Rock Climbing

BY MATT SCHOOLEYNo matter the landscape, the view is best from the top. A group of young athletes, part of the Goffstown YMCA rock climbing team, fuels their passion for adventure scaling a variety of indoor surfaces.Team members, who travel to at least three events in addition to weekly practices, enjoy two main styles of competition. Bouldering allows climbers to reach heights of 15 to 20 feet without ropes or harness, while climbers can...  

Quote of the Day: "When I started, I just had sneakers, but now I'm sponsored by Evolv, so they gave me my favorite shoes, which are called Optimus Prime, who is the best and nicest Transformer." -- 8-year-old rock climber Ashima Shiraishi. Last summer, Shiraishi entered the open women's division of a bouldering competition at the Manhattan Plaza Health Club -- and took first place. As she told New York Magazine, she's been climbing for three...  

Pull on the La Sportiva Viper Climbing Shoe and sink your teeth into a wicked gym session or a go at your overhanging project. This slip-on is built on a modified Katana last with a slightly downturned toe for grabbing power. The thin sole adds total sensitivity, and the Hidden Heel Shock Absorber takes the sting out of gym and bouldering falls. *The Viper may stretch up to one whole size after repeated wear, so size accordingly.Price: $37.49...  

The Beacon Climbing Centre is running their annual winter bouldering aggregate. There is a £2 minimum donation to join the aggregate - 100% donated to the North Wales Bolt Fund. Anyone can join the aggregate and challenge themselves throughout the grade spectrum, prizes are awarded not just for those doing the hardest problems but for a range of other achievements.  

Last week the Access Fund announced a partnership with the Carolina Climbers Coalition to purchase the Rumbling Bald West Side Boulders in North Carolina. The Access Fund is providing a loan of $72,000 to finance 90% of the price of the 6.12-acre bouldering area, keeping the boulders from being closed to climbers and developed. This is just another great example of the wonderful work that the Access Fund does to keep climbing areas open so...  

Legendary Canadian ice climber Guy Lacelle died on Thursday from traumatic injuries suffered in an avalanche in Hyalite Canyon in southern Montana. The 54-year-old Lacelle, paired with local guide Adam Knoff, was climbing as many ice and snow pitches as possible during an ice-climbing competition for the Bozeman Ice Festival when the accident occurred. Knoff was uninjured. Details are still sketchy but it appears that Guy Lacelle had just...  

"Wow, Santa! 2,000 feet of overhanging ice! ...Santa? ...Santa? Happy Holidays and Great Ice Climbing in the New Year! From your Climbing Guide Stewart Green Cartoon © Dennis Jump/DenArt2009. Do not reproduce without written permission. Rudolph, Happy Holidays and Good Climbing! originally appeared on About.com Climbing on Wednesday, December 23rd, 2009 at 18:05:01.Permalink | Comment | Email this  

Christmas is just around the corner and there's not a lot of shopping days left but there is Express Mail, UPS, Fed-X, and, of course, Santa Claus to get those last-minute gifts delivered to your favorite climber. Here are three quick suggestions I wouldn't mind receiving for gear, clothes, and a feel-good donation...hint hint! You'll love them too. Donate to the Layton Kor Medical Fund Layton Kor is one of the great iconic American climbers...  

Guy Lacelle, the world's most prolific and well-regarded ice climber, died this morning in Hyalite Canyon, just outside Bozeman, Montana. Lacelle and climbing partner were in a gully between climbs, about four miles from Grotto Falls, when an avalanche struck. The snow carried Lacelle down two pitches of waterfall ice. His climbing partner sustained a minor injury. Two others witnessed the avalanche from safe ground...  

A few dozen climbers gathered with picks and crampons to celebrate the grand opening of the Teton Ice Park on Saturday. The facility is a burgeoning ice-climbing playground at Grand Targhee Resort in Alta, Wyoming, that provides free access for experienced climbers with gear, and paid instruction for those who want to learn. Teton Ice Park's philosophy is similar to the Ouray Ice Park in Ouray, Colorado, which opened in 1994 and is now...  

Maine's Baxter State Park has scaled back rules governing winter climbing and backcountry travel. The changes, announced in November and effective December 1, have done away with minimum group size, changed formerly required equipment to recommended equipment, and lessened the wait time for permits. Baxter covers more than 200,000 acres and is home to Maine's highest point, Mt. Katahdin (5,268'). The park is heavily trafficked by hikers...  

Fumitaka Ichimura and Genki Narumi, two of the Giri-Giri Boys from Japan, have made the first ascent of the north face of Tawoche (6501m), Khumbu Himal, Nepal. The pair made the ascent November 26-28 in alpine style, bivying at 5600m and 6100m. The final day of climbing, mostly up snow, took them to the top of the wall and the northern summit, significantly detached from the true summit, Narumi said. From here they descended the south...  

The International Mountaineering and Climbing Federation (UIAA) recently released a new online tool that allows climbers to search for equipment recalls across the entire industry. The database, which spans recalled products from 1988 to current, is searchable by year, product name, equipment type, company and country of recall. It includes carabiners, slings, crampons, harnesses, ropes, cams and other climbing products. Click here to...  

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