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It’s that time of year again–the AAC has invited the editor of Accidents in North American Climbing, Pete Takeda, to hop on the pod to chat about emerging trends in climbing accidents. This year, we’re also delighted to have a conversation with Dr. Valerie Karr, a professor at UMASS who has stepped in to help us with a massive data analysis project. Valerie used grounded theory analysis to parse through 20 years of accidents data—picking out patterns in how human behavior contributes to accidents. We discuss some examples like risk normalization, the mentor trap, and attitudes around fixed gear. Dive into the podcast to hear about her findings and learn more about the case studies that stuck out to the editors this year.

Get the 2025 Accidents Book—Join the AAC or Renew

Learn More about Dr. Valerie Karr

https://americanalpineclub.org/news/2025/6/17/2025-climbing-accident-trends-what-the-data-tells-us

https://www.accessfund.org/latest-news/the-legal-anchor

Erin McNeice took her first gold medal in Boulder at the Bern event last week; Yufei Pan of China took the men’s gold.

https://www.climber.co.uk/news/erin-mcneice-takes-her-first-boulder-gold-in-bern/

You can do it, climber girl. No matter what they say You may not be as tall You may not be as strong You may not feel as seen But you have bravery that they can never know You have a tenacity unlike anything they’ve ever seen You have heart, you have courage, and you…

https://climbingzine.com/climber-girl-by-kaya-lindsay/

Watch his third ascent and Alex Megos's first ascent below
The post Stefano Ghisolfi Sending 5.15b in Spain appeared first on Gripped Magazine.

https://gripped.com/news/stefano-ghisolfi-sending-5-15b-in-spain/

Feel your pump dissipate more quickly with this interesting rest position tactic
The post Recover Faster Mid-Climb with This Method appeared first on Gripped Magazine.

https://gripped.com/sections/training/recover-faster-mid-climb-with-this-method/

Hypothénuse is a stout crack climb found at Val-David
The post Jérôme St-Michel Sends 5.13d Trad in Quebec appeared first on Gripped Magazine.

https://gripped.com/news/jerome-st-michel-sends-5-13d-trad-in-quebec/

Ethan Berman, Sebastian Pelletti and Maarten van Haeren have made the first ascent of one of the Karakoram's last major challenges
The post Climbers Find Success on Huge Alpine Climb appeared first on Gripped Magazine.

https://gripped.com/news/climbers-find-success-on-huge-alpine-climb/

Back in May, while hanging out in El Cap Meadow, I overheard a friend talking about Leah’s goal to climb The Nose naked, and instantly I wanted to be a part of that climb. A couple weeks later, sure enough, we set off at 4:38 a.m. After about ten minutes of climbing, I pretty much…

https://climbingzine.com/off-route-naked-nose-day-jonathan-fleury/

At the comp yesterday in Bern, men's problem #2 was a little spicy
The post World Cup Boulder Appealed For Being Too Dangerous appeared first on Gripped Magazine.

https://gripped.com/indoor-climbing/world-cup-boulder-appealed-for-being-too-dangerous/

After Adam Ondra said farewell to World Cup Bouldering last weekend, this weekend saw the IFSC World Cup circuit return - for the first time since 2008 - to the Swiss city of Bern.

https://www.ukclimbing.com/forums/t.php?n=782242

This is the first known solo ascent of the famous alpine climb, which has less than 20 ascents since the 1980s
The post Balin Miller Solos the Slovak Direct on Denali appeared first on Gripped Magazine.

https://gripped.com/news/balin-miller-solos-the-slovak-direct-on-denali/

In-depth review of Unparallel's new TN Pro.
The post Unparallel’s New TN Pro Climbing Shoe Reviewed appeared first on Gripped Magazine.

https://gripped.com/gear/unparallels-new-tn-pro-climbing-shoe-reviewed/

Pete Whittaker climbs the third pitch to the famous Recovery Drink
The post Wide Boyz Freeing Hard Norway Trad Climbs appeared first on Gripped Magazine.

https://gripped.com/news/wide-boyz-freeing-hard-norway-trad-climbs/