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  4. Laura Rogora Sends Classic 5.14d in Only Three Tries

Laura Rogora Sends Classic 5.14d in Only Three Tries

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  • American Alpine ClubA

    The Prescription—Ground Fall

    General News climbing
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    American Alpine ClubA
    It’s Rocktober and across the continent climbers are sending their projects. This month we remind you that mishaps in “safe” genres like sport climbing can have serious consequences. This accident occurred in 2019 and was only reported this year. However, in the newly published 2025 ANAC, we feature several similar groundfall accidents. As you’ll also see below, we’re also featuring a human factors post-accident analysis that reveals some recurrent themes and behavior patterns. These are introduced in an article written by Dr. Valerie Karr. On June 22, 2019 B, a male climber was leading Where Egos Dare (5.12a) as a cool-down after a long session. The four-bolt route was easy enough to run a quick lap and as a result B, “didn't take it seriously and was climbing very arrogantly… without careful consideration of the consequences.” Besides being short and punchy, the route also has several hard clips that put the leader within groundfall range. B was, “…cooling down after a hard day of projecting. At the third bolt I pulled a bunch of slack to clip and my foot popped.” He had placed his foot carelessly on a bad part of the hold when it slipped. He had an arm full of slack and, “…decked straight on my butt.” He suffered lumbar compression fractures and fractured sacrum. “I was mere inches away from a shelf that, that had I impacted with my lumbar spine, I would've undoubtedly been paralyzed.” Though in serious pain, he, “walked out under my own steam. Likely due to adrenaline.” B fell approximately 15 feet. A pit/trough below Where Egos Dare created a ledge that one could hit in a fall. He had stick clipped the first bolt but, “Had I stick clipped the third, this accident wouldn't have happened. Back then I considered it ‘cheating’ to clip more than the first, which in retrospect is silly.” He adds, “Sport climbing is flippin’ dangerous! For all the sketchy gear routes I've done in my life it was a 35' tall 12a sport climb that nearly cost me the ability to walk. Unfortunately, I don't think most sport climbers have a clue about this.” Finally, the fallen climber said, “I’d add that one should climb more carefully. Because this route was well below my redpoint level I didn't take it seriously. Ultimately, I put my foot to the right of the actual foothold and that is what did me in. Luckily, I'm physically 100% now, but it was such a close call that I definitely have residual psychological effects. My wife still has trouble belaying me despite it not being her fault. I think the psychological impacts of such accidents cannot be overstated.” (Source: Anonymous Climber.) This groundfall is a classic case of risk normalization in which repeated exposure to hazards without consequence, lowers the perception of danger. Over time, shortcuts—clipping from poor stances, eschewing procedures like a higher stick clip, and a casual approach to moderate climbing—diminish the perceived hazards of consequential terrain. On the day of his accident, B admitted he was climbing “carelessly,” on a warm-down route that was well within his ability. Other distracting factors contributed to an atmosphere of informality and distractions at the base of the crag that compounded a sense of invulnerability. B’s narrative also reveals how cultural values within climbing can magnify risk through what he called the “purity ethics.”Beyond simple overconfidence, B acknowledged an internalized idea that stick clipping beyond the first bolt was “cheating.” This belief overrode pragmatic risk assessment. Only after his accident did he reframe those values, prioritizing safety over style with an understanding that it’s “all contrived anyway.” (Source: Dr. Valerie Karr.) https://americanalpineclub.org/news/2025/10/15/the-prescriptionground-fall
  • American Alpine ClubA

