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Fifteen meters up Rutabaga, a moderate 5.9 splitter at the base of Squamish, BC’s Stawamus Chief, stretches a traverse between cracks. The move crosses jugs and offers fine, slabby feet, but still, I find it exhilarating. In fact, for reasons related only slantwise to climbing, it is exactly the sort of move that I seek…

A Knot Like Infinity by North Bennett

North Bennett writes about the intersection of Tinder and rock climbing, in this essay for The Climbing Zine, Volume 20.

The Climbing Zine (climbingzine.com)

Ring the bells in elegy For the last engine Of the last Saturn On (semi) permanent loan From the buddy of the last dirtbag To struggle off rock You were bitching the other day That the artists weren’t starving anymore That the spirit was no longer willing to suffer for it maybe, But the flesh…

Elegy For The (Apparent) Last True Dirtbag (a poem)

Ring the bells in elegy For the last engine Of the last Saturn On (semi) permanent loan From the buddy of the last dirtbag To struggle off rock You were…

The Climbing Zine (climbingzine.com)

The Dirtbag is Dead, the second version by The Dead Dirtbag, Mike Handzlik. Stickers are available to order now. Shirts and hoodies coming soon. (Including our first ever tie die.) Order stickers here: https://shop.climbingzine.com/collections/stickers

The Dirtbag Is Dead in Tie-Dye (shirts and hoodies now available)

The Dirtbag is Dead, the second version by The Dead Dirtbag, Mike Handzlik. Stickers are available to order now. Shirts and hoodies are also now available.

The Climbing Zine (climbingzine.com)

In 2016 at the International Climbers’ Festival in Lander, Wyoming, we held a “love letter to climbing” contest. Ana Ally was the winner, this is her letter. Enjoy.  Banner photo of the author by Scott Keating Climbing, my love. As I sit here, I struggle to find the right words to describe you. I am about…

A Love Letter To Climbing by Ana Ally

In 2016 at the International Climbers’ Festival in Lander, Wyoming, we held a “love letter to climbing” contest. Ana Ally was the winner, this is her letter.

The Climbing Zine (climbingzine.com)

Think back over your climbing career. I bet you’ll find a climb—or two—that define you. These won’t be your hardest sends necessarily. They will be the beautiful ones, the scary ones, the ones that came into your life at just the right time. The ones that tested you, that possessed you, that shaped your character…

Texas Tower Redux by Josh Smith

Josh Smith reflects on a long journey to the top of Texas Tower, in Bears Ears National Monument. From Volume 19 of The Zine.

The Climbing Zine (climbingzine.com)

Jimmie Dunn is perhaps the first person who envisioned single-pitch climbing in Indian Creek. In the mid-1970s, he walked up to an unclimbed Supercrack and thought, This place is going to be great for training someday. I was first introduced to Jimmie by Stewart Green, who is seen in this photo bouldering in the Fringe…

The Last Pitch, from Volume 25

Jimmie Dunn is perhaps the first person who envisioned single-pitch climbing in Indian Creek. In the mid-1970s, he walked up to an unclimbed Supercrack and…

The Climbing Zine (climbingzine.com)

If I close my eyes and never awaken  A thousand adventures I hope to have taken Some with family and some with friends All of them undoubtedly cherished in the end  So don’t sit inside and cry, “boohoo”  Feelin’ sorry for me and feelin’ like poo Instead get yourself where there are no crowds Look…

Dan’s Poem by Dan Escalante

A poem from our dear friend, the late Dan Escalante

The Climbing Zine (climbingzine.com)

Joshua Tree National Park is a refuge. I don’t know if I’d decided this by then, sitting folded into the crook of Cyclops Rock, but I felt it. The stone bench was smooth, from water and wind and hands and feet and seats, narrow enough to let our legs dangle over the edge, leaning back…

Icons in Danger and Desert Medicine by Birch Malotky

Birch Malotky delivers an honest contemplation on her beloved Joshua Tree, a tree that is being greatly affected by climate change.

