There are a lot of tall boulder problems out there. Problems on the Grandpa Peabody boulder at the Buttermilks, the problems at the Woodyard Arete in Yosemite, and other climbs in between all blur the line between bouldering and soloing.

John Sherman, the author of the second edition of Better Bouldering, put together a video with some useful tips on how to approach highballs.

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Diablo Rock Gym will be having a great evening of fun and excitement on New Year's eve. On December 31, from 6:30 pm to 12:30 am, the staff and a ton of climbers will be gathering at the the Concord gym for lots of awesome events, games, gift give aways, and more. The gym will be providing lots of healthy food and beverages for the evening. This is an excellent opportunity to start the New Year off right. The cost for members is $20 and $35 for none members. Please RSVP to the Diablo Rock Gym front desk. Get amped for a fun evening of activities. Stop by Diablo Rock Gym and hear more about the great event. Add a comment

Mission Cliffs just had an awesome turnout for the latest TBS 7 comp. 409 climbers stopped by to turn in scorecards. The comp series has been greatly successful this season with over 1300 different climbers stopping by to compete.

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The program began in May 2009, when 12 Pipeworks runners, and former Pipeworks bicycle club members, decided to run in the fund raising event The Relay. The 199 mile race from Calistoga to Santa Cruz helped raise awareness for organ donation. With each racer running 3 different 10k legs, the team finished the race in just under 30 hours.

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With the ever increasing popularity of rock climbing and the expansion of digital services, the internet world has become a larger presence on the mountain. Where once, Yosemite was a vast wilderness, now it is possible to update your Facebook status from the side of El Capitan.

Alex Lowther, a climber living in New York City, recently wrote an article about the phenomenon of increasing media presence in climbing. The New York Times piece sites Tommy Caldwell’s recent attempts at freeing the Dawn Wall on El Capitan. Caldwell spent 19 days on the side of El Cap almost but not quite alone. Caldwell kept a constant stream of how he was climbing, what the next difficult pitch was, and what the weather was like on the side of the face. The route, when finished, will be one of the most difficult lines on El Capitan with 3,000 feet of climbing, seven pitches of 5.14, seven of 5.13, and 14 more difficult leads.

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One of the most important strengths a climber can have is a strong core. Reaching for locks during a crack climb, staying tight to the wall during a long sport climb, and lifting your feet high on a steep boulder problem, all require the muscles between your shoulder and your pelvis to be strong.

There are a number of different ways to train the abdominal muscles. From basic sit-ups to front levers, core exercises are never easy. It’s a good idea to supplement core conditioning with other forms of core specific exercises like yoga and Pilates.

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