Innholdsfortegnelse for June/July 2025 Vol 27 Issue 3 i Gripped: The Climbing Magazine

Trip planning of any kind can take quite a lot of time and careful consideration. If you have a climbing trip coming up, here are six things you should do beforehand in order to increase your chances of having a successful trip. Get the Guidebook If you can, get your hands on the guidebook for the area you’re visiting as soon as possible. A good guide will contain important information for your trip like the best time of year to visit, the orientation of the rock faces, and details on the climbs, gear, or landings. It also may offer accommodation and transportation tips, some history of the area, insights about the local community, and suggestions for rest days. If you can’t purchase the guidebook where you’re located, do your research…

These aren’t my rules, they’re Will Gadd’s rules. I remember coming across them ages ago when I was getting into hard alpine climbing. I didn’t know it at the time, but it was in following these rules that I was able to accomplish and survive so many big climbs and long trips. Many of us have been on these types of climbs and trips, the ones where you need to perform at a high level or where if things go sideways something bad might happen. Here are a few examples of how I applied Gadd’s lessons in order to find success. The first lesson is to move the team forward. As Gadd states it, “If you’re sitting on your ass or standing around blankly you’re doing something wrong. Figure out…

Since the start of 2025, there has been a flurry of new routes opened in a way that we haven’t seen in decades. From M10 multi-pitch trad routes to big walls opened in cold winter conditions, Europeans have taken the reins globally to make this year about them. And while it’s not the first winter that Europe’s alpinists have gone above and beyond those in North America, this is the first in memory where North America’s alpinists didn’t really up the ante. Here are some of the big routes that have gone down in the Alps since New Years. Over seven days of climbing on Petit Dru, Philippe Bruley, Amaury Fouillade and Baptiste Obino made the first ascent of a 1,000-metre big wall route called Petit Pont, graded ED M5…

Mountain Hardwear Women’s Alamere -18 C $250 Chalk this sleeping bag up as being one of the best looking ones we’ve seen lately. It’s a three-season bag, so it’s ideal for early spring to late fall adventures. The outside is a light 20 denier ripstop with recycled insulation on the inside. The well-built collar and hood will make your night extra comfortable. The foot box is shaped to keep heat around your feet, clutch for cold alpine nights. It has an internal stash pocket, a two-way zipper, and it comes with zipper options on either side. Highly recommended. Rab Ascent 300 1C $400 This is where quality and affordability meet. Featuring a wide mummy fit filled with 300 grams of 650 fill power duck down, this smartly designed sleeping bag…

New Women’s Speed Record Kate Kelleghan and Laura Pineau set the new women’s speed record on the Naked Edge in the Eldorado Canyon, Colo. They simul-climbed the 150-metre route in a bridge-to-bridge time of 37 minutes 8 seconds. “The secret to beating the record?” Kelleghan and Pineau said, was “for Kate: 78 laps on the route over several years. For Laura: The willingness to sprint down 5th class slab in TC pros.” They added, “On the big day, our warm-up lap went smoothly. Then, we fumbled a little on our speed lap. Some shoelace issues and a loose rope coil landed us 10 seconds too late. We were a bit heartbroken but figured with half a day left… Why not just try one more time? A third lap, max effort.…

Metolius Hardtop $90 Metolius’s Hardtop is a thoughtfully designed helmet that meets the needs of climbers looking for a combination of protection, comfort, and practical features. Its durable construction, effective ventilation, and lightweight feel make it a strong contender in the climbing helmet market. Petzl Glacier Axe $99 This is our top choice for glacier ice axes this summer, as it’s light at only 320 grams, has a sweet swing, and the pick bites into the hardest couloir ice. Arc’teryx Alpha SL 30 Alpine Pack $500 Light, durable and easy to use, this is one of the best alpine packs to hit the market in years. The pack is made of a cutting edge ultralight and waterproof fabric. It has lots of straps that are easy to strip, an internal…

Castle Mountain is one of the most famous peaks in Banff National Park. It’s found between the towns of Banff and Canmore, boasts some of the best dolomite rock in Canada and has relatively easy access. Until 2024, there had never been a moderate bolted route added to its kilometres-wide vertical rock walls, but thanks to Matt Laird and Andrew Slotweg that changed. Found on Lookout Tower, their new route, The Bastion, climbs 10 pitches up to 5.10c with most of the climbing clocking in at the low 5.10s. For gear, you need a 70-metre rope, 17 quickdraws (with six alpine draws), helmets and a multi-pitch kit that includes a small pack and layers for unpredictable weather. Laird, who’s working on a new multi-pitch guidebook to the Canadian Rockies, said,…

