Rock climbing naturally brings out the gear geek in all of us. The equipment itself is just plain sexy—and as sport-specific and downright essential as it gets. If you rock climb, or aspire to, you ...

Virtually all rock climbing gear is focused on safety, except for your climbing shoes, which are all about performance. Those snug-fitting, smelly rubber shoes might not look like much at all, but ...

Inspired by two decades of outdoor rock climbing, Arris Composites’ (Berkeley, Calif., U.S.) co-founder and chief engineer, Erick Davidson, sought to develop cams — trad protection designed to be ...

The style choice of not wearing socks—or going “commando,” raw doggin’ it, etc.—in rock shoes is, like the jellyfish haircut, a recent phenomenon. When I started climbing in 1973, almost everyone wore ...

With exciting rock climbing documentaries making the activity and its most daring participants grow in popularity, many are interested in giving the sport a try. Described by enthusiasts as equal ...