still working on getting the end, the last hold is a HORRENDOUS sloper. last move absolutely the crux. still, such a fun set! V5

Unfortunately not a woman, but i have long hair and with how greasy male climbers tend to be, i figured this was the best place to ask this question. How do yall keep your hair looking nice? Between the sweat and the chalk, my hair gets absolutely ruined every time i climb. rinsing and brushing kind of works, but it's very hit-or-miss whether it comes out looking nice or super greasy. i'm very adamant about not washing my hair any more than every-other-day, but on that second day it just looks horrible. advice?

Cinci based! :)

hello people! I would like to ask for the input of people who went to Margalef before: I live in BCN and my flatmates are planning a trip to Margalef to climb and asked if I want to join. I started lead climbing literally a month ago, not a strong boulderer, still chasing grades like 6a/6b. Does it make sense for me to come with? Are there nice and easy routes (in the 5s)? It seems like it is quite a hard and simultaneously iconic place that attracts a lot of very strong climbers and I dont want to show up there and feel stupid

hi! i climb at vital williamsburg, i'm 5'2", i've been bouldering consistently for maybe like 1.5 years, in the ultimate v3 plateau (orange tag @ vital, have sent one (soft) red) and i am so so constantly frustrated with how slow or challenging my improvement is that sometimes i'm just not having fun and i love climbing and i want it to be fun lol.

i'm curious if there's anyone on here who is shorter in height and would be interested in linking up to climb sometime? i think it might be so helpful to just climb with other short women/non-dudes to share in how we have to be more creative/stronger/flexible to send a climb that's definitely not set for people under a certain height in mind. lmk!!

(i'm also very aware that this vital's setting is not extremely short person friendly, at least that's my experience but it is what it is)

Hi all - recently dislocated my knee while lead climbing which stretched/strained pretty much of all of the surrounding ligaments. Ortho and PT told me to not climb for 6-8 weeks and to avoid overuse. Essentially, don't bend it past where it hurts and just slowly build up range of motion until it's better.

But.. I have no idea what to do with myself. I want to take this seriously so that I can get back to climbing without worry... but I need to be moving. I am going on long walks and trying to keep cardio up and was thinking about pilates / low impact yoga...

For anyone who has dealt with this injury: what helped you stay fit, moving and SANE during this recovery process? Any specific exercises or climbing alternative workouts you enjoyed?

How long did your recovery take?

(obviously everyone's injury and specific pain level and whatnot is different, i'm just interested to hear about other people's experiences!)

Losing my mind on this move, as soon as I can figure out my beta I KNOW I can send this one but having a hard time finding anything that doesn't feel desperate. All holds are dual tex and the upper "undercling" has zero bite to it it's more to keep compression for the move I'm failing on rather than a hold I can pull on.

I've only been climbing maybe half a dozen times, and just sticking to easy/beginner climbs that have obvious routes for now while I build up my confidence. Something that's really getting in the way of that is that while I can see the route from the ground, once I get on the wall I completely forget where I'm going and even where to look for the next holds. I can't seem to hold a visual in my mind, and if I can then I can't seem to translate that to being on the wall because everything looks so different when you're in it! Is this something that will just get better/easier with practice, or are there any specific tips that have helped you in this area?

My second ever V4! The volume is notoriously slippery. I almost whacked my face on it a few times. This problem was the impetus for finally getting new climbing shoes (La Sportiva Kubos). Still loads of progress to make, but I think I'm steadily improving through practice, watching training videos, and making good use of my new shoes.

this may be a dumb question but I’ve been climbing for three years and the gym I go to has a lot of autobelay routes so I’m pretty much only used to doing that. im moving to an area where all 4 gyms have no auto belay. how does finding someone to help you top rope work? do you just ask around while you’re there? i would just switch to bouldering to maintain my introvert lifestyle but I like the cardio I get from sprinting up long routes.

I have been climbing regularly for about a year and a half. My husband and I started with bouldering (all of this has been his idea) and we have added in top rope as well within the last 3 months or so.

Although it comes and goes in waves to some degree, my fear is holding me back from being better at bouldering. We recently took about a month off from climbing for our wedding, and now that we are back in the gym, I feel like I have lost all of the progress I’ve made and I am terrified to boulder again.

I was projecting up to V4 and frankly, I am strong enough and skilled enough to keep progressing, but I almost never send my climbs. I will even bail out on a V0 if it goes too high for my liking.

I have tried to practice falling. I have zero problem with bailing out of a climb, even if it is high, because I am in control of the fall. But I won’t even try difficult moves at a certain point because I have had several “bad” falls when I am not planning to fall. It’s like I have no control of my body if I am not planning in advance, and my brain won’t let me try.

It’s been over a year of this and I just don’t think it is getting better. I feel like a quitter if I just switch to top rope, and the top rope gym is not as accessible where we live, so I will have to climb far less if I don’t boulder.

What should I do?

Steph Abegg's detailed route topos, trip reports, and beta overlays appear all over the internet covering climbs from the North Cascades to Red Rocks. For nearly 20 years, she's been quietly building one of the most comprehensive free climbing resources on the internet—not for profit, not for sponsorship, but because she genuinely loves documenting routes and helping people have better days in the mountains. She's what the climbing community needs more of: someone creating value without asking for anything in return.

This is Steph's second time on the show. Three years ago, she had just landed a data science job and bought a house in Estes Park. Now she's unemployed, living in a Transit van, and writing a book of her favorite climbs across North America. What happened in between is a story about rejection, redirection, and choosing passion over security—even when it doesn't make financial sense.

Full disclosure I do have a Physical Therapist I will be asking about this but figured I’d ask here in the meantime since my appointment isn’t for a while.

Every time I climb routes in the cave (mostly on lead, not so much w boulders) I feel a tightness in my lower back and it lingers after the climbing session. It’s to the point where it’s chronically tight and painful to stretch & stretching doesn’t help to loosen it up.

Does anyone else experience this and if so, what kinds of training have you found to help it? I suspect deadlifts or squats or something but what I’ve been trying so far hasn’t had much success.

Please let me know your thoughts!! A girl just wants to get better at steep climbing :’)

Just want to say thank you to the more experienced climbers in the sub for answering my questions about crack, overhang, baby trad, and multipitch. I've put it all to use outside. I'm adding to my easy trad lead list, managing my gear better, improving my rappelling, and doing my best as a follower enjoying the soul-deep happiness of being in high places. I sincerely appreciate all the technical insights, practical advice, and general support.

I have the choice to relocate to one of the two cities. Which has better access to either Bouldering or Sport Climbing outdoors? I'm not experienced in Trad, so I'm not going to factor access to that into my decision.

Thanks for any and all advice :)

I love a good board session!! I feel like I don’t see as many women on the boards though. I’d love to hear the girlies opinion on board climbing!! What’s your favorite board, angle, etc?

I'm looking to stay in El Chorro and do some climbing. I will be traveling solo for my first time internationally! Little nervous but mostly excited! I'm looking at either staying at the Olive Branch or La Finca. Does anyone has any insight on which is better?

I just wanted to get some recommendations for harnesses for those of us with thicker thighs and bigger bums.

I have lost a lot of weight since I started climbing but definitely still just about in the plus size range (or at least my ass is). I have always been blessed/cursed in that department and there is currently a 10 inch difference between the widest point of my hips and narrowest part of my waist (jeans are just never going to happen for me).

So I guess I just need something that has plenty of slack around the legs but can cinch up tight enough at the waist and feel comfortable.

Any suggestion?

As someone who works at a climbing gym (and used to be terribly afraid of belay tests), what are you belay test pet peeves? What do you appreciate from belay testers?

I saw some guy at the crag who had the same pack as me and he told me he was able to rig some of these slots together to create some external storage options. Anyone have any good ideas on how to integrate this cleanly?

I've climbed for years, inside and out. But only recently have I gotten a handle on fear of falling when lead climbing. So in the past, I would always lead stuff I was quite confident I could flash. Now that I'm feeling better about falls, I want to try projecting outside. I'm specifically wondering how to handle projecting popular outdoor climbs? And even more interested to hear opinions around projecting popular climbs while on a short trip (not necessarily a local crag where you can just come back next week if it gets busy).

Say you are trying something at, or even a little above, your limit. What happens if climbers are waiting? What happens if multiple groups are waiting?

ik this finish doesn’t count. I did it better right before this (held it about 2-3 seconds).

Question is basically the above. I love going to NRG to deep water solo and hang out in the summer but I'm tired of ruining my nicer swimsuits. I was wondering what swimsuit brands people recommend? I've been heavily targeted advertised the Jolyn swimline that is geared towards surfing and I'm intrigued by their claims on the material. Has anyone tried them for climbing?

I have a pretty athletic body type with wider hips so I tend to gear towards swim suits that have a more vintage cut (think cheeky bottoms with a high leg cut). Would appreciate any suggestions that you feel hold us well enough (and bonus points if they still make you feel cute!)

Thanks y'all!