Their introduction in some areas led to fistfights. Now, most climbers wouldn’t think twice about trusting their lives to one in a fall. But should you? What Is A Climbing Bolt? A bolt is a metal anchor that is permanently attached to the rock. It allows climbers to quickly clip their rope to the wall using a quickdraw. Most “bolts” are actually made up of two pieces: a literal bolt, and a hanger that is used for the actual clipping. The common term used for the whole set-up is just the singular bolt. Many people use the slang “clip” to refer to the bolt. For ex ..read more

Buying gifts for rock climbers can be a tough task. They talk about weird things like cams and nuts, come home covered in what they insist is chalk, then you catch them gazing at their horrific fingertips way too often. You want to show them you care, but how? Let us help you this holiday season with the very best climbing gift ideas for Christmas, birthdays, and special occasions. Now is also a great time to get good deals – also take a look at the Black Friday climbing gear sales page. We’ll cover every budget from stocking fillers to “big” presents with over 100 climber gifts. We’ve also na ..read more

At just 19 years old, Chaehyun Seo has climbed “La Rambla” 9a+ in Siurana, Spain. The young Olympian made the top after just seven tries! In a recent Instagram story, she fell off right before the chains on her sixth try but fired it on the very next attempt. Chaehyun is now one of just a handful of women who have climbed 9a+ or harder, as well as becoming the first Korean woman to climb the grade. “La Rambla” was also the route that Margo Hayes climbed back in 2017, marking the first woman to climb the grade. Chaehyun competed in the first appearance of Sport Climbing at the 2020 Tokyo Olympi ..read more

Finding out where to get climbing shoes resoled in the UK feels like trying to get into a secret club. Everyone seems to know a guy that was amazing but now out of the game. For years sending your shoes off to Europe was also the done thing – and still might be. We’ve tracked down and contacted a range of people to get this pretty exhaustive list of where to get climbing shoes resoled in the UK. We aren’t making any assurance over quality as reviews and personal opinions vary. Ask friends or others who’ve had resoles for recommendations on the best climbing shoe resoler. Most shoe repair is do ..read more