We traveled to Arizona to meet 21-year-old Sierra Blair-Coyle who told us about her love for climbing and how she returned to the sport after a back injury that almost ended her career. Then we joined her on a deep water solo—free climbing on cliffs over water.
Archive for the ‘Rock Climbing & Mountain Climbing’ Category
Ashima Shiraishi is 14 years old. She’s also the first woman and youngest climber of either gender to climb a sport route with a difficulty grade of 9a+ (5.15a). We spent a day with her in New York City as she discussed her ambitions and embarrassed grown men in the gym.
Training and climbing in Manoteras, Madrid
Rock climbing is an activity in which participants climb up, down or across natural rock formations or artificial rock walls. The goal is to reach the summit of a formation or the endpoint of a usually pre-defined route without falling. Due to the length and extended endurance required and because accidents are more likely to happen on descent than ascent, Rock Climbers do not usually climb back down the route. It is very rare for a climber to downclimb, especially on the larger multiple pitches (class III- IV and /or multi-day grades IV-VI climbs). Professional Rock climbing competitions have the objectives of either completing the route in the quickest possible time or attaining the farthest point on an increasingly difficult route. Scrambling, another activity involving the scaling of hills and similar formations, is similar to rock climbing. However, rock climbing is generally differentiated by its sustained use of hands to support the climber’s weight as well as to provide balance.