Mark and Janelle Smiley have just knocked off three more routes on their quest for the 50 Classic Climbs of North America. Check out www.smileysproject.com for some awesome video. And wish them luck as they head up to Canada for Slesse and then on to Banff.

The largest Boulderhall "Boulderwelt" opened last weekend in Munich.

Brand new 8c+ in the beautiful alpine crag of Gressoney,Aosta Valley,Northern Italy!

Fresh Air Junkie mentions the Five Ten Coyote Lace-Up as a great shoe for the beginner who wants to learn to climb. They tell you how to get started and what equipment you will need.  

Climbing trip to South of France. I went with my family to the " Gorges du Loup "  a  Climbing area near Nice in the south of France.It was very hot in Europe and in this area the temperatures were higher then 30°C.Although it was very hot the tufas of the routes we planned to do in sector Deversé were wet.So we changed our plan and found some  secret spots like "Grotte de L'iroquoi " , "Cayenne" and "secteur des pistonnés".

Managing poop can be dirty business. How can we make it cleaner and greener? As one who spends half the year working in the wood alone, I spend a great deal of my time thinking about things some might consider odd. Like the future of re-purposed plastics. Like biodegradable or compost-able plastic products. Like the validity of the composting and bio-degrading claims. Like the big-picture impact our recreating has on our immediate and greater environs. And even about poop. The business of managing poop is a tricky icky sticky one. Especially at the crag or on a...