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Screams are a colorful thing. Each one has its own distinct message. An anger, a joy, a pain. The nature of each rings clear somewhere deep in our instincts. From the sound alone, you can practically see the scrunched nose and raised upper lip of a shout delivered in loud fury. Yet slightly muffled as… https://climbingzine.com/seventeen-times-alive-by-dakota-walz/

In Memory of Towyn Williams (1926 – 2016) I associate much of my childhood with a little white farmhouse in the Welsh countryside. My roots are firmly planted there. Planted between the rows of strawberries and the tunnels of raspberry bushes. by Rhiannon Williams note: this piece is an excerpt from The Climbing Zine Book,… https://climbingzine.com/venture-backward-inward-upward-rhiannon-williams/

The next “Zine Thing” will be on Friday July 25th at the Gravity Lab climbing gym in Durango, Colorado. As always this is a free event featuring stories, poetry, film, and a slideshow. If you’ve got something to share please send a message to luke@climbingzine.com. Word. https://climbingzine.com/zine-thing-at-the-gravity-lab-climbing-gym-july-25th/

It’s your mom’s minivan pimped out And only seats two Because if it wasn’t hard enough to live in a van It’s way harder to hook up in one   This poem is published in The Climbing Zine Book 2, now available. Banner photo by: Kristen Hughes   With a full set of seats in… https://climbingzine.com/dirtbag-paradise-amber-roepke-poem/

Is climbing as innate as sharing, copulating, greed, or even walking? Many evolutionary biologists would offer that the essence of climbing can be found in our DNA. It is hardwired into us, this desire to be in the vertical world. And beyond that desire, our bodies are built for the physical challenges of climbing. by… https://climbingzine.com/are-we-born-to-climb-by-d-scott-borden/

Score a Climbing Zine subscription using the discount link below. Good for 50% off your first year, and the other half is covered by an anonymous donor. We have 25 total available, with 11 left. https://shop.climbingzine.com/discount/JULYFIFTY https://climbingzine.com/50-off-climbing-zine-subscription-supported-by-anonymous-donor/

And as you journey into outerspace May the angels help to lead the way May the prayers that our families made Shine up on your soul to keep you safe —Scarface, “Smile”   It was a splitter summer day in Boulder, Colorado, with blue skies above and beautiful people all around. I was sitting across… https://climbingzine.com/smile-introduction-from-volume-25-by-luke-mehall/

Banner photo: The author on her winter project, Crystal Dawn (5.13d), Red Rocks, Nevada by Max Barlerin  Waiting for a storm to go or the sun to come, or the doubt to go or new shoes to come, or the pump to go or a move to stick, or the snow to snow or waiting… https://climbingzine.com/projecting-is-just-waiting-by-brittany-goris-a-poem/

To kick off Luke’s summer climbing road trip, he stopped in Moab, Utah for this conversation with Mary Eden, also known as the Trad Princess. Our sponsors for Season 7:  Kilter: http://settercloset.com (email holds@kiltergrips.com for more information) Scarpa: www.scarpa.com Osprey: https://www.osprey.com/ Subscribe/ score some books/clothes/stickers: https://shop.climbingzine.com/ photo by Spencer McKay https://climbingzine.com/dont-be-a-trad-princess-with-mary-eden/

The reflection targets my disfigurement. If only the borders of this mirror could protect the rest of the world from my hideousness. My life’s insignificance rampages through my thoughts like an atrociously loud party that never ends. Nothing I do is good enough. I want to expunge my existence on a daily basis. Not even… https://climbingzine.com/fill-void-shay-skinner/

Acknowledging the roots and conceptualizations of the outdoor activities that we so passionately pursue enriches our participation and ties us to the land, as well as to one another. When we view our industry through a historical lens, we inevitably hear about John Muir, Sir Edmund Hillary, Royal Robbins, and other giants of outdoor recreation.… https://climbingzine.com/navajo-rising-by-aaron-mike/

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/

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/

The Factory Bouldering Gym in Orange, California, was by no means small, but it felt small that day. In addition to us thirty-one routesetters, there were about thirty or so people that were siphoning in for their late-afternoon sessions. The judges had just passed out our results and were preparing to announce the winners and… https://climbingzine.com/show-up-as-you-are-the-rise-of-a-routesetter-by-devin-dabney/

For Sara Rosecrans, banner photo of Sara by Meg LaHatte   Give me the words to describe the blue I see when my eyes are barely cracked.   Give me the tools to plaster my body to the desert wall and watch for centuries as the world is eroded into new meaning.   Give me… https://climbingzine.com/a-new-set-of-eyes-by-turner-wyatt-a-poem-for-sara-rosecrans/

Score 50% off any of our paperback titles. Use the link below. Discount is applied at checkout. Applies to all of our Climbing Zine Books and Luke Mehall’s titles. https://shop.climbingzine.com/discount/NEWSLETTER50BOOKS https://climbingzine.com/50-off-paperback-book-sale/

“Whatever you can do, or dream you can, begin it. Boldness has genius, power and magic in it.” Goerte I grew up in the traditions of western science and puritan pragmatism. Success is earned through work, luck is the sum of preparation, a penny saved is a penny earned. Claims that the universe provides if… https://climbingzine.com/flirting-with-the-nose-in-a-day-in-the-valley-of-stone/

I was tempted to stop climbing altogether. At the very least, I wanted to quit off-width. I lost a lot of enthusiasm for wide climbing and felt like my naïve, hopeful “gumby” phase was over. That phase is special to me because being new at something was all about the experience, everything is awesome, and… https://climbingzine.com/wide-tour-by-mary-eden-a-second-excerpt-from-volume-25/

At some point in my early to midtwenties, I came to the conclusion that life is not about rock climbing. There’s just too much other crazy shit happening every day on this beautiful clump of space dust. The older I get, however, the more I realize that climbing is most certainly about life. At the… https://climbingzine.com/going-alone-vic-zeilman/

The beauty is in the simplicity. A hunger fed by nature, a modern way of experiencing nature. We were driven out there for different reasons—some of us introduced to rock climbing at a young age, in a responsible manner. For others, including myself, it was trial by fire. note: this is an excerpt from American… https://climbingzine.com/climbing-mount-analogue-an-excerpt-from-american-climber/