Climb Archives - REI Co-op Journal

Southeastern Climbers Coalition Keeps Climbers Climbing

Caitlin Goettler//June 18, 2018

The Southeast region of the United States is known for its world-class climbing. As development occurs in the region, so does the threat to local climbing areas. Thanks to organizations like the Southeastern Climbers Coalition (SCC), people living in these rapidly growing urban areas can continue to climb. Read More...

How Professional Climber Heidi Wirtz is Sharing Her Love of Travel and Adventure

Chris Van Leuven//June 13, 2018

You might know her for holding the women’s speed-climbing record on The Nose (5.9 C2) on El Capitan from 2004 to 2011. Today, Heidi Wirtz, 47—who’s still a devoted climber—is building an international recreation business with an emphasis on personal growth through climbing and yoga. Read More...

REI Presents: I Am Here

Yesenia Castro//June 6, 2018

Day 2, 4:36am. I am waking up on Mount St. Helens, in Washington state. It is April, and the whole mountain is still covered in snow. A long... Read More...

Woman climbing at the Seattle Flagship store

The Best Climbing Shoes of 2018

Sam Farquharson//June 1, 2018

We interviewed REI climbing experts and researched customer favorites to provide you with a roundup of the top climbing shoes for 2018. Whether you're into trad climbing to bouldering, here are some of the best rock shoes on the market right now. Read More...

Honnold and Caldwell Crush the Nose Record. Again. And Again.

Aer Parris//May 30, 2018

Alex Honnold and Tommy Caldwell do the unthinkable—again. This morning they climbed the famed Nose on El Capitan in a record-setting time. The Nose is an incredible 2,900 feet tall, rated to 5.14a (really hard). They did it in just 2 hours, 10 minutes and 15 seconds. Read More...

Climbers at the Women's Climbing Festival

Meet the Women Who Are Helping Create a More Inclusive Climbing Community

Julie Ellison//May 30, 2018

Summer Winston didn’t start climbing until she was 33, a year after she camped for the first time. In her family, you didn’t go into the woo... Read More...

New Backcountry Trail Opens in Hickory Nut Gorge

Graham Averill//May 18, 2018

Weed Patch Mountain Trail is a brand new 8.6-mile (one way) romp through some of Hickory Nut Gorge’s wildest terrain, connecting Buffalo Creek Park, which already has a 3.5-mile mountain bike loop, with Eagle Rock, a climbing crag on the north side of Rumbling Bald Mountain inside Chimney Rock State Park. Read More...

Climb the Hill: Climbers Speak Up for Public Lands

Aer Parris//May 16, 2018

Professional climbers, outdoor advocates and lawmakers alike are making a renewed push for simplifying access to the outdoors through the Re... Read More...

How to Put on a Climbing Harness

Joe Pasteris//May 9, 2018

Putting on a climbing harness for the first time can be confounding. But with a few tips and some repetition, it can become as familiar as pulling on a pair of pants. Learn how to put on a climbing harness with these seven easy steps. Read More...

Mountaineering Tips from Professional Guides

Charlotte Austin//May 4, 2018

Four of our favorite mountain guides share their top season-specific tips for your spring mountaineering adventures. Read More...

Tommy Caldwell Talks Public Lands, His New Film and Parenting

Aer Parris//April 19, 2018

Tommy Caldwell hardly needs an introduction. Most well-known for his free climb of the Dawn Wall in 2015, Tommy, aged 39, has also made first ascents of some of the hardest sport routes in the United States, written a book, The Push, and survived kidnapping by rebels in Kyrgyzstan in 2000. Read More...

A climber on the Waves in Motion problem in Boat Rock.

7 of the Best Rock Climbing and Bouldering Areas Near Atlanta

Kristen Arendt//April 16, 2018

With scenic settings that can be accessed nearly every month of the year, Atlanta offers a unique mix of challenging routes, beginner-friendly top ropes and excellent bouldering opportunities for climbers. Check out these seven areas on your next Atlanta rock climbing adventure. Read More...