First, a few facts for some context. 5.15c, or 9b+, is currently the second hardest sport climbing grade. At the time of writing, there are 10 recognized 5.15c routes in the world. Four of these have been repeated and have had their grades more or less confirmed (for the most part—more on this later). Five have yet to see a repeat. Eight routes around the world fall somewhere between 5.15b and 5.15c and are often referred to as 5.15b/c. They’ve been granted this slash grade directly from their first ascensionist or indirectly through grade debate from different ascensionists. The use of kneepads on routes not originally climbed with kneepads complicates the categorization of climbs based on grades, with Adam Ondra’s Change being one prominent example—more on this below. The world’s…

Metolius Gizmo Belay Ledge $450 Belay ledges are must-haves when working on big routes. Taking a load off and unweighting your harness can be what gives you the rest you need to redpoint the next pitch. And for long, complicated aid pitches, the belayer can watch in comfort as you fidget your way up on small hooks. It’s only 2.5 kilograms and is easy to haul. The North Face Trail Lite 3 $520 This tent looks cool and it’s easy to set up. The materials are all high quality and stand up to backcountry camping conditions. The vestibule design is nice for keeping gear outside. The tent is one of the most ventilated on this list, so it’s great for mid-summer missions. The thin mesh keeps out even the tiniest…

Uplifted The Evolution of a Climbing Life By Sonnie Trotter 2025, Patagonia Books Uncharacteristically, Sonnie Trotter wasn’t entirely committed to climbing Logical Progression in Mexico’s Copper Canyon. Freeing the 28-pitch rhyolite sport climb with Alex Honnold would be an area-defining accomplishment—an “in a day” free ascent even more so. Arguing against the sought-after objective were U.S. and Canadian government warnings about travel to the region, whose deep valleys and winding river basins hid many an illicit landing strip. An exchange of emails with the legendary free soloist pulled Trotter away from his life as a professional climber (and husband-to-be) in Squamish and into a first-generation Toyota Tacoma—taking turns crouching in the back of the cab—en route to Rancho San Lorenzo, the customary staging ground for climbers heading to the area’s…

It would still be 28 years until Mount Everest would see a first ascent, but in the remote corners of Canada, two mountaineer teams left their mark on Canadian history. In June 1925, while the world was celebrating the first-ever television and the rise of jazz music, Canada’s highest mountain and one of the most formidable peaks of the Rockies were climbed for the first time. It was on July 21 that a team of Japanese climbers completed the first ascent of the remote Mount Alberta (3,619 m) near the Columbia Icefield north of Banff. “Japanese Alpine Club members travelled by boat from Tokyo to Seattle,” said Alpine Club of Canada life member and historian Paul Geddes. “Then by train to Jasper via Vancouver. The climbers were accompanied by three…

There are crags you visit. And then there are crags you adopt. Like all great climbing tales, it began with a lot of bushwhacking and a tinge of curiosity. Tucked away in the quiet hills of the Petite-Nation region of Quebec, Ripon’s cliffside is a place that only shows itself to those who take the time to explore and embrace the wild. Just an hour east of Ottawa, a new granite cliff is gradually awakening, all thanks to the efforts of a small but passionate crew of local climbers. With fresh bolts, cleaned cracks, and a healthy helping of community spirit, this once-forgotten monolith is home to one of Quebec’s newest climbing playgrounds. The granite is sticky, the vibes are strong, and the potential is almost unlimited. Welcome to Ripon.…

Over the past 10 years, Marble Canyon, between Lillooet and Kamloops in B.C., has become one of the prime locations for bolted multi-pitch routes. The most recent addition was completed this spring by Brent Nixon and Lisa Draper, the climbers who established the 33-pitch Guaranteed Rugged 5.10 in the same area a few years ago. Their new route is an eight-pitch 5.10a called Stone Marmot that climbs up the Apron, the most accessible rock in Marble Canyon from Highway 99. Starting with a pitch of 5.6, the 200-metre Stone Marmot continues up a nice 5.9 slab before climbing the crux 5.10a pitch along an arête. Another 5.6 and 5.8 pitch brings you to the next crux pitch that has a mix of deep and shallow pockets. Another 5.9 and 5.6…