Innholdsfortegnelse for March 2023- May 2023 i Vertical Life

The world is a big place, and climbing generally involves working out which big rocks around this big place you want to explore, climb, or question your life choices on. If you’re a climber that struggles with decision-making this book is the perfect one to help you plan your next adventure. Broken into handy bite-sized pieces, Climbing Beyond explores countries around the world by climbing region. It’s a pastiche of guide book, history book and handy data, such as topo maps. Each region is introduced with a “fact file” covering types of climb, types of rock, grade variation, climb length, best time to climb and notable climbs. What follows can include anything from personal stories by the authors, historical information covering first ascents, the evolution of climbing in the area,…

Have you ever chundered on your hero? No? Well nor has Jared. But he’s gotten a lot closer than most. The Bluies-based photographer is generally pretty confident about setting up shoots—navigating loose rock, long approaches and reading routes in reverse as he raps down with a sackful of photography gear. But the day after a big night, abseiling in from above to photograph Tim Macartney-Snape, he found himself afraid of dislodging more than loose rock. On behalf of all climbing photographers around the world, I’d like to tell you: a photo from a multi-pitch route is often much more involved to capture than it looks. Not crazy difficult, just harder than you would expect from just seeing the end result. That’s certainly not a complaint, quite the opposite. Climbing 10…

My far-flung ideas – that I’ve conjured up on a whim and pursued until the ends of the Earth – have given me some of my greatest joys as a visual artist. These ideas give me the motivation to try to stand out in an industry bombarded – by the onslaught of social media and pretty images that lack story and imagination. The insane volume and velocity of this content being created propels us into the weird concept that we must be creating something new all the fucking time. But we don't. I think that great images are few and far between. When I embark on a passion project, I want to invest the time to attempt new ideas – whether it's accessing a difficult angle or incorporating lighting –…

• Bob has a vivid memory of the third of January, and has had plenty of downtime to analyse the events preceding the accident. He said the overarching factor was fatigue, muscular soreness, and not feeling psyched to climb. He needed a rest day. At the same time, he had a pre-arranged climbing trip with Helen that he was committed to. At the anchors, he was distracted by fiddling with the locking biner and the grigri, and failed to complete the task of putting a knot in the rope. Finally, he unclipped his safety PAS before doing a last check.• The proximate cause of the accident is obvious: Bob failed to tie a knot in the rope and clip into it. However, physical and emotional fatigue cannot be underestimated as…

From the desk crag bag of VL’s resident Gear and Coffee Nerd (yes, that’s what’s in his email signature), comes this highly requested field review segment. Sule’s passionate about demystifying the technology that underpins our favourite kit, all in the name of helping climbers spend their money on the best gear option for their goals–or on more food to keep dirtbags from dumpster diving dinner, we’re not judging! One downside of being a gear nerd is that the hardest part of leaving for any trip is the challenge of picking which of my many bits of gear to bring - oh the agony of choice! This is made slightly easier if there’s even a slim chance of the weather getting chilly, because that means Arc'teryx Nuclei FL is probably coming…

Brewing coffee with a plunger is kind of like free soloing, people are always going on about how it’s “the purest form”, how it shouldn’t be rushed, and how some people do it naked in the moonlight… In any case, they may share a similar philosophy, but when it comes to the nitty and hopefully not so gritty, they’re pretty much the opposite. Unlike soloing, brewing a decent cup with a plunger takes barely any technique and is super duper hard to fuck up—plus if you do then you can just make another one. - Sule (VL’s Resident Coffee & Gear Nerd) BEST FOR: » Purists» Those without technique (unlike free soloing) YOU’LL NEED: » A plunger/French press» 20g of decent coffee (ground medium-ish, similar texture to breadcrumbs)» 1 or…

Marty Doolan on “Samarkand” (25) Pierces Pass, Blue Mountains, Australia. Shot by Jared Anderson. “Every now and then you get a days climbing that really stands out and sticks in your mind. Yeah, those days at Bell or Shipley when you send your project are great, but days like this seem to have a deeper sense of enjoyment and gratification. This day was up there with one of the best. Samarkand is truly a Blue Mountains gem. Spectacular views, engaging climbing, comfy belay ledges and consistent crack climbing. Get on it!” Climber: Marty Doolan (@marty_doolan) Photgrapher: Jared Anderson (@_jaredanderson_)…

Making headlines around the world as the hardest route in the Americas, Seb Bouin’s November 2022 ascent of Suprême Jumbo Love (38/5.15b) adds yet another 5.15b feather in the cap of his remarkable climbing resume—firmly solidifying him as one of the best climbers in the world. Seb’s determination in pursuit of his goals is on full display in his Reel Rock film DNA, and is echoed here in his recount of the journey to establish Suprême Jumbo Love. What really strikes a chord with us over here on the other side of the world, is Seb’s deep love of the history of climbing, and his passion for connecting to the people and place that makes a route, as much as the route itself. From the desk of Vertical Life Senior…

VALUED AT $85.95RRP • LEAKPROOF WITH A LIFETIME GUARANTEE • 250ML CAPACITY • DURABLE BUILD & BPA-FREE • 0.7MM 18/8 STAINLESS STEEL FINISH • LIGHTWEIGHT & PACKABLE ONLY WEIGHS 260G! We haven’t wasted any time in putting Stanley’s Neverleak™ tech to the test by throwing it in and out of our gym and crag bags, and wow - we’re impressed! Finally, a mug we can chuck into our packs without worrying if it’ll make our peanut butter & banana sangas soggy-it’s about damn time! The Quadvac™ insulation will keep your espresso warm for 4 hours, or your iced latte cold for 6 and at a packable size, it’s the perfect climbing companion. Punching well above its weight in durability with a tough finish made of quality stainless steel, Stanley guarantees it’ll go the distance…

As one year ends and another begins, it feels like we enter a sort-of collective twilight zone. No one seems to know what day of the week it is, automated out-of-office emails become frequent flyers in inboxes, and—if you’re anything like me—all your climbing is fuelled by Christmas leftovers. In an attempt to escape the annual deluge of holiday emails and social media feeds flooded with counterfeit contentedness, I deliberately selected my summer climbing crags based on a lack of reception. Given I live in lutruwita/Tasmania, you’d assume that this particular criterion wouldn’t narrow the list of crags down in any meaningful way, and while you’d be kind of right (and that’s on being with Optus), I found my desperation for seclusion meant that I needed to create some space…

In the southwest of Western Australia lies Busselton—a small coastal city known to local climbers as a gateway to a multitude of crags. All are relatively small, but aesthetically appealing and within an hour’s drive of the town. Mostly spread out along the rugged coast, each crag offers a different setting, atmosphere, rock type and a day or more of climbing. Visiting climbers often flock to the main cliffs of Wilyabrup, made famous by the iconic Steel Wall with its steep, finely featured face. Bob’s Hollow will give you a hearty helping of overhanging, strenuous limestone sport routes on epic flakes, pockets, stalactite and column features–it’s easy to see why it became a popular local alternative to Thailand during COVID. These locations can be crowded, especially on long weekends like…

(HE/HIM) What do cats and climbing have in common? Apparently not much… unless you ask William Skea, mountain mentor and founder of his own animal rescue charity. His path may not have been easy or in any way straightforward, but after a military career, training as mountaineering guide, navigating mental health recovery and surviving an avalanche, he realised exactly what he wanted to do with his life: lead trips to raise money to care for cats in need. Oh, and he’s just 28 years old. (Please no one ask me what I was doing at 28–Wendy) Content warning: This article contains reference to self-harm and suicidal thoughts. Let’s start at the beginning. How did you get into climbing and mountaineering? I started to climb when I was 17 by joining…

THE NORTH FACE SUMMIT FUTUREFLEECE™ HOODED JACKET If you’ve ever weighed all your gear and entered those weights into a dedicated spreadsheet, or even felt the desire to, then you’re probably a weight-weenie! No shame, I’m in the weight weenie club too (no, we don’t have matching jackets, they’re too heavy). So imagine my delight when I saw TNF’s new FUTUREFLEECE™ hooded jacket weighed a mere 208g - it damn near broke my spreadsheet! Aside from the outstanding warmth-to-weight ratio, it also features flat lock stitching, seamless shoulder strap zones, integrated thumb loops, and the least offensive full zip I’ve ever worn under a harness (as a devout ¾ zip wearer). Bonus: The women’s version is even lighter at 176g! SCARPA INSTINCT S Please welcome the newest kid on the…