Climbing

So You Want To Be An Adventure Photographer…

So you like photography and go on some pretty cool adventures too? Then adventure photography might be for you. We’ll teach you everything you need to know to get started. What Is Adventure Photography? The name is pretty straightforward. Adventure photography is simply the act of photographing adventures, typically in the outdoors. It’s a niche…

The Time Iceland Almost Killed Me

They say that if you don’t like the weather in Iceland, wait five minutes and it’ll change. Multiply that by mountains, glaciers and volcanoes and you’ve got a recipe for adventure. Or a close encounter of the near death kind. “Winter is coming,” they said. “They” being every local we spoke to in Iceland. “We’re…

Cool point of view video shows how it looks to climb a huge ship mast

This point of view video shows what it is like to climb to the top of the main mast of the Charles W. Morgan—the world’s oldest surviving merchant vessel, built in the 19th century. When I watched this a cascade of images from old pirate movies came into my mind. SPLOID is a new blog…

Man climbs real-world 5,900-foot Game of Thrones’ Wall with no ropes

This is one of the most amazing and terrifying things I’ve seen in a long time: Watch Ueli Steck speed climbing the 5,900-foot (1,800-meter) north face of the Eiger—a mountain in the Bernese Alps, Switzerland. No ropes and solo—just him, his crampons, and his ice tools, risking a fatal fall at every single step. A…

What It Takes To Be A Professional Mountain Guide

Ian McEleney is a professional mountain guide for the American Alpine Institute. He lives, works, and plays in The Sierra Nevada. We asked him about guide-life. This is the second story in our Why We Climb series, exploring the world of climbing and mountaineering. You can follow the entire series here: IW: How did you…

Why We Climb: An Inside Look at the World of Mountaineering

In light of the recent tragedies on Mt. Everest and Mt. Rainier, IndefinitelyWild is going to give you an inside look at the world of mountaineering in this series, “Why We Climb.” Why We Climb Stories: https://gizmodo.com/what-it-takes-to-be-a-professional-mountain-guide-1600711770 The series will pose the titular question and explore the human passion, motivation, and psyche required to conquer…

Virtually Tour the Path of Everest’s Deadliest Climbing Accident

The April 18 avalanche on Mount Everest that killed 16 Sherpas training for an ascent has been declared thedeadliest mountaineering accident ever recorded on the peak. Now Discovery has created an immersive web experience to help illustrate what happened. The Everest Avalanche Tragedy site includes video of the rescue, a diary of the accident which…

This Prosthetic Is Designed Especially For Rock Climbers

The loss of a leg can stymie the pursuit of adventurous outdoor sports for many—but not if Brooklyn-based designer Kai Lin has anything to do with it His latest creation, Klippa, is a prosthetic leg designed especially for rock climbers. Specifically, Lin has American veterans who have lost legs, but would like to continue or…

Real life spiderman does a spinning flip on a wall while climbing it

Some people see a wall in their way and walk around it. That would be me! Other people try to climb it. That would be awesome people! This guy sees a wall and decides it’s best to do a spinning backward flip on the wall while climbing the wall to move up. That would be…

Men climb real life version of Game of Thrones’ northern Wall

It’s not the 700-foot-tall Wall of Game of Thrones, but this looks like the scene of the wildlings climbing the Wall in George R.R. Martin’s series. It’s 40-year-old Tim Emmett and 38-year-old Dawn Glanc climbing the 250-metre thick Sólheimajökull glacier, in Iceland, at sub-zero temperatures. Because risking your life while freezing your gonads is always…

Spectacular photo of a woman climbing a vertical rock wall at night

According to a Redditor, Scott Jarvie took this cool night photo of Julia Wooten at a rock climbing route in Papago Park, located between the cities of Phoenix and Tempe, Arizona. Here’s the entire photo in its original orientation: It doesn’t seem like a montage to me—after getting it through Photoshop—and apparently that’s the view…

Nepal Will Force Each Everest Climber To Collect 18 Pounds of Trash

Mount Everest might be the be-all, end-all of mountaineering, but it’s also a dumping ground for the climbers striving upon its face—which is littered, as National Geographic puts it, “with garbage leaking out of the glaciers and pyramids of human excrement befouling the high camps.” This week, Nepal announced a new rule aimed at cleaning…

The Swiss Alpine Club built its first shed on this Alpine peak back in 1929 to serve as a refuge for climbers. But Savioz Fabrizzi Architects recently replaced the aging shack to offer more modern comforts—like solar energy. Since the site is 9,768 feet above the ground, each piece of the building was dropped off…

These Stomach-Churning Images Were Shot From the Edges of Skyscrapers

Remember the young Russian photographers who illegally climbed the Great Pyramid of Giza a few months back? They’re back, fresh off a month-long Eurotrip which took them to the Cologne Cathedral, Gaudi’s Sagrada Familia, and at least one police station. And the photos they brought back will make your palms sweat. Though they’re usually referred…

Lighting Climbers On A Sheer Ice Wall Basically Guarantees Amazing Photos

Photographer Ray Demski recently decided to take climbers and a photography crew to a bridge in Avers, Switzerland, light an ice wall and then shoot the climbers once it got dark. The results are pretty awesome, which is not surprising, because this whole plan was…pretty awesome. The project, called Ice Nights, was shot using three…

A Converted Silo Ice Climbing Wall Is the Only Reason Why Winter Exists

It’s March, which mean it’s still a little colder than you want it to be. Which means eventually you’ll ask yourself why in the hell is it still cold. Which will lead to yourself questioning why does it have to be cold at all? And then you’ll see this converted silo in Cedar Falls, Iowa…

Black Diamond Magnetron GridLock Review: A Super-Fast, Feather-Light, Screw-Free Carabiner

For those who participate in rope-centered sports or performing arts, the carabiner is one of the most important items you own. It’s what keeps you attached to your rope, and thus, your head attached to your spinal column. But locking carabiners have always been unwieldy and hard to manipulate. Black Diamond wants to change that—with…

Here’s a Full-Body Rock Climbing Harness For Pregnant Women Because Apparently That’s a Good Idea

Pregnant rock climbers of the world rejoice! Mountain Mama, Inc, the outdoor outfitter for expectant mothers, now offers a full-body climbing harness specially designed for the unique geometry of pregnant bodies. Why would you let that fetus inside you keep you from extreme sports? The climbing harness, which will be available in January for $120,…

This Backpack Lets You Climb Up Any Wall

The military wants to be able to send soldiers up and over high walls, and sometimes grappling hooks aren’t practical. What to do? Oh, I dunno, how about a vacuum backpack with suction gloves that’ll let you climb up brick, glass, or pretty much whatever? Yep, that’ll work. Utah State University “Ascending Aggies” team recently…

Nerdy Climbing Wall Holds Prove Even Star Wars Fanboys Stay Fit

When you think of Star Wars fans, you probably picture an overweight individual sprawled out on a couch reaching for Cheetos with a plastic lightsaber. But apparently that image isn’t entirely accurate, since you can now buy Star Wars-themed climbing wall holds. Created by Hang Fast Adventure Structures, you can get these mountable, sturdy, fiberglass…