Climbing partners can be a hard thing to come by (looking for tips on finding your next, best partner?). So once you find your best crushing partner, it’s smart to show your partner(s) you are truly grateful for them.

One of the things we hear from those in our Introduction to Technique classes is how much people dread small footholds. You know the ones--the little, teensy, weensy specks on the wall that you tap, tap, tap with your foot in an effort to will your toes to trust them. We've all been there and that's why we're going to look at how you (yes you!) can learn how to trust your feet on even the most microscopic footholds.

One of the biggest cruxes in climbing can be finding a climbing partner or two to climb with regularly. We've got some tips to help you make new friends and lifelong climbing partners.

Having trouble reaching the next hold?  I know that feeling. As a youth climbing coach and a human with height and wingspan under 5 feet, that's a situation I encounter on a regular basis.  Over the years, I've gathered some approaches to stretch out every inch of a climber's (and my own) reach.  

One of the most basic climbing techniques we teach in our intro classes is learning how to use the holds given to you by our phenomenal routesetters. You could be the strongest climber in the gym, but if you grab an undercling incorrectly, you’ll likely come off the wall. Let’s examine some common holds you’ll find in our gym and how to use them.

We hear a lot of first-time climbers say: “I’ll never be good at climbing, I don’t have enough upper body strength.” Well, we’ve got some great news: a lot of climbing takes place in the legs. It’s a balancing sport, one that requires expertise in the delicate art of shifting your weight from foot to foot.

Once I got into climbing, I started watching competitions. Well, I guess not all comps - specifically, the IFSC's (IFSC stands for International Federation of Sport Climbing) bouldering finals competitions. And while I don't climb in comps, even casually, I have learned a lot of great lessons and I recommend more climbers watch comps.

I’ve been climbing for 8 years and I know I’ve accomplished so much, but every now and then I can’t help but compare myself to other climbers. Sometimes I look around and I get a little discouraged when I see other people, who’ve been climbing for much less time than me, working on climbs that I can’t even touch.

When I think back on one of the proudest moments of my climbing career, I almost immediately remember one of my worst experiences. Both occurred at Indian Creek, Utah.

Above photo: Approaching the crux on Cannibals, 5.12d at Donner Summit. This isn’t going to be another train harder, work out more, get stronger fingers-type article—because, while these articles are important and valuable, they’ve already been written. Instead, this is what I do mentally when I want to climb harder. Let’s face it, we all want to get better. It’s why we love climbing. There’s always a challenge, whether you’re looking to climb your first 5.10 or 5.13. In my 14+ years of climbing, these are my time-tested tips on how to push your climbing level to the next grade.