Dream Lines, Hard Questions and the Season Ahead
This week brought dream sends, long-haul first ascents, legendary repeats, and major signals from the wider climbing world. From Margalef caves to Patagonian walls, the stories were bigger than single moves — they were about patience, legacy, and what comes next.
Dreams Sent, Legends Revisited
The biggest stories this week carried weight. Jorge Díaz-Rullo finally closed the chapter on Café Colombia, Stefano Ghisolfi added Dreamtime to his resume, and Patagonia delivered another huge statement with a 41-day new route. Beyond the rock, competition history and access battles reminded us that climbing's most important moments are not always measured in grades alone.
Jorge Díaz-Rullo Sends Café Colombia FA After 240 Days
After 240 days across 4 years, the Spanish climber completed the first ascent of Café Colombia in Margalef on March 13. A fight he will remember forever.
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Stefano Ghisolfi Sends Dreamtime
There's not much more to say about it — the name says it all. Stefano Ghisolfi adds the legendary Dreamtime to his ticklist.
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41 Days on the Wall: Paradigm Shift New Route in Patagonia
Myles Moser, Trevor Anthes, and Harry Kinnard spent 41 days on a new Patagonian route — Paradigm Shift (VII 5.12+ A2; 4,000ft) — choosing a heavy, slow, committing approach against the modern trend for speed.
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Rock Master 2026: Arco Celebrates 40 Years of Climbing History
Rock Master Arco 2026 returns on October 2–4, featuring Duel Lead, KO Boulder and a special 40th anniversary edition in the Home of Climbing.
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US Supreme Court Denies Last-Minute Bid to Stop Oak Flat Land Transfer
Apache women had asked the Supreme Court to stop Resolution Copper Mining from acquiring the land — home to sacred Native American sites and thousands of climbs. The court denied it.
Read article →Big Routes, Bigger Statements
This was a week of benchmark climbing. Long-term projects came together, iconic testpieces changed hands again, and some of the hardest routes in the world moved back to the center of the conversation. What stood out most was the variety: boulders, sport routes, trad lines, and alpine walls all delivered performances with real substance.
Jorge Díaz-Rullo Sends Café Colombia After 240 Days — Exclusive Interview
After 240 days, Díaz-Rullo sent the route in Margalef's steep pocketed cave. He has yet to propose a grade — one climber was there to witness history and caught up with him afterward.
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Díaz-Rullo Proposes 9c for Café Colombia — Only the Fifth in the World
After deliberation, Jorge Díaz-Rullo suggested 9c for Café Colombia — only the fifth 9c in the world, joining Silence, DNA, B.I.G and Duality of Man. All remain unrepeated.
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Connor Herson Takes on World's Hardest Trad Routes in Norway
BD Athlete Connor Herson heads to Norway's Profile Wall to benchmark his trad climbing against Crown Royale (5.14d) — legacy is earned by testing against the benchmarks that already stand.
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Will Bosi Back on Defying Graffiti Project
Back on the Defying Graffiti project and super psyched with how it's feeling — managed to repeat the first move for the third time, and the second move is slowly getting closer.
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Alex Megos Training Lap on Kawaschuwu 8c+ in Frankenjura
Megos considers Kawaschuwu one of the hardest 8c+'s in the Frankenjura — with bigger fingers probably closer to 9a. A training lap on one of the classics of the area.
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Mejdi Schalck Sends Hip Hop Assis 8B/V13 in Fontainebleau
Couldn't resist a quick session in Font with weather like this — Mejdi Schalck sends the classic sit start Hip Hop 8B/V13.
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Alberto Ginés Lopez Sends El Bon Combat (9b)
From Olympic gold to one of the hardest routes in the world. Olympic champion Alberto Ginés Lopez climbs El Bon Combat (9b), the iconic line first ascended by Chris Sharma.
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Adam Ondra Flashes His Fourth 8C — Emotional Landscapes
Ondra had actually planned to flash Bügeleisen Sit (8C) in Carinthia — but ended up flashing Emotional Landscapes instead. A detailed look at the day.
Read article →Heritage, Hype and What's Next
Competition news this week balanced nostalgia with anticipation. Legacy events like CWIF and Rock Master reminded us how much history the sport carries, while Innsbruck's timetable pointed straight toward the next major stage. At the same time, newer formats and growing para scenes showed that competition climbing is still widening its reach.
The Last Ever CWIF Finals
The last ever CWIF finals — a throwback to Sam Butters risking it all in last year's final. A moment of competition history ending.
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Pro Climbing League: Annie Sanders vs Jenny Buckley — Full Replay Available
Did Annie Sanders' static strength pay off against Jenny Buckley in their qualifying match up? Watch the full replay or highlights film on Red Bull TV.
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World Climbing Series Innsbruck 2026 Timetable Released
From Para Climbing to Boulder and Lead — one full week of world-class action in the heart of the Alps. Tickets go on sale next week.
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Para Climbing Is Growing — 4x Paralympian Melissa Stockwell on Her First Para Nationals
Melissa Stockwell switched from ParaTriathlon to Para Climbing after 15 years. After Para Nationals, she said the community was amazing and she left learning so much about the sport.
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Wide Boyz Crack Fest Comes to Boulderwelt Dortmund
Pete Whittaker and Tom Randall bring the Wide Boyz Crack Fest to Boulderwelt Dortmund — featuring workshops and crack climbing for beginners and pros alike.
Read article →New to climbing?
Start with our guides
Plain English explainers on gear, grades and skills, so every edition makes sense from the first read.
All guides →Soft Catches and Fresh Drops
Gear this week leaned toward utility, lifestyle, and brand identity. New spring collections, updated apparel lines, and everyday climbing essentials shaped the conversation more than radical innovation. The takeaway is simple: brands are selling not just equipment, but a full climbing lifestyle around it.
Black Diamond — Sometimes You Gotta Pass Along Gear (Make It a Soft Catch)
Sometimes you gotta pass along a little gear. If you must — make it a soft catch.
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Black Diamond Spring Line Now Available at REI
Born from the climbing life and built for beyond. Black Diamond's new spring line features pants that send and trail-ready gear, available online and at REI Co-op.
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USA Climbing Launches New Online Store with Custom Ink Partnership
New USA Climbing online store is live, featuring stylish apparel including USA Climbing x The North Face options in partnership with Custom Ink.
View post →The Places Matter Too
Not every headline came from a send. This week also brought perspective: the beauty of major landscapes, the responsibility of protecting fragile rock, and the ongoing reality of access loss at Oak Flat. Climbing is always tied to place — and this week made that impossible to ignore.
Chris Sharma Working His Project at Mont Rebei
Shots from Chris Sharma working on his project at Mont Rebei — the landscape is something else.
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Tommy Caldwell: A Full Circle Moment with Patagonia
Thirty years after living in a Honda Civic and shooting slides for Patagonia, Tommy Caldwell returned for a backcountry climbing and camping shoot in the Sierra Nevada — this time with a group of kids.
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UKClimbing Top 10 Spring Climbing Photos
Spring has sprung in this week's user-voted Top 10 Climbing & Mountaineering Photos — from deep-water solos to headtorch night pitches.
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Why You Should Never Climb on Wet Rock in Fontainebleau
With Font season starting, 27 Crags reminds climbers to wait at least 48 hours after rain before climbing Fontainebleau's porous sandstone — wet conditions permanently destroy holds.
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