    Ice Climbing Competition: A Team Sport

    General News climbing
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    American Alpine ClubA
    The intense winter sun bore down on Longmont's Ice Climbing World Cup stage in Colorado on February 22-23. For the first time since 2019, the United States hosted a UIAA Ice Climbing World Cup. The USA Ice Climbing athletes showed off figure fours and nines (similar to a figure four, but the climber wraps their leg over the same arm instead of the opposite), epic dynos into hanging hoops, and celebrated wins with views of Long's Peak in the background. The warm weather led to thin ice, and an ice pick punctured a pipe, destroying one of the speed climbing walls Saturday night during the speed finals. As a result the format was changed from duel climbing to single. USA Ice climbing athletes Sam Serra and Catalina Shirley podiumed in speed despite the challenging ice conditions. Shirley took silver in speed with a time of 13.64. Serra won his first-ever UIAA Ice climbing medal at Longmont, taking the bronze with a time of 9.07. Making the podium in speed was a "soft" goal for Serra in the Longmont World Cup. "It's just been a steady progress all season," said Serra. During the France World Cup, which was held from January 29 through February 1, Serra's left hand slipped, and he stabbed his thigh with his ice tool, needing three stitches. The past three weeks leading up to Longmont he was mainly focused on recovering in time for the competition. Thanks to the Longmont Climbing Collective building a competition wall for the World Cup, the USA Ice Climbing team has been able to train all season in Longmont. Serra ran a weekly speed training night every Monday. "I think everyone saw a lot of progress, and it's really rewarding to see that pay off, and everyone is performing super well this weekend and in the past World Cups," said Serra. Donned in glitter, Sam Castro, Joann Dyer, Jessica Perez, and Alex Rudow bring their own personal style to competing. "Glitter really makes me send hard," said Jessica Perez with a laugh. This is her third season on the USA Ice Climbing Team. She saw athletes competing in the World Cup in Denver in 2019 and dove into competition ice climbing headfirst. Although doused in the same glitter, the four athletes had different goals for their seasons. "It was my first season, so honestly, my only goal was not having a false start for speed and not stabbing myself, which I was very happy about," said Sam Castro. She achieved her goals this season. "My goal is to enjoy the process and see how far I can test and push my limits and climb with confidence," said Jessica Perez. Each athlete competes individually on the wall, but the USA Ice Climbing team is so tight-knit and supportive that it's almost a team sport. "[Ice climbing competition] is so supportive, too, and it's like such a niche sport, I think. And it's growing. It's cool to be a part of a growing community and see the youth get really into it," said Joann Dyer. Alex Rudow said, "I try to be supportive. The community is already so supportive. I have mainly competed in team sports, and this is probably my first individual sport. But despite that, you spend like nine times out of ten cheering on your teammates. It's awesome to see just how supportive everyone is." This is Rudow's first season on the ice team. In the competitive world, mindset is everything. Seasoned competitor Ryan McCauley made a big mindset change this season. She went into the season wanting to be more playful and present on the wall. "I think that in the past, I've tended to be really rigid and structured with my training. I've told myself this narrative: I just want to train really hard and get really strong, and then it can be really playful during competition season. And then I get there, and I'm like, why doesn't this feel playful? It's because I've related to it for months in a militant way," said McCauley. Her main goal for the Ouray competition was to be more present, and it paid off when she podiumed and took third place. For logistical and financial reasons, McCauley decided to focus on the three competitions in North America: Ouray, Longmont, and Edmonton. At Longmont, McCauley fell early in qualifiers. She sees it as a testament to the finickiness... https://americanalpineclub.org/news/2025/4/2/ice-climbing-competition-a-team-sport
  • GrippedG

    A.I. Created Canadian Climbing Areas and Submitted a Story

    General News climbing
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    GrippedG
    From Mysterious Gulch and English Columbia to Coyote's Brace, Givler's Edge and Atlantic Wrath, here are some A.I. spots sent to us by a bot The post A.I. Created Canadian Climbing Areas and Submitted a Story appeared first on Gripped Magazine. https://gripped.com/profiles/a-i-created-canadian-climbing-areas-and-submitted-a-story/
  • GrippedG

    Amity Warme Sends Five-Pitch 5.14 in U.S.

    General News climbing
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    GrippedG
    The accomplished big wall climber made the first in-a-day redpoint of the desert test-piece The post Amity Warme Sends Five-Pitch 5.14 in U.S. appeared first on Gripped Magazine. https://gripped.com/news/amity-warme-sends-five-pitch-5-14-in-u-s/
  • IFSCI

    Women's Boulder final | NEOM 2024

    Videos climbing ifsc
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    IFSCI
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ibloSDDjc1o
  • GrippedG

    Jonathan Siegrist Climbing Biographie 5.15a

    General News climbing
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    GrippedG
    A new video of the American on the famous limestone route just dropped, watch it below The post Jonathan Siegrist Climbing Biographie 5.15a appeared first on Gripped Magazine. https://gripped.com/news/jonathan-siegrist-climbing-biographie-5-15a/
  • GrippedG

    Historic Yosemite National Park Hotel Closing

    General News climbing
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    GrippedG
    The Wawona Hotel is one of the oldest mountain resort hotels in the U.S.A. The post Historic Yosemite National Park Hotel Closing appeared first on Gripped Magazine. https://gripped.com/news/historic-yosemite-national-park-hotel-closing/
  • RaykoR

    Some history about boulder climbing grades

    General Climbing climbing
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    RaykoR
    Some history about boulder #climbing grades. From easy, all the way to unforgiving nightmare xD V17 looks absolutely nuts.Not sure if I learnt anything new about grades, other than lower V is easy and higher V is difficult though lol Some of the middle blocks in the scale look somewhat similar to me.https://youtu.be/DnvpYvzbcg8?si=mA06GWeeA_gApGtL