Planning your first weekend hike or a backpacking trip? Want to know what it's like to experience free fall from 13,000ft? Interested in swapping beta on some of the best bouldering locations across the US? Check out our Trip Reports for recent articles from our Featured Bloggers. Whether you’re venturing outdoors alone or with your family or friends, you’ll find something that matches your interests! We also tackle complex topics like racism, colorism, transphobia and queerphobia in outdoor recreation.
Now, I’m nearly four months post-op from lower back spinal fusion surgery. Sneezing stills hurt a ton, but I’ve started climbing again and taking small falls. And of course, I’m still on that rehab train!! One of the best exercise progressions I’ve done so far are squats. Here are five variations of squats that have proven useful for my recovery.
Read MoreIn 2019, I suffered a devastating spinal injury that left me with weak noodles for legs. In November 2023, I finally bit the bullet and had surgery. The road to recovery has been difficult. I’m going to share my first progression of rehab exercises—hip bridges. Remember, only try these if you’ve been cleared by your doctor and physical therapist.
Read MoreClimber’s are known to have rough skin, filled with sharp calluses. But whenever I shake people’s hands who know I’m a climber, they comment how (relatively) soft they are. But my soft skin is still tough skin. I can climb outside 5 days a week without skin pain and no flappers!! Here are some tips I’ve picked up over the years to maintain my tough skin:
Read MoreThe BFL Combine is hands down the most unique climbing competition out there. Half weight lifting and half climbing, it is based on the NFL and NBA combines, where athletes showcase their athletic and mental skills to pro scouts. The BFL Combine started in 2021, and has attracted world class climbers, including Natalia Grossman, Zach Galla, and Drew Ruana.
Read MoreWhen you start your climbing journey, there is an overwhelming amount of information to learn! You have to learn safety, new lingo, new muscle use, new movement and more. One of the critical pieces of being a successful climber is understanding the hold types. Knowing the names and how to use different types of hold will help you read the climb before you hop on it and will help you communicate to other climbers. In this post, I go over the basic hold types.
Read MoreBoard Climbing…You may see these boards in your gym or while scrolling on instagram. You may wonder, “What’s all the rage?” Or you may think, “Those board are only for the pros!” Well, I’m here to tell you board climbing can be for everyone and it’s great for training and measuring progress. In this post, I’m going over the basics of the three most popular boards in the US so that you can bring your climbing to the next level!
Read MoreI have cysts in my wrists..ganglion cysts to be exact. When I ran track in college, the cysts made it difficult to hold myself in the blocks. In climbing, the cysts made it so I had to avoid most slopers. I was okay with avoiding slopers. But one day, disaster struck…the cysts made it so I couldn’t hold crimps!! My coach at Lattice Training suggested 4 exercises to strengthen my wrists. I was a bit skeptical that they would make a huge difference, but after one week, I was back on crimps!!
Read MoreThe transition from indoor bouldering to outdoor bouldering can be daunting. What do I wear? What gear do I bring? How will I find the boulders? Most climber’s first outdoor climbing experiences usually make funny stories down the road. However, some stories end with a trip to the hospital or a call to mountain rescue. I’ve listed 8 essentials to make your first climbing trip a safe and happy one!
Read MoreI dreamt of climbing in Albarracin for years, and this October, I was finally able to go. Let me tell you, it did not disappoint. If you are looking for a variety of climbing with short approaches that is five minutes away from the most adorable town, then Albarracin is the place for you!!
Read MoreWelcome to the final installment of my push-up seriesl These exercises are going to be more advanced than Part 1 and Part 2, where I go over beginner and intermediate push-up variations. Get ready to feel the burn all over!!
If there’s another muscle group you’d like to see a series on, please let me know in the comments!
Read MoreI believe Salt-N-Pepa said it best- “Push It Real Good!” I hope that after reading my first piece on push-ups that you’ve been pushing real good!!! Part 1 focused on push-up exercises that require no equipment. This article focuses on intermediate to advanced push-up variations that incorporate equipment like rings and exercise balls!
Read MoreThe doctors had to cut through the muscles in my chest in order to properly diagnose my cancer. As a result, I avoided doing push-ups for a long time. Today I’m finally facing my fear!
Read MoreThis is also a story of how we found ourselves traveling through Big Sur on a holiday weekend with no cell reception and no clue where to eat or sleep. The good news is you can learn from our mistakes! Check out these seven tips to help your next Big Sur road-trip run a bit more smoothly than ours!
Read MoreDo you suffer from lower back pain? Try these exercises to stabilize your pelvis and increase your deep ab strength.
Read MoreMany people have tried to teach me how to do dynos. But for someone like me, who struggles with movement, my brain can’t make my body follow their directions. Then my climbing partner gave me a power spot and everything changed!
Read MoreIn the past year, I learned the importance of a good spotter. Having a good relationship with your spotter can give you the confidence to try difficult moves high off the ground.
Read MoreThe summers get pretty hot here in the Southwest. So what’s a climber to do when heat makes it harder for your hands to hold on and easier for your feet to slip? Sunburns and zapped energy are also part of the struggle. But you don’t have to stay indoors all summer. Here are a few tricks that I use to keep me climbing throughout the summer in the high desert heat!!
Read MoreThe first time I dislocated my shoulder was in college. Little did I know then, I have a connective tissue disorder which makes it easy for me to dislocate joints. Once I started climbing, I began to dislocate both shoulders regularly and was forced to learn how to put my shoulders back in place. One day, I stumbled upon an exercise that changed my life and I haven’t dislocated a shoulder in years.
Read MorePistol squats are one of my favorite exercises. I’ve always found them to be fun, but they are also a great exercise that translates well to climbing. Get ready! I’m going to share four exercises that will help you develop your pistol squat!
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