The Climbing Zine (climbingzine.com)

We are running a sale on our back issues (Volumes 12 – 24) , to score 50% off, good through this weekend. Here’s the link to use: https://shop.climbingzine.com/discount/NEWSLETTER50ZINES

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(climbingzine.com)

“There’s someone on that off-width you wanted to do.”   I pause—midstride—and look up to see someone hanging out halfway up the climb I was hoping to get on. I push my scratched Dollar Store sunglasses up over my head and use my hand to shield my eyes instead. The day is already hot, and…

So You Got Your Knee Stuck by Kaya Lindsay

Did you get your knee stuck in an off-width? Did you just google this article? Well its a good one, and other people have been there…

The Climbing Zine (climbingzine.com)

I am continually amazed and supported by the collectors of The Climbing Zine. Over 15 years of publishing there have been plenty of ups and downs, but the support of the climbing community has always been constant. I am an artist first and a businessperson second, so I’ve learned, and continue to learn lessons, often…

“Sell Out The Zine” - Volume 25 and Zine Collecting

I am continually amazed and supported by the collectors of The Climbing Zine. Over 15 years of publishing there have been plenty of ups and downs…

The Climbing Zine (climbingzine.com)

Let me die on the rock Doesn’t matter which one Something sunny and remote Away from the dummies and remotes   by Luke Mehall, publisher of The Climbing Zine. Photo by Jake Burchmore, published in Volume 22    Not that I’m not a dummy too I’m just a different kind of fool The artist living…

Let Me Die On The Rock (a poem) by Luke Mehall

Let me die on the rock Doesn’t matter which one Something sunny and remote Away from the dummies and remotes by Luke Mehall, publisher of The Climbing Zine.

The Climbing Zine (climbingzine.com)

It’s a dingy bar. Dark and musty. Where, I’m not exactly sure, but there is a feeling of sadness that radiates on every level. The light trickling through dusty, half-drawn shades is not telling of any particular time of day, perhaps evening. Weak rays of sunlight barely cut through the haze that lingers at the…

Hypoxic Dreams by Vic Zeilman

Vic Zeilman tells a story about climbing Denali in Alaska, and his mental journey along the way; plus the confrontation of society after being away.

The Climbing Zine (climbingzine.com)

Luke Mehall reads “The Dirtbags Aren’t Dead, They’re Just In Mexico” published in the new issue of The Climbing Zine, Volume 25, now available. Photo by Ivan Ioza https://shop.climbingzine.com/ Our sponsors for Season 6:  Kilter: http://settercloset.com (email holds@kiltergrips.com for more information) Scarpa: www.scarpa.com Mountain Project / OnX: https://www.mountainproject.com/ Osprey: https://www.osprey.com/ Black Diamond: https://www.blackdiamondequipment.com/

The Dirtbags Aren’t Dead, They’re Just In Mexico

Luke Mehall reads “The Dirtbags Aren’t Dead, They’re Just In Mexico” published in the new issue of The Climbing Zine, Volume 25, now available.

The Climbing Zine (climbingzine.com)

I guess you could call it a town. It’s open three or four months per year. Driving east, hues of dark green, azure, and gold flicker along the extended cracks on the windshield. A serpentine road curves through pine forests and atop steep inclines, tracing edges of valleys, the rim of the lake. by Alexa…

The Old Lady of Tuolumne by Alexa Flower

Alexa Flower reflects her seasonal home, Tuolumne Meadows, Yosemite.

The Climbing Zine (climbingzine.com)

600 pages of The Climbing Zine, including two rare zines (Volume 12 and 13) Score one while you can! Old School Bundle Sale Volumes 12 – 17 + Sticker

Old School Zine Bundle Just Posted (Volumes 12 - 17)

600 pages of The Climbing Zine, including two rare zines (Volume 12 and 13) Score one while you can!

The Climbing Zine (climbingzine.com)

I know he knows. Adam Lawton is proud. In every group of adventurers, there is a leader, and every great leader must be a visionary. Adam dreamed the dreams for the entire crew. He found excitement in little breakthroughs, like the time I got a job dishwashing at Crossroads Cafe in Joshua Tree—he couldn’t have…

Silent Partners by Luke Mehall

A tribute to the climbing partners who have shaped who we are and some thoughts on those who have passed away but still keep a watchful eye like Adam Lawton

The Climbing Zine (climbingzine.com)

It’s rare to be told by an editor that you can write whatever you want, but that’s how this essay got started.  Since the seed was planted, the publication with said editor didn’t come to fruition, but I wrote out this piece, and I want to share it.  by Luke Mehall, publisher of The Climbing…

4.20.99 til Infinity by Luke Mehall

Luke Mehall finds his climbing life coming full circle; starting in the gym, then to the big walls of the Western United States, and then back to the gym.

The Climbing Zine (climbingzine.com)

The teenage Federale slings his machine gun over his shoulder and bends toward my bag. Cocaine? he asks. Marijuana? I have a stash of weed stuffed in an ibuprofen container in the outside zipper of my backpack. No, I say. Josh stands behind me. He doesn’t know about the stash. This? the youth asks. He…

Basaseachi by Matt Spohn

The teenage Federale slings his machine gun over his shoulder and bends toward my bag. Cocaine? he asks. Marijuana? I have a stash of weed stuffed in an…

The Climbing Zine (climbingzine.com)