Topicfire Climbing News

Steve McClure Climbs New 9a/+ Link-up

2013-05-23T08:31:06+00:00

Steve McClure has just successfully redpointed a new link-up at Malham, Yorkshire, though not his main project at the crag, it still weighs in at 9a/+, putting it up there with the hardest routes at the crag...

VIDEO: New E8 at Kilnsey for Nik Jennings

2013-05-21T16:08:10+00:00

Nik Jennings has just added a new trad route to Kilnsey. Exodus, graded E8 6c, is a direct finish to the E6 Warlord Direct. This is potentially one of the hardest trad routes on Northern Limestone...

Thieves Target Cars on Dartmoor

2013-05-20T08:30:34+00:00

Devon and Cornwall Police have issued a warning that thieves targeting cars are in operation around the Haytor area of Dartmoor. Several cars have been broken into and had valuables stolen. Ashburton PCSO, Ben Cattrall, sent out a warning that cars parked in the various secluded parking areas around Haytor on...

National Park Service Authorizes Fixed Anchors in Wilderness

2013-05-18T06:55:10+00:00

5/17/13 – The National Park Service has released a decision regarding fixed anchors in Wilderness. The policy, called Director’s Order #41, manages the use of fixed anchors in wilderness areas, including in major climbing areas like Yosemite, Grand Teton, Zion, Joshua Tree, and Canyonlands national parks. The Access Fund released a...

Video: 2013 Bouldering World Cup – Kitzbuhel, Austria

2013-05-16T23:49:37+00:00

Hometown heroes Anna Stöhr and Jakob Schubert win this Bouldering World Cup in Kitzbühel, Austria. Stöhr seems unstoppable, with four straight World Cups this season. Guillaume Glairon-Mondet and Dmitry Sharafutdinov took second and third for the men, with Akiyo Noguchi and Alex Puccio rounding out the women’s top three.

Hamer Brothers climb E8s at Nesscliffe and More

2013-05-16T13:39:04+00:00

Last weekend a strong team comprising of Ed Booth, Angus Kille, Ed and Sam Hamer had a very productive weekend quickly ticking many hard routes at Nesscliffe. First up on Friday the 3rd May, Ed Booth made the 3rd ascent of Une Jeune Fille Quatre Vingt Dix Ans, E8 6c, a...

Top Russian Climber Dies on Everest

2013-05-15T15:29:03+00:00

5/15/13 – Alexey Bolotov, 50, who planned to start a new route on Everest’s southwest face this week with Denis Urubko, has died in a fall fairly low on the mountain. The top Russian mountaineer reportedly fell in the Khumbu Icefall. He apparently was rappelling when his rope cut against...

FRi NIGHT VID: Stamina Training Tips - James Pearson

2013-05-10T16:15:19+00:00

This Friday we have the first of two videos from Wild Country in which James Pearson shares his secrets for training stamina. If you don't want to get pumped at the first clip - follow James' advice! I was interested to watch this video as I remember that a few years...

A Denti Stretti - Trad 8b+ for James Pearson

2013-05-10T11:20:36+00:00

British climber James Pearson has made the first trad ascent and second ascent overall of A Denti Stretti (8b+) at Balma1 in Northern Italy. Balma1 is a small granite crag found in Valle d'Ossola, near to the Swiss border in Northern Italy.

Video: Game of Thrones Ice Climbing Scene

2013-05-09T22:23:28+00:00

The HBO series Game of Thrones worked in an ice climbing scene, where characters scale a 700-foot-tall wall. Here’s the full scene.

FRI NIGHT VID: Reflections on Everest + Oli Lyon

2013-05-03T23:55:09+00:00

This week we have a Friday Night double bill. First up it's Everest... Here's an interesting video from National Geographic reflecting on the past 50 years on Everest. Large queues and even larger sums of money, is that how we should treat one of the most amazing places on Earth? And moving...

Harry Edwards, 12, Climbs Southern Smoke (5.14c)

2013-05-01T18:17:26+00:00

Harry Edwards on Southern Smoke (5.14c). Photo courtesy edwardsfamilyclimbers.com 5/1/13 – Twelve-year-old Harry Edwards has climbed Southern Smoke (5.14c), Red River Gorge, Kentucky. Last fall, Edwards, who lives in Holbrook, Arizona, was on a family trip to the Red, where he ticked off numerous 5.14s, 5.13s, and onsights: God’s Own Stone (5.14a),...

Gardoms Grit Project Falls to Will Atkinson at E8

2013-05-01T08:48:16+00:00

Will Atkinson has made the first ascent of the direct finish to Charlotte Rampling on the gritstone outcrop of Gardoms in the Peak District, naming his new route Hired Goons. He has estimated a grade of E8 6c for this short but unprotected route that features a long dyno / slap...

Ugly Incident on Everest

2013-04-29T14:01:04+00:00

Ueli Steck, Jon Griffith, and Simone Moro (left to right) at Everest Camp 2 before the altercation on Saturday. Photo courtesy of Jon Griffith 4/29/13 – Headlines and social media this morning are alive with reports of three well-known climbers fending off a mob of angry Sherpas after an altercation on...

Griffith, Steck and Moro Attacked On Everest

2013-04-29T08:20:45+00:00

Jon Griffith, Ueli Steck and Simone Moro have been attacked by Sherpas on Everest. Steck has a bloody lip from a rock thrown in his face and Griffith and Moro have suffered bruising from being punched and kicked. All three were threatened with death. The climbers had an altercation with a...

The Works - Bolts Chopped, Quickdraws Taken

2013-04-28T12:17:58+00:00

The recently developed drytooling venue of The Works close to Hodge Close Quarry in the Lake District has been vandalised. Bolts have been hacked off and quickdraws have been taken. "I would say 80/90 percent of all the draws and bolts have been stolen and vandalised, leaving every route in The...

Gear Shop Turns to Social Media After $1,000 Boots Stolen

2013-04-26T22:30:22+00:00

4/26/13 – The Neptune Mountaineering gear shop in Boulder has appealed to the social media community for help after a man walked out of the store with a pair of boots without paying for them. The shop released security footage on its Facebook page of a man wearing a pair of...

VIDEO: Daila Ojeda, The Canarian

2013-04-26T13:27:33+00:00

This video presents Daila Ojeda from the Canary islands. Daila, who now lives in Catalunya with her boyfriend Chris and dog Chaxi, has climbed several routes in the 8c-8c+ range. Oh well, I'll let the video do the talking. Daila Ojeda is sponsored by: , , , and

Wild Week on Moose’s Tooth: Two More New Routes

2013-04-26T02:33:40+00:00

Scott Adamson leading the wild crux ice pitch of NWS on the Moose's Tooth. Photo by Pete Tapley 4/25/13 – During the same week that Dani Arnold and David Lama climbed a direct new route up the east face of the Moose’s Tooth in Alaska, Scott Adamson and two different partners...

Tributes to Layton Kor, 1938–2013

2013-04-24T05:26:52+00:00

Layton Kor leading the Naked Edge, Eldorado Canyon. Photo by Pat Ament / Copyright Chris Archer) Climbing asked partners, friends, and admirers of the late Layton Kor to write a few words in tribute. Click on each name or scroll down to read what they said. We will continue to add...

Beautiful New Free Climb in Yosemite Valley

2013-04-23T19:49:46+00:00

Nik Berry on Final Frontier's beautiful face climbing. Photo by James Lucas 4/23/13 – Nik Berry has redpointed a beautiful nine-pitch route up the Fifi Buttress, just west of the Leaning Tower in Yosemite Valley. The new line, Final Frontier (5.13), is the free version of an aid climb (V 5.7...