Unparallel Up Lace Review

One of the newest climbing shoe brands on the market, Unparallel, has a lot of climbers talking about their new offering the Up Lace. Climbers and climbing shoes go together like peas and carrots. We spend hours doing research and even more hours trying on shoes at REI and at shoe demos. Since Unparallel is …

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What does belay mean?

An auto belay device will typically have its own wall at the climbing gym

The jargon used in climbing is endless: bomber, gaston, belay? Who comes up with all this stuff?? As climbing has evolved, climbers developed their own language to simplify concepts within the sport. Language helps us communicate clearly and effectively. As Kevin from the office so eloquently puts it, “Why waste time say lot word when …

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Bouldering Tips to Send Your Next Project

Did you know that beginner boulderers have a huge advantage over a well-seasoned climber? Do you know why? It’s because the beginner has a clean slate! A seasoned climber can have bad habits ingrained into their climbing technique. It’s not easy to break these habits that we’ve programmed into muscle memory. For all the beginners …

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Is Rock Climbing a Good Workout?

Perfect views are the cherry on top from a day of outdoor rock climbing

Does it seem like everyone you know is suddenly going to a rock climbing gym for their workout? The sport has blown up and that leaves many people wondering if rock climbing is a good workout. Rock climbing helps you build strength, endurance and it’ll make you sweat! Is rock climbing a good workout? Yes! …

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Competition Climbing: How Exactly does it Work?

Have the Olympics fired you up to train for competition climbing? Trying out competitive climbing is an awesome challenge and can spice up your climbing life. Trying out new things in climbing is a great way to change things up when you find yourself in a rut or plateau. At first, I thought that competitive …

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What is Free Climbing?

“What is free climbing?” That was a question on my friend’s mind when she was at the rock climbing gym for her first time. Climbing is permeating the culture at the moment. Academy award-winning films, medals in the Olympics, and indoor gyms popping up in every town in the country. All this exposure has a …

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Bouldering Grades: The Complete Climbers Guide

Bouldering grades are a common language that represents the difficulty of a boulder problem. The higher the climbing grade, the more difficult the route will be. In this guide, we will explain what factors determine a boulder grade and what you can expect as you climb through the grading scale. We’ll take a look at …

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Bouldering Breakdown: The Ultimate Climbers Guide

Bouldering is one of the most recently created disciplines of climbing (competition speed climbing is the most recent.). Bouldering is an incredibly social sport. And it has the lowest barrier to entry of the climbing disciplines. With indoor climbing gyms popping up all over the country, you can expect any city to have facilities dedicated …

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Climbing Gyms in Washington DC

Looking for the best climbing gyms in Washington D.C? Fortunately, our nation’s capital hosts an impressive list of climbing gyms for you to get your send on! Residents of DC know how brutal the traffic can be, but luckily the climbing gyms in Maryland and the climbing gyms in Virginia all host an array of …

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The Six Best Crash Pads for Bouldering

Mad Rock Duo Black Diamond Mondo Mad Rock Mad Pad Bouldering high above the best crash pads always makes me feel a little bit better. The higher I climb up a boulder, the smaller everything looks down below! I have a healthy respect (fear) for gravity and the ground. I remember taking a bad fall …

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