Last February, Leland Nisky, a professional climbing guide, was nearing the top of The Ribbon, a 600-foot ice climb in Ouray, Colorado. As he swung an ax into the ice near the top of the climb, a massive slough avalanche came surging out of nowhere, swamping him in a deluge of snow. One minute he [...]

My heart pounds as I pull just one more time against my hangboard, a piece of wood designed with finger-sized slots for warming up the hands for rock climbing. I’m desperate to grasp any bit of possible help before all the cameras point at me and I’m expected to climb a challenging ascent in front [...]

“Great things are done when men and mountains meet,” William Blake once wrote. True, but the famous poet might have tweaked this line a little if he’d seen the season finale of HBOMax’s nail-biting reality competition The Climb. If there’s one thing that became clear after watching this series, it’s that this sport offers an [...]

“The best view comes after the hardest climb,” is a fitting mountain mantra for the penultimate leg of The Climb, HBOMax’s competition reality show. The four remaining climbers — Cat, Robyn, Alice, and Dom — head back to Spain and will have to dig deep down to reach their tallest peak yet. Host and climbing icon [...]

From teetering rock towers to free-standing ice pillars, the United States is home to some truly heart-stopping climbs. Here are a few of the country’s wildest lines.   Ancient Art (5.10) Where it is Every year, locals mutter that this spindly, freestanding tower of sandstone is going to fall over in a windstorm. And every year, [...]

This week, force challenged finesse when Eddie Hall—who was dubbed World’s Strongest Man in 2017—went head to head on the rock wall with renowned climber Magnus Midtbø. As they quickly found out, brute strength isn’t everything.  The physiological differences between the two men are striking. For one, Hall is more than twice Midtbø’s size: The [...]

When we last left off on The Climb, Dom and Decco were spared the axe because Tiffany contracted COVID. So instead of an elimination challenge, Cat and Alice faced off in a head-to-head battle on a majestic piece of rock in Wadi Rum Jordan for immunity in the next climb. This time, Alice is too [...]

How will you leave your mark on this world? That’s the overarching theme of the 5th episode of The Climb, HBO Max’s gripping reality climbing competition. In this episode, host and legendary climber Chris Sharma takes the six remaining amateurs to an exotic new location he’s never been to himself but promises it will “rock [...]

Cliffed out while canyoneering? Need to get off the mountain fast? These three methods let you use the tools you have to rappel quickly in an emergency. Some are as easy as tying a knot or hitch, and others require a little more equipment. Below, we’ll detail the best techniques to use if you’re short [...]

The higher the stakes, the higher the cliffs. As the contestant pool gets whittled down on HBO Max’s adventure reality show The Climb, host Chris Sharma ups the ante and the size of the rock. He brings the remaining contestants, vying for a $100,000 cash prize and a sponsorship from prAna, to his literal backyard [...]