Climbing Articles

Climbing news, events, guides and advice, from new walls and competitions to how to start climbing.

Tue, Oct 20, 2026Advice Bosnia and Herzegovina

Your first indoor climbing visit in Bosnia and Herzegovina

From Sarajevo's training boards to evening sessions in Mostar and Banja Luka, the important first step is choosing the right club session—not simply turning up at a map pin.

Joe Rushton

Mon, Oct 19, 2026Advice Belgium

Climbing outdoors in Belgium: access, permits and guests

Every Belgian crag is on private or public land, and only members of a climbing federation may climb there. Here's how access works, how to bring a friend who isn't a member, and where to start, from Freÿr to the Ourthe.

Joe Rushton

Mon, Oct 19, 2026Advice Belgium

Do you need a belay certificate to climb in Belgium?

Belgium has no legal belay licence, but many Flemish halls ask for the KBF's KVB card before you climb on a rope, while halls in Brussels and Wallonia run their own briefings, tests and badges. Here's what to expect, hall by hall.

Joe Rushton

Sat, Oct 17, 2026Advice Austria

Outdoor climbing in Austria: crags, boulders and via ferratas

Where to climb on real rock in Austria, from bouldering in the Zillertal and the Maltatal to sport crags in the Wilder Kaiser, the Ötztal and the hills around Vienna, plus how via ferratas are graded and when to go.

Joe Rushton

Sat, Oct 17, 2026Advice Austria

Do you need a Kletterschein to climb in Austria?

Austria's Alpine Club issues Kletterschein belay cards, but almost none of the halls we list asks to see one. Here's what they ask of roped climbers instead, from signed declarations and staff checks to membership rules and children's consent forms.

Joe Rushton

Fri, Oct 16, 2026Advice Norway

Outdoor climbing in Norway: Flatanger, Lofoten, Setesdal and more

From Flatanger's granite cave, home of the first 9c, to Lofoten's granite and Rjukan's ice, here are Norway's best-known climbing areas, when to go, and the right-to-roam rules climbers need to know.

Joe Rushton

Fri, Oct 16, 2026Advice Norway

Brattkort explained: belaying at Norway's climbing walls

To belay on a rope at a Norwegian climbing wall you need a Brattkort, the national belay certificate. Here's what the three levels mean, how a visitor gets one, what it costs, and when you can climb without one.

Joe Rushton

Thu, Oct 15, 2026Canada

From Joe Rockhead's to Hogtown: 35 years of Toronto climbing gyms

Canada's first climbing gym opened in Toronto in 1990. Since then the city has gained roped gyms in old cinemas, a wave of bouldering gyms and shared passes: here's how Toronto's climbing scene grew.

Joe Rushton

Thu, Oct 15, 2026Events Canada

Ontario's 2026–27 climbing competition season: dates and venues

The Ontario Climbing Federation's season runs from speed in Kingston in November to the youth provincials at Steel Peak, The Core, Gravity Hamilton and Hub Mississauga in spring 2027. Here are the dates and venues.

Joe Rushton

Thu, Oct 15, 2026News Canada

Vancouver's new climbing gyms, from Progression to UBC's BirdCoop

Three of Climbing Business Journal's nine best new Canadian gyms of 2025 are in Metro Vancouver, and UBC's rebuilt BirdCoop Bouldering Centre opens on 19 October 2026. Here's what each one offers.

Joe Rushton

Thu, Oct 15, 2026Events Canada

Quebec's 2026–27 climbing competition season and the Canada Games

The FQME's Coupe Québec circuit visits gyms in Trois-Rivières, Quebec City and Greater Montréal this autumn, ahead of the Speed Nationals in Montréal in January and sport climbing's Canada Games debut in Quebec City in March 2027.

Joe Rushton

Thu, Oct 15, 2026Events Canada

BC's 2026–27 climbing competition season: dates and venues

Sport Climbing BC's season runs from Pop & Lock in Kelowna in October to the open provincials at the Richmond Olympic Oval in December, with speed events at The Boulders near Victoria and bouldering across Metro Vancouver.

Joe Rushton