Just a few thoughts
One thing that unites every indoor climber and every climbing wall… grips. From the early days of glued rocks and wood, to the modern era of gigantic dual tex macros, climbing grips have played an important role in not only the experience, but our culture too. And for those grip geeks among us, CBJ has held an annual vote to determine the favorites.
It’s Grip List Survey time, and every routesetter in the world is invited to participate!
See The Freshest Job Posts Here
Community & Culture
- Opinion – When Did Gyms Get Too Scared to Grade Their Own Boulders? (Sam MacIlwaine, Climbing-dot-com)
- How a MoonBoard (Almost) Kept