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I looked down at my Gri-Gri as a salty tear rolled off my cheek into a thousand feet of space and granite. I wiped my eyes with the back of my hand, black with sweat and dirt, and moved my ascender up the rope again. “I can’t believe I wanted to do this,” I thought… https://climbingzine.com/growing-skinner-becca-skinner/

A passion that fuels Is one that burns brightly   Words by Devin Dabney. Photos by Angelique Brown. Published in The Climbing Zine Book 2.    The small space Between boredom and anxiety Where we form notoriety for lack of sobriety and zero propriety for standard society   Many try to capture the essence— To… https://climbingzine.com/existence-persistence-poem-devin-dabney/

A preview of our upcoming two part episode with Sonnie Trotter. Plus a poem “Climbing Romeo and Juliet” by Cliff Cash. Photo of Sonnie on Cobra Crack, Squamish by Paul Bride https://climbingzine.com/preview-of-our-sonnie-trotter-conversation-with-cliff-cash-poetry/

“If you just stop for a second, I can show you there’s no road out there!” Ben said. “I know there’s a road there; we drove it a couple years ago!” I fired back. We hadn’t even started an ordeal that would surely drive us to our wits’ ends, and we were already lost and… https://climbingzine.com/pain-perseverance-linking-sixteen-towers-day/

A rerun of our conversation with Jimmie Dunn from 2022. Our sponsors for Season 7:  Kilter: http://settercloset.com (email holds@kiltergrips.com for more information) Osprey: https://www.osprey.com/ Scarpa. Use this link to shop Scarpa products, and The Zine will get a portion of the sale: https://alnk.to/3ye6GT2 Subscribe/ score some books/clothes/stickers: https://shop.climbingzine.com/ https://climbingzine.com/the-low-key-legend-with-jimmie-dunn-dirtbag-classic/

As I’ve said and written before, my favorite thing about publishing The Zine is the connections it helps create. I am able to connect with people that I wouldn’t otherwise be connected to if I didn’t publish this zine. Thus is the case with the legendary climber Jimmie Dunn. by Luke Mehall          I met… https://climbingzine.com/about-the-cover-the-climbing-zine-book/

UPDATE: the paperback edition of Squeak! has been released. You can get a copy of the book here.  Longtime Zine contributor and all around good guy, D Scott Borden announced the release of his children’s book, Squeak Goes Climbing in Yosemite National Park. Borden wrote the story and our wonderful designer, Mallory Logan did the… https://climbingzine.com/announcing-a-climbing-childrens-book-squeak/

This is part 2 of Pat Ament’s essay, published in Volume 17. If you missed part 1, you can read it here. If you enjoyed this story please subscribe, it’s what keeps the zine dream alive! Banner photo of Pratt by Glen Denny. The psychic storm of the 1960s included the beautiful revelations and also… https://climbingzine.com/part-2-chuck-pratt-liquid-sunshine-by-pat-ament/

“Think we could throw a haul bag out of an airplane? That would make the approach really easy.” Kennan was looking at me and Jeff with a twinkle in his eye, and unsure if he was serious, I asked, “Can you even open a plane door in flight, and if you could, wouldn’t it destabilize… https://climbingzine.com/popes-nose-josh-smith/

A rerun of our conversation with Tommy Caldwell from 2022, recorded in his van in Estes Park, Colorado. Big thanks to Shaun Matusewicz for joining on the adventure and helping with the interview! Our sponsors for Season 7:  Kilter: http://settercloset.com (email holds@kiltergrips.com for more information) Osprey: https://www.osprey.com/ Scarpa. Use this link to shop Scarpa products, and The… https://climbingzine.com/tc-the-the-og-with-tommy-caldwell-from-2022/

We rounded the bend and there were half a dozen people lining up at the base of the route. Rock climbing pioneers had valued the virtue of good clothing: well ironed shirts, collared and tucked. We paused momentarily—not because of the crowds but because of the publicity—before stripping down to our birthday suits and soaring… https://climbingzine.com/rambling-in-the-bugaboos-by-david-fay/

“Keep dreamin’, stay hungry, and remember that there is no finish line.”   This quote by Todd Skinner in the opening pages of the book Hangdog Days by Jeff Smoot gave me chills the first time I read it. In the pages that followed, I felt history come to life as I read tale after tale… https://climbingzine.com/staying-hungry-on-the-salathe-by-brittany-goris-an-excerpt/

“Oh you feel and you taste it and you want to go higher. So what do you do? And so you peak into the mountain where your desire goes. Spilt blood on this place it only echoes true all through the days. And so you peak into the mountain where your desire goes.” The Mountain… https://climbingzine.com/long-way-back-mike-reddy/

There’s a lot of information out there about how to belay, and sure, the mechanics of holding a rope are important. Project belaying is another cup of tea entirely, an art that walks the line between self-sacrifice and domination over your climber partner. A good project belayer will say only, “Excuse me—can you hold on… https://climbingzine.com/project-belayers-the-real-heroes-at-the-crag-by-tanager/

And then there’s Lizard Head. I have never climbed such rotten volcanic rock in my life. I didn’t know volcanic rock could be so chossy. The real kicker, which I mulled over as I struggled to not fall off the decomposing top pitch, was that this was first climbed in 1921—a century ago!—one of the… https://climbingzine.com/lizard-head-choss-photo-essay-steve-crusher-bartlett/

Most women, at some point in their lives, get discouraged about their appearance because they may not possess the ideal body, according to societal standards. I was no different. I have always lived in predominantly white communities, and with that, feminine beauty typically meant white or light skin, tall, skinny, long hair, European facial features—the… https://climbingzine.com/mountaineering-changed-my-perspective-on-beauty-by-rebecca-ross-2/

In celebration of Jerry week we have been running a sale on our “The Dirtbag is Dead” and “Send Your Face” designs. Shirts are on sale for $25 Hoodies are $30 and stickers are on sale for $3, including $10 bundles https://climbingzine.com/last-day-for-the-dirtbag-is-dead-and-send-your-face-designs-on-sale/

Standing there, gaping at this monstrous and inhuman spectacle of rock and cloud and sky and space, I feel a ridiculous greed and possessiveness come over me. I want to know it all, possess it all, embrace the entire scene intimately, deeply, totally, as a man desires a beautiful woman. —Ed Abbey, Desert Solitaire (Note:… https://climbingzine.com/beyonces-balcony/

Note: this poem is published in Volume 24, now available  Banner photo: Becky Zunigar climbing Manifestación del Yang, a 5.12+ located in the Sierra de Juarez, Mexico. Photo by Oscar Gaytan   I first went climbing When I had nothing else Back in ’98 When Eminem’s rage Was all the rage   Tied in to… https://climbingzine.com/the-knot-of-infinity-a-poem-by-luke-mehall/

This is the most beautiful place on Earth, but of course, like Cactus Ed Abbey said, every person carries in their heart an image of the ideal place, the right place. This is just the right place for me. But, right now, something is not right, and it’s pitch black anyways, no beauty to be… https://climbingzine.com/desert-dog-luke-mehall/