Climbing news, events, guides and advice, from new walls and competitions to how to start climbing.
The Blue Mountains hold about 7,300 routes, many of them bolted sport climbs on sandstone around Blackheath, Mount Victoria and Katoomba. Here's where to start, when to go, the access rules, guidebooks and courses, and the gyms on the way.
Joe Rushton
What a casual entry gets you, what shoe and harness hire cost, why you sign a waiver and do an induction, how belay and lead checks work, what weekly direct-debit memberships involve, and the age, chalk and etiquette rules at Australian climbing gyms in 2026.
Joe Rushton
Melbourne's free outdoor bouldering walls, from Burnley's volunteer-built walls under the Monash Freeway to council walls in Brunswick, Footscray, Southbank, Chadstone, Point Cook and Cranbourne South, and a campus wall in Frankston: where each one is, what it's like and how to use it well.
Joe Rushton
Kangaroo Point Cliffs is a free, floodlit crag on the Brisbane River, a short walk from the CBD. Here's what the climbing is like, how the old quarry came to be, the council's rules on anchors and groups, and how to move safely from the gym to the rock.
Joe Rushton
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
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
Nova Scotia's coast is covered in sharp granite. Here's where to boulder and climb near Halifax, from Chebucto Head and Peggy's Cove to Dover Island and Mainface, and the access rules to know first.
Joe Rushton
Winnipeg is on the prairie, but the Canadian Shield starts just east of the city. Here's where to climb outside, from Lac du Bonnet's granite boulders to the 350-plus routes around Kenora.
Joe Rushton
From Canmore's long season to ice walls and frozen falls in or near Edmonton, Quebec City, Montréal and Trois-Rivières: where to try ice climbing in Canada, and how to start safely.
Joe Rushton
From the Kananaskis crags closest to Calgary to the Bow Valley's sport crags and big walls around Canmore, plus winter ice: where to climb outside near Calgary, and the passes and rules to know.
Joe Rushton
Where to climb outside within a few hours of Toronto, from Rattlesnake Point and Mount Nemo on the Niagara Escarpment to Lion's Head and Bon Echo, with the booking, permit and anchor rules to know before you go.
Joe Rushton
Quebec climbing was born at Val-David, an hour north of Montréal. Here's where to climb outside near the city, from the Laurentians to Parc Jean-Drapeau, and why you'll need FQME membership at most crags.
Joe Rushton
