can't sleep 'cause I'm THINKING about CLIMBING

The inside flag, when correctly applied,   can make a sequence much more secure compared to the alternatives, yet it is one of the techniques that are rarely seen outdoors . It's not especially hard to perform it - I would say it's much easier than a foot swap, which is usually the other option for doing the same move. Therefore, the infrequent occurrence of the inside flag in the beta of rock climbers might be due to the confusion about when to use it and what can we gain with it. Additionally, it's relatively uncommon to find a situation where an inside flag is really the best solution, but when it is, it might make a move easier or, which is usually the case, less low-percentage.

  Jernej Kruder on Three degrees of separation 9a+ (5.15a) Dynos. There are hardly any hard climbs without dynamic movement, but flying through the air before grabbing the next hold after fully separating from the wall, that's another level. Four-points-off dynos are like 360 dunks, they are the pinnacle of dynamic climbing (well, then there are 360 dynos that you can see on Instagram, and even hula hoop dynos, but that's a different story).

Dave Graham on Petrichor 8C (V15)   Petrichor 8C is a boulder problem in Rocklands, South Africa, first solved by Dave Graham. What's special about it is that, apart from small crimps and compression climbing, the method of the first  ascensionist included a bat hang, i.e. a double toe hook above your head. It's a clear choice when going from two bad opposing holds, which are possible to hold using compression between them, to a jug. It's really hard to let go of one hand, unless you can change it for a foot, for instance using a heel hook, to maintain tension on the other hand. But so long as you squeeze both holds, you can move your lower limbs around, all the way above your head. Once you have two feet toe hooking on a big hold you can basically let go with your hands.

How often can we see a top climber explaining a route they are working on with something that goes along this line: "the headwall is not that hard, but it's technical climbing". They spent several sessions polishing the heel hooks, the toe hooks, the timing of dynamic moves, the nuances of generating momentum on the meat of this overhanging beast. They did the final slab second go. It had three bad footholds and a weird crossover move on sharp crimps, but this is the technical climbing, not the overhanging part. I just don't get the logic here.   A sketchy slab and a straightforward overhang. Or the other way around? Photos by Sophie Grieve-Williams and Hu Chen on Unsplash .   To be honest, sometimes I'm not sure what people mean by technical climbing. There are so many different techniques, is it like anything but ladder climbing? It's even used in contradictory contexts, some people say "it's technical" when it's easy climbing, others wh...

This seems to be a controversial topic, probably because the answer is not as simple as in many other, especially well established, sports (and because climbers love excuses to why they didn't send). Virtually all of the athletes in, for instance, high jump are tall. In gymnastics you retire already during the puberty, if you grow over a certain height. Still, even in the long-established sports the outliers sometimes can perform surprisingly well - before the first victories of Usain Bolt everyone thought that being short and muscular (not that he isn't muscular, but other sprinters are often more muscular) is the optimal body type for the 100 m dash. And probably it is the optimal body type - one or a small number of outliers don't flip the rule, they weaken it. Nevertheless, in running disciplines, be it a sprint or a marathon, athletes tend to have quite similar  stature , seemingly less diverse than in climbing.   Bouldering World Cup podium, Meiringen 2021. Photo by P...