Just a few thoughts

There’s a pretty big thing happening right now to climbing areas on US federal land, home to a large percentage of climbing in the US. New guidance from NPS, BLM, FWS, and USFS is going to regulate climbing – which, prior to this, was largely managed locally. To quote a friend, “the end of ‘laissez-faire’ climbing, especially new routes involving fixed anchors, on public land is in sight.” We should probably expect this, and more of the same, as climbing continues to grow. More details here from Access Fund, which is encouraging public comments.

Community & Culture

• Global Community Boards – Application Open (Global Climbing Initiative)
• “No Palestinian climber is safe, anywhere, at any time.” (Matthew Amaré, Vertige Media)
• From Glued-On Rocks to Modern Climbing Gyms (Elevate Climbing Walls)

Crag Scene

• Access Fund calls on climbers to weigh in on climbing management proposals for federal lands (Access Fund)
• Thou Shalt Not Wreck the Place (Steve Blake, UK Climbing)
• The 50 Best Climbing Areas in America, One in Every State (Owen Clarke, Climbing-dot-com)

Accidents & Etiquette

• Why People Keep Dying on Auto Belays – The Deeper Story Behind the Luxembourg Tragedy (Owen Clarke, Climbing-dot-com)
• Following the fatal fall in Soleuvre, Luxembourg wants to better document climbing accidents (Pierre-Gaël Pasquiou, Vertige Media)
• Outline the method – a short treatise on vertical diplomacy (Pierre-Gaël Pasquiou, Vertige Media)

For Owners & Managers

• Building a Gym? 5 Insights From CBJ’s 2026 Climbing Gym Market Report and Dashboard (CBJ)
• Mid-Year Update: Rise Above Consulting’s Climbing Gym Industry 2026 Predictions (Pete Ward, Rise Above Consulting)

For Routesetters

• Jul 14: Routesetting for Elite Community Competitions (ft. Jonathan Brock) (Vortex Routesetting, CBJ)
• Video: Curbing Ego With Curiosity (ft. Justin Wagner) (Vortex Routesetting, CBJ)
• New Climbing Holds and Volumes: June 2026 (CBJ)
• What if boulders were not meant to stand alone? (Impact Route Setting)
• Beta Friend Launches AI-Assisted Route Setting Platform for Climbing Gyms (CBJ)
• Do You Like Dual-Tex Holds? Here’s What Gym Setters Think (Aaron Pardy, Gripped)

Training Tips

• Video: How Durable Are You When Training and Climbing? (Training 4 Climbing)
• Rock climbing – why has stopping become impossible? (Pierre-Gaël Pasquiou, Vertige Media)
• Podcast: Belaytionship Therapy – Tools for Better Climbing Relationships (AAC)

Many of the links above are from third-party sources, and the views expressed at those links do not necessarily represent the views of the CBJ editorial team. We share this content to help readers stay informed about what is happening in the industry and the community of climbing.