High Performance, Heavy News and the Season Begins
This edition carries both power and weight. The World Cup season is starting, elite climbers are sharpening on rock, and major personal milestones are landing — but the week also brought painful losses that remind us how serious this sport can be.
Breakthroughs, Legacy and Loss
Brooke Raboutou's Excalibur story and Eva Hammelmüller's first 9a+ underline how far women's performance keeps pushing. Chris Sharma turning 45 adds a longer view on passion and longevity. But this week also included tragedy, with the climbing world mourning Noah Wiley and Will Stanhope. Some editions need space for both achievement and grief.
Brooke Raboutou's Two-Year Journey to Excalibur (9b+)
From the very first go she was hooked. Two years of grit, mental resets, and pure determination — Raboutou proved high-level performance is genderless. Her favourite move: the iconic finger pocket into a high heel hook near the chains.
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Chris Sharma Turns 45 — "Feeling Alive"
Sharma celebrated his 45th birthday exploring the coast south of Lisbon with a great crew. Grateful for the love, support, and the chance to keep doing his thing.
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Climbing Mourns Noah Wiley, 15, After Lake Tahoe Fall
Friends and family remember a deeply passionate young climber who had only just begun to find his path. Noah Wiley died in a fall at a Lake Tahoe crag earlier this month.
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RIP Will Stanhope
Gripped Magazine pays tribute to Will Stanhope. Deepest condolences to his family and friends.
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Eva Hammelmüller's First 9a+ — Bombardino Interview
After two years stacking 9a routes across Europe, the Austrian climber broke through to 9a+ with Bombardino in Arco. An interview with Eva.
Read article →Sharp Form Before the Season
From Fontainebleau boulders to hard sport routes and bold trad lines, the outdoor level stayed high. Climbers are using rock both as performance ground and as preparation for the competition season. The strongest thread this week: confidence is building fast — physically, mentally, and technically.
Mejdi Schalck Sends Le Pied à Coulisse 8C/V15 in Font
Three quick sessions and four total attempts from the start. A long, complex, powerful boulder with tricky heel/toe jams and a hard final mantle that nearly cost him the send.
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Oriane Bertone Sends Gecko Assis (8B+/V14) FFA
Bertone matched her all-time best in bouldering with the FFA of Gecko assis — a boulder long seen as morpho and masculine. Feeling strong and ready a week before heading to China.
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Alex Megos Training Day in the Frankenjura — Crimps Coming Back
4mm 11- (8c), The Spin 11-, and Smith and Wesson 10+. Megos is feeling strong on crimps again, but still struggles with two-finger pockets as his finger continues to recover.
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Seb Bouin Sends Nid de Fada in Greece — Calls It 8c with Kneepads
Second go on a route in Nifada, Greece. Bouin found kneebars that ease the small-pocket crux. Suggests it's softer than 9a — closer to 8c with kneepads. The Elona project looks promising.
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Route Spotlight: Nightmayer (E8 6c) at Dinas Cromlech
If Lord of the Flies isn't bold enough, the line to its left should satisfy. Sustained technical climbing, long runouts, iffy gear and a desperate high crux — Steve McClure tackles this Steve Mayer first ascent.
View post →The World Cup Season Starts
Competition climbing is moving from build-up into action. European and North American results are already coming in, while national teams and athletes shift into full season mode. The next few weeks will show who is ready, who is rising, and who can carry outdoor form back onto plastic.
Austria Climbing Cheers on Jessy Pilz
Let's go, Jessy Pilz — Austria Climbing rallies behind one of its top athletes heading into the season.
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Jakoba Rauter Lands 4th at Senior Boulder European Cup Debut
First senior Boulder European Cup and straight into 4th place — Jakoba Rauter delivers in Kaunas, even topping the semifinal round on 1st place.
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North American Cup Lead Finals — Iana Startsev Takes Gold
Women's Lead podium: 🥇 Iana Startsev, 🥈 Eva Mijares, 🥉 Ayaka Morita.
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PCL — McBeast Roars Through Qualifying Boulder #2
Erin McBeath handled the head-to-head pressure against Camilla Moroni and progressed to semifinals with style. Full replay on Red Bull TV.
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World Cup Season 2026 Kicks Off in Keqiao
As in previous years, the World Climbing (formerly IFSC) Series kicks off in China. Keqiao hosts the first bouldering World Cup of the 2026 season from May 1, with lead one week later.
Read article →Shoes, Safety and Staying Ready
Gear news focused on performance shoes, rope reviews, and basic belay reminders. The theme is practical: feel the footholds, trust the rope, and keep the fundamentals clean. As outdoor season ramps up, the best gear story is still the one that helps climbers stay safe and consistent.
Jimmy Webb on the New Tenaya Aruma
Webb has been sampling the Tenaya Aruma boot on a variety of rock types — perfect balance between sensitivity and support. From California granite to Joes Valley sandstone.
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Petzl Tip — Keep Your Hand on the Brake Strand
Sunny days are back. A quick reminder: never let go of the brake strand. Better belays start with proper technique, every session.
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Tenaya Introduces the Aruma — Performance Through Feeling
Engineered to sense every foothold, enabling precise smearing and edging. Soft, responsive, and adaptive — control and comfort together.
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Best Climbing Ropes of 2026 — Tested and Reviewed
Six climbing ropes that justify their $200+ price tag. Do-it-all workhorses, featherweight specialists, and tough alpine lines worth tying into.
Read article →Joy, Grief and Climbing for Life
This week's wider stories were emotional. There was joy in Sharma's birthday, history in Saxon sandstone, and culture in climbing's strange little stories — but also real loss. Climbing gives a lot. This week also reminded us what it can take.
Jimmy Chin: "Some Guy Free Soloing El Cap"
Jimmy Chin shares an iconic Honnold-on-El-Cap shot for The North Face — understated caption, legendary subject.
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Adam Ondra Answers the Call of Saxon Sandstone
No chalk, serious exposure, iconic lines. Saxon sandstone has its own rules — Ondra heads to one of climbing's most historic areas. Bold climbing, timeless ethics.
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Climbing Dumby with Will Bosi
"The boulder is sick, he said. It's gonna be fun, he said." Despite all the stories, Dumby turned out to be a pretty cool climbing area.
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Portable, the World's Most Famous Mini-Boulder, Returns Again
After a second months-long disappearance, the tiny problem is back once again. The strange, wandering legend of climbing's most famous portable boulder continues.
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Lake Tahoe Mourns 15-Year-Old Climber Noah Wiley
After a fatal fall at Emerald Bay's 90 Foot Wall, friends and family recalled Noah Sebastian Ortega Wiley's relentless drive and deep bond with climbing.
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Three Shirtless Climbers Rescued from The Naked Edge
What can we learn? Two rescue professionals — including one who's done The Naked Edge 89 times — weigh in on why descent went wrong on the famed Colorado route.
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Teaching Charlize Theron How to Climb for Apex
What it was like working with Charlize Theron and the Apex cast and crew as they tried to do climbing justice for the new Netflix thriller.
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Will Stanhope Dies After a Climbing Accident in Squamish
The climbing community is grieving the loss of one of the most inspiring and exceptional climbers of our time.
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