What Do Climbing Gym Setters Think About Boards?
Gripped Magazine interviewed Canadian gym route setters Max Summerlee and Karlo King about the rise of LED training boards such as MoonBoard, Kilter and Grasshopper. Both praised boards as valuable training tools but argued they cannot replace traditional commercial setting. They highlighted boards’ space efficiency and profitability for small‑footprint gyms, while emphasizing the creative freedom and collaborative quality that human setters bring to full‑wall routes. The discussion underscores a split between board‑only concepts and classic gym experiences.
New E12 Is One of the World’s Most Difficult Trad Routes
Franco Cookson completed the first ascent of a two‑pitch trad line called But Nothing Is Lost on Scotland’s Ben Loyal, grading it at the elite E12 (equivalent to 5.14d). The climb joins Bon Voyage France as only the second confirmed...
“Mountain Queen” Lhakpa Sherpa Sets Everest World Record
Lhakpa Sherpa, a 52‑year‑old Nepali mountaineer, reached the summit of Mount Everest for a record‑breaking 11th time on Sunday, guiding a client and clocking in at 9:30 a.m. local time. The ascent extends her lead as the woman with the most...
Kristin Harila Climbs Nuptse in 2026 “Triple Crown” Push
Norwegian mountaineer Kristin Harila reached the 7,861‑metre summit of Nuptse on Sunday, marking the first confirmed ascent of the peak in the 2026 season. The climb is part of her "Triple Crown" push, which aims to summit Everest, Lhotse and...
Yosemite Climbing Legend Tom Frost, Who Saved Camp 4, Remembered in New Film
Tom Frost, a pioneering Yosemite big‑wall climber and gear innovator, is the subject of the upcoming documentary “Frost, The Story of a Lifetime.” The film chronicles his historic first ascents—The Nose, Salathé Wall, North America Wall—and his role in designing...
Yosemite Speed Record, a Big Wall Link-Up and a Rescue
In early May, Yosemite saw two notable climbing achievements and a rescue. Taylor Martin and Oliver Tippet set a new speed record on El Capitan’s Lost in America route, completing the 16‑pitch climb in 16 hours 58 minutes, beating the 2004 mark. The following...
Climbers Repeat 11-Pitch 5.13c on Madagascar Granite
Dörte Pietron and Daniel Gebel successfully repeated Lalan’i Mpanjaka, an 11‑pitch 5.13c line on Madagascar’s Tsaranoro Valley granite. The route, first established in 2017 by Chris‑Jan Stiller and Tobias Wolf, required extensive ground‑up bolting and was notorious for sparse protection....
Squamish Festival Gives Women and LGBTQ2S+ Climbers a Space to Call Their Own
The Rock and Rise festival returns to Squamish from June 26‑28, marking its second edition as a dedicated space for women and LGBTQ2S+ climbers. Originally the Treeline women’s climbing festival (2017‑2021), it was rebranded in 2023 to broaden inclusion and...
Manon Hily Clips the Chains on Trip Tik Tonik 5.14d
Manon Hily redpointed the classic French sport route Trip Tik Tonik (5.14d) in October 2025, marking her first ascent at that grade. The climb, originally graded 5.14b/c and upgraded to 5.14d after a 2011 hold removal, is renowned for its...
Eva Hammelmüller Climbs 5.14d in Austria
Eva Hammelmüller completed the demanding Juturna (5.14d/9a) at Götterwandl in Austria after roughly 40 attempts over 14 sessions. The ascent marks her third 5.14d of the year and adds to a season that already includes three 5.14c routes and her...
New Alpine Route on Grandes Jorasses Goes at M7 A3
In April, a French team of Kilian Moni, Pierre Girot, Hugo Peruzzo and Arthur Poindefert completed the first ascent of Jorassique Pâques on the Grandes Jorasses, a 1,100‑metre line graded ED+ M7 A3. The climbers spent four nights on a portaledge, battling gear failures,...
Explore Fraser Valley Bouldering with Squatch On The Rocks
The Fraser Valley Climbing Society is debuting its Squatch On The Rocks event on June 13, offering a free bouldering social that showcases the under‑appreciated Stacks area. Participants of all skill levels can try the diverse granite, greenstone and granodiorite...
The Baby Head and No-Tex: A History of Two of Climbing’s Weirdest Holds
The article traces the origins of two of climbing’s most unconventional holds – the “baby head” and the “no‑tex”. The baby head, a grotesque sloper first shaped by Jason Kehl for So iLL in the late‑1990s, has evolved into larger...
HBO Series Shows How Free Soloist Dean Potter Was Overshadowed by Alex Honnold
The HBO docuseries "The Dark Wizard" dedicates its third episode to Dean Potter’s desperate bid to out‑climb Alex Honnold, culminating in a failed attempt to free‑solo El Capitan. Honnold’s rapid succession of speed records and a full West‑Face solo forces Potter...
Connor Herson Climbs Drifter’s Escape, the World’s Hardest Trad Climb
American climber Connor Herson completed the first free ascent of Drifter’s Escape on Squamish’s Stawamus Chief, proposing a 5.15a/9a+ grade that could crown it the world’s hardest trad route. The climb, originally established in 1975 as a 5.9 A3 aid...