What do the Euros know that we don't? How did they get so good?...

Being good at rock climbing is all about learning proper technique and then ingraining it so it becomes second nature. In the long run, technique will take you much further than a strong back and a vice grip....

I slacked all winter and didn't train a lick, and still want to dominate on the rock this spring/summer. How can I whip myself into shape in short notice?...

I climb three or four days a week on average. What's the best combination of rest days and climbing days?...

I learned to climb in the 1970s, before sport climbing. Back then, many climbs were dangerous and falling was taboo. Because of that early experience,......

How to belay if lives depended on it.

“Belay” is the most reverent word in the climbing lexicon. Belaying, or holding the rope to catch any fall by your partner, is the ultimate act of trust: you and your partner literally place your lives in each others’ hands. Don’t screw up!...

No commitment—not even the one to your SO—is as binding as that of the belay. When you hold the rope, your partner’s life is in your hands. Screw up this marriage and you give new meaning to the vow “till death do us part.”...

In 1980 my college roommate, Mark Herndon, fell 100 feet on a two-pitch route. I was belaying from a stance at the end of the first pitch, cooling my feet, shoes off. Mark had just cruised the second-pitch crux, a near-holdless paddle up granite glass, and was nearing the end of a 50-foot runout above the route’s only lead bolt when he slipped. ...

The Nuts and Bolts of Gear....

Lead climbing, or going first on the rope, is climbing's end game. Here are tips for getting your lead game on safely and efficiently....

When you toprope, you climb with the rope strung through overhead anchors. Toproping is an excellent way to learn how to climb because it frees you from hassling with gear, removes the fear of falling and allows you to concentrate on simply climbing....

What's the best and easiest way to develop crusher sloper strength, and what's the best way to grip a sloper?...

I know that mental-preparation routines can be hugely beneficial for climbers, but the books never tell you how to fit these in when you're hanging out with your buddies. What routines do you recommend and how can you do these before a climb without looking like a geek?...

I'm looking for a new method for structuring my power-training sets on the hangboard. I've used the pyramid structure many times, but surely some different combinations are equally effective?...

Eating small meals helps keep my energy level up but I'm drained by 4 p.m., while large meals keep me satisfied but sluggish. What are some of the best foods to eat at the crag to feel energized throughout the day?...

Veteran climbers die every year because they make simple yet avoidable rappelling mistakes, such as rappelling off the end of the rope, or rappelling from inadequate anchors. Here's how to rappel safely and avoide their rappelling mistakes....

Does the G-Tox method for shaking out on routes work? Any other advice for getting the best recovery in a strenuous position, without waving your arms......

It's no picnic taking a novice unfamiliar with anchor-cleaning protocol to the crags, since you have to climb each route twice......

Set some goals. Write them down. Training without goals is like coffee without caffeine—pointless. ...

Getting to the bottom of getting to the top....