Chris Parker

At the bottom of every climber’s heart lies a gnarled twist, like a knot on the root of a magnolia tree, where life without climbing ended, and another strange and vertically crazed path began.

The Vapor Vs, right out of the box, are the most comfortable climbing shoes I’ve ever worn. When they arrived I tugged them on and strolled through the Rock and Ice offices annoying the editors with phrases like, “Look, no deadspace!” But the real test was yet to come.

Not to be confused with the Dawn Wall—a 5.14d on El Capitan—#Dawnwall is actually something less quantifiable and slightly more perplexing for climbers.

What makes a “good” Weekend Whipper? This, of course, boils down to personal taste. Some like a big, clean fall. Others like to see the climber wearing a helmet. Here is our pick of the best Weekend Whippers of 2014.

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Next time you're cruxing out over a clip, you'll be happy you read this!

These might be outdated after the past few years, but still classic options!

The Djinn Axess Quickdraw (the D is silent) is Petzl's new "beginner's" quickdraw. But I'd argue that Petzl got it wrong. The Djinn Axess is not only great for beginners, but the draw fills the bill for seasoned sport climbers looking for an inexpensive quickdraw that works as well as the best.

The Djinn Axess Quickdraw (the D is silent) is Petzl's new "beginner's" quickdraw. But I'd argue that Petzl got it wrong. The Djinn Axess is not only great for beginners, but the draw fills the bill for seasoned sport climbers looking for an inexpensive quickdraw that works as well as the best.

My first fall on Petzl's new rope, and what I now consider the aptly named Arial, was looooong. As I continued to test the Arial, I grew accustomed to the bungee-like catch. I also fell in love with the rope's remarkable handling.

An interesting phenomenon is taking place in the sport of climbing. No longer is climbing an exclusive "mountain" club. Things have changed, and the new faces of climbing are emerging from pancake-flat places like … Plano, Texas.

There is a monster that looms above the Rock and Ice after-work crag known as Deep Eddy.