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.

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.

The key to a good life is to have balance and what better way to test your skills than walking along a suspended length of flat webbing tensioned between two anchors, also known as slacklining? If you’ve never heard of slacklining or would just like a few extra tips, we’re here to help!

If you Google "tips for climbing harder", chances are that you'll get article after article offering up extensive training plans. But what if you’re not ready to jump into a complicated training plan? Perhaps you see other climbers sticking on impossible holds, utilizing crazy-looking techniques, and easily climbing routes and problems you could only dream about. ‘One day,' you think, 'but surely there are some quick and easy adjustments I can do now to climb a little better and a little smoother....’ You're in luck! Check out these quick tips:

For many climbers starting out, it makes sense to assume that you should focus on getting stronger if you want to climb harder. Certainly, strength is important if you want to progress to harder climbs (check out these posts here and here for tips on gaining strength), however learning to move more efficiently can really give you a leg up on your climbing goals. Maybe you find yourself stalled and pumped out at a certain grade or maybe you’re wondering how others are able to easily glide up a climb that feels impossible to you. Whatever the case, we’ve got some tips straight out of our Intro to Movement classes that can help!

February 26, 2017: 19 year-old Margo Hayes sent La Rambla (5.15a) in Siruana, Spain. Later that day, 15 year-old Laura Rogora sent Joe-Cita (5.14d) in Oliana, Spain. Then 22 year-old Michaela Kiersch sent Southern Smoke (5.14c) and Fifty Words for Pump (5.14c) during the same session at Red River Gorge, Kentucky. The following day, 26 year-old Nina Williams sent Ambrosia (V11), a 50-foot highball boulder in Bishop, California. And a month ago, 27 year-old Alex Puccio won her 10th Bouldering Nationals title while 15 year-old Ashima Shiraishi claimed 2nd place. With Women’s History Month upon us, we can add these amazing accomplishments to the long running list of inspirational achievements by the women of climbing.