Route Ratings
Climbers use a universal number system to rate the difficulty of each climbing route, called the Yosemite Decimal System. Beginner rock climbs are in the 5.1 to 5.6 range, 5.7-5.10 are intermediate to advanced, and 5.11 and above are reserved for professional climbers. The hardest routes being climbed today are 5.15b. The letter at [...]

Harness:
The harness needs to be comfortable enough to hang out in for hours and still have the features necessary to tackle anything from gym climbing to trad. The Misty Mountain Ranger is a new multi-purpose harness with some beginner-friendly features like double-backed, quick-adjust waist and leg loop buckles, which gives you one less thing to [...]

Learn these common climbing terms and you just might avoid an embarrassing situation if you’re asked to “flash.”
Arete
An outside corner on a rock face, like corners of a pyramid.
Buttress
A rock formation that projects out from the main face or cliff.
Chimney
A wide crack usually big enough to fit the climber’s entire body inside.
Crux
The most difficult portion [...]

The rope is your lifeline when climbing.
Take care of it, and it will take care of you.
On The Crag
Don’t step on the rope, and try to keep it out of the dirt and mud, which in time will weaken the rope’s condition. Some climbers even bring a small tarp to lay on the ground at [...]

Rock climbing is like forming a band in high school; everyone does it, but very few of us do it right. Typically, this is the way most of us begin climbing: You see some videos on Youtube or maybe watch Stallone’s Cliffhanger, get psyched about dyno moves, then convince some work buddy who claims to [...]

Top five mistakes most new climbers make, and how you can avoid them.
[1] Forgetting your feet
“Most beginners try to muscle up a route, using all upper body and dragging their feet up the rock,” says Ryan Beasley, owner of Rock Dimensions, a climbing guide and instructional service. “But if you use your feet well [...]