High Lines, Hard Choices & What Comes Next
A Week That Goes Beyond the Send. This week takes us from the Karakoram to the Eiger, from 9a power to the future of Paralympic climbing. There are huge lines, bold decisions and stories that remind us that climbing has never been just about getting to the top. Edition #32 is about where we climb, how we get there — and what happens when ambition meets responsibility.
Big Mountains, Bigger Questions
Stefano Ragazzo and Silvia Loreggian link up major objectives in the Karakoram, while the fight over America's Roadless Rule puts millions of acres of wild land at stake. REEL ROCK announces a stacked 20th edition and on Mont Blanc, 32 climbers ignoring safety warnings trigger a rescue controversy that asks an uncomfortable question: where does personal responsibility begin in the mountains?
Patagonia: Nearly a Third of US Forests Now at Risk
The US Forest Service has advanced plans to repeal the Roadless Rule, a policy protecting 44.7 million acres of old-growth forests, canyons and wetlands. Patagonia urges climbers to tell the USFS to stop the repeal before the September 21 deadline.
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REEL ROCK 20 Announces a Stacked Anniversary Lineup
The 20th edition premieres October 22 in Boulder, CO, before hitting the global tour. Four new films star Michaela Kiersch, Janja Garnbret, Ben Mayforth, and Colin Haley — presented by The North Face and supported by YETI.
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Trango Link-Up: Loreggian and Ragazzo Make History
Stefano Ragazzo and Silvia Loreggian achieved the first historic link-up in the Trango group of the Karakoram: nine days of continuous crossing between July 14 and 22, 2026, without returning to base camp.
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A Mayor Denied 32 Climbers a Free Rescue on Mont Blanc
A mayor denied 32 climbers a free helicopter rescue for ignoring safety warnings while bailing from Europe's busiest peak. But the unprecedented decision is more nuanced than it seems.
Read article →From Alpine Giants to Full Beast Mode
Alex Honnold trades sunny Yosemite granite for an icy Matterhorn and nine pitches of Deep Blue Sea on the Eiger, while Jakob Schubert unleashes "beast mode" on Mongo 9a. Alexander Megos flashes Tuataket and then questions the 8B grade and opens Blueberry Gem 8c, while Stefano Ghisolfi looks back at the ascent that changed Bibliographie from 9c to 9b+. Add an extraordinary Karakoram link-up, and this is a section spanning almost every definition of hard climbing.
Alex Honnold Climbs an Icy Matterhorn
Quite the travel experience: a rainy day trip to Zermatt, clouds and wind at the top, and ice-encrusted ropes that made Honnold wish for gloves. After the Eiger in shorts and a sun hoodie, the Matterhorn was character building — chilly, less scenic than hoped, but very memorable.
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Deep Blue Sea: Nine Pitches of 5.12+ on the Eiger
Honnold and Josh McCoy climbed Deep Blue Sea, a classic 9-pitch 5.12+ on a pillar on the west side of the Eiger. One of the best multipitches they've done — amazing pitches, comfortable belays, and incredible scenery.
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Ghisolfi Looks Back at Bibliographie, Five Years On
On this exact day five years ago, Stefano Ghisolfi climbed Bibliographie — then the world's second proposed 9c. After finding new betas from Alexander Megos' first ascent, he downgraded it to 9b+. He shares the full ascent from the last day of that trip.
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Megos Sends Tuataket 8B — and Questions the Grade
Another banger from Rogaland: Megos flashed Tuataket with a new beta figured out from the ground, different from the videos he'd seen. Not 8B in his eyes (maybe 8A+), but for sure a five-star boulder.
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Jakob Schubert Unleashes Beast Mode on Mongo 9a
One of the last hard lines he was missing at Schleier Wasserfall: a hard 8b boulder problem from the ground into a short 8b/+ route. One of those climbs where you need real beast mode, or the crux move just feels impossible.
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Laura Rogora Becomes the Third Woman to Climb 5.15c
With her send of Bibliographie in Céüse, 25-year-old Laura Rogora became the third woman in history to tick 5.15c. Where every prior ascensionist took at least 21 sessions, Rogora sent in just six — an expediency that shocked even her.
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Alexander Megos Opens Blueberry Gem 8c
Sneaking in a couple of days of rope climbing between all the bouldering, Megos found a super cool project in Gloppeveggen and a sequence that worked — absolute world-class climbing on bulletproof rock. Now back to the boulders.
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Thirteen Antarctic Summits on the Queen Maud Land Expedition
One of 13 summits bagged in Antarctica, most via first ascents, during an expedition to Queen Maud Land — the closest to feeling like an astronaut exploring a distant planet. A wild day on Kinntanna, from the film 'Sufferfest Below Zero.'
View post →Podiums, Legends & the Road to LA
Anika Deubler follows her first Europe Series victory with another podium in Ostermundigen, while Martínez Almendros and Poles take gold. But the horizon stretches much further: the first US Paralympic training camp points directly toward LA 2028, Salt Lake City prepares for another World Climbing Series stop, and five-time champion Lynn Hill returns to Arco for Rock Master's 40th anniversary.
Anika Deubler Back on the Podium in Ostermundigen
After her first Europe Series victory in Zilina, Anika Deubler claims another medal with second place at the World Climbing Europe Series Ostermundigen 2026. Five of seven Austrian athletes reached the semi-finals.
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World Climbing Series Returns to Salt Lake City
The action returns to Salt Lake City October 16–18 at Smith's Ballpark. Tickets are still on sale — come experience the World Climbing Series event live.
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First US Para Climbing Camp Points Toward LA 2028
The first Paralympic training camp is in the books. One week until the next World Cup in Laval, one year until the World Championships in Brno, and two years until Para Climbing is back in LA for the 2028 Games.
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Lynn Hill Returns to Arco for Rock Master's 40th
Five Rock Master wins — more than any other woman in the event's history. Lynn Hill, who in 1993 became the first person to free climb The Nose on El Capitan, will be back in Arco from October 2–4 to celebrate 40 years of climbing.
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Golds for Martínez Almendros and Poles in Ostermundigen
Spain and France topped the podium at the final stop before next week's European Championship in Laval, with Martínez Almendros and Poles taking gold at the World Climbing event in Ostermundigen.
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Valle Orco Climbing Festival 2026
The sixth edition of the Valle Orco Climbing Festival takes place from September 24 to 27, 2026, in Ceresole Reale, at a new location announced by Adventure Factory A.S.D.
Read article →Built for the Wall and the Approach
Evolv's new Shaman Trance brings competition-inspired performance to steep rock, boards and modern indoor climbing, balancing aggression with sensitivity. Away from the wall, Ortovox's new Affinity 42 gets the long-term treatment after eight months of testing. Two very different pieces of kit built around the same question: what actually works when climbers use it for real?
Evolv's Shaman Trance: Power When You Need It
Built for climbers who bring a competition-inspired skill set everywhere, the Shaman Trance combines an aggressive, cambered, downturned shape with enough forgiveness for flatter holds. From steep rock and boards to modern indoor sets, it delivers grip and feel.
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Ortovox Affinity 42: A Climbing Pack in Long-Term Testing
With its new Affinity line, Ortovox focuses on climbers for the first time — clothing, a rope bag, and the Affinity 42 backpack designed specifically for the needs of the rock. Outdoor Magazin put the newcomer through eight months of testing.
Read article →Community & Culture
Protect the Wild, Celebrate the Culture. Patagonia sounds the alarm over plans to repeal the Roadless Rule, potentially affecting 44.7 million acres of protected US forest, while Chris Sharma turns a solar eclipse over Mallorca into a spectacular climbing project. Elsewhere, REEL ROCK 20 brings Janja Garnbret, Michaela Kiersch, Ben Mayforth and Colin Haley to the big screen, Climbing Gold goes searching for climbing's original dirtbags, and new gym accident data takes a harder look at how and why climbers get hurt indoors.
Chris Sharma Climbs Alongside a Solar Eclipse in Mallorca
An incredible climb, place and crew. Inspired by a solar eclipse in Mallorca, Sharma assembled a dream team with Chris Burkard and Renan Ozturk for a pure passion project — climbing alongside the eclipse in the most epic way, with all the stars aligning.
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Ross Fulkerson on Bishop's Finest and Tallest
Ross Fulkerson takes on Bishop's finest — and tallest. The immersion film 'Immersion' premieres on Mellow this Saturday at 10am MST, by Nautilus Studios and directed by Bhoff Films.
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Climbing Gold Goes Searching for the First Dirtbag
Who was the first dirtbag? Climbing Gold travels back in time to meet Jan Conn. Jan and Herb Conn took what might have been the first climbing road trip, created early magazines and films, and pioneered first ascents — following their passions as radically as 1945 allowed.
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UKClimbing's Top 10 Reader-Voted Photos
From sea cliffs to outcrops to soaring Alpine ridges, UKClimbing shares some of this week's user-voted Top 10 climbing and mountaineering photos — topped by 'Vanguard,' one of the most aesthetic boulders in Scotland.
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Climbing Gym Accident Statistics 2025: Causes and Injuries
Every year the DAV and gym association KLEVER publish an analysis of accident data from climbing and bouldering gyms in Germany and Austria. Here are the most common causes and injury patterns from the 2025 reporting year at a glance.
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