This Week in Climbing #15 (January 24, 2016 Edition)

Image: Screenshot from the video of The Kraken (V13].

Here’s all the interesting stuff that went on in the rock climbing, ice climbing, and mountaineering world during the week of January 18 to January 24, 2016.

Climbing News

AFRICA

• Blasting in Montagu – Road / Crag / Hiking Closures at Climb ZA
• CityROCK Cape Town Open Weekend at Climb ZA

AMERICAS

• Famed Route on Torre Egger Gets Second Ascent at Alpinist
• Colin Haley Solos Torre Egger in Patagonia at Gripped (See also Climbing, Planet Mountain, Alpinist, UK Climbing.)
• Ragni route on Fitz Roy, first repeat by Matteo Della Bordella and David Bacci at Planet Mountain

AUSTRALIA/ASIA

• Boomtown – The Rise of Brisbane’s Climbing Scene at Vertical Life
• Climbing Banned in Thailand’s Koh Yao Noi at UK Climbing

EUROPE

• FRANCE
  • Le Pied à Coulisse, first ~8C+/V16 in Font by Glairon Mondet at UK Climbing (See also DPM, Gripped, Planet Mountain.)
  • Google Launch Mont Blanc Street View at UK Climbing
•  UK
  • The Vapouriser VIII, 8: Second Ascent for Hawthorn and Livingstone at UK Climbing
  • Americans Visit Scotland and Send at Gripped
  • Monk Life 8B+ for Ben Freeman at UK Climbing
  • Two Grade IX’s in a Weekend for Dave MacLeod at UK Climbing

Climbing Articles

• Dropped 1500ft by Rob Pizem – An ode to climbing cameras.
• Unbelayvable: A Questionable Belay Location at Climbing
• The Backpack as Luggage at The American Alpine Institute Blog
• Move of the Month 11: Flagging (or Otherwise Dropping One Foot off the Rock While Climbing) by Alli Rainey
• Trekking Peaks in Nepal’s Khumbu Himal at Planet Mountain
• Blog – ‘This is not a children’s birthday party’ at Vertical Life – Words of climbing wisdom.
• Will Everest Be Empty This Year? at The Adventure Blog
• From Marathons to Multi-Pitch: Maximizing Your Mental Game With the Help of Others at Crux Crush
• Yosemite Rockfall Year in Review 2015 at SuperTopo
• Vertical Life’s Best of Blogs & Podcasts at Vertical Life
• Climbing In The City of Foundations (Kansas City) by Allen Schaidle at The Climbing Zine
• A Complete Overview of Energy Pools in Climbing at Climbing Nutrition
• Intro to Fingerboard Training at Training for Climbing
• From the ground up at For the Love of Climbing

Good New Climbing Videos

• World’s Fastest Person to Climb the Matterhorn | Dani Arnold [2:13]
• Hedon Rock Tours – Canadian Climbing [6:33] – A look at different crags in beautiful western Canada.
• Watch Highlights from 2016 Ouray Ice Fest at Gripped
• Flatanger Hugo, Thoma, Elie [7:04] – Sport climbing in Flatanger, Norway.
• Mad Rocklands 2015 [29:25] – Half an hour of Rocklands, South Africa bouldering footage.
• Serendipity – A Spanish adventure in Great Britain [16:31] – A Spanish climber moves to the UK. Much climbing ensues.
• Scottish Winter Kit list [6:30] – Dave MacLeod talks about the gear he takes on his Scottish winter climbs.
• Era Vella (9a) by Magnus Midtbo [1:27] – Drone footage of a super hard route in Spain.
• Tom Randall Climbs the Kraken (V13), the World’s Hardest Crack Boulder Problem at DPM [5:32]

Gear Reviews, etc.

• Review: Beal Cocoon Chalk Bag at The Climbing Zine
• Sherpa Lithang Pant Review at Climbing Gear Reviews
• OR Winter 2016: Hardware and Packs at The Alpine Start
• OR Winter 2016: Apparel and Gloves at The Alpine Start
• Mini Traxion Rope Solo Length? by Steph Davis

Interviews/Profiles

• Silvio Reffo, the 9a climbing physiotherapist at Planet Mountain
• Words With Calgary Comp Climber Eva Thompson at Gripped

Trip Reports

• Back in the East. by Nick Bullock – A trip report.
• Southern Freeze by Dave MacLeod – A Scotland winter climbing trip report.
• Tazzuh! The Candlestick and Talk is Cheap at The Climbing Obscurist – Climbing a Tasmanian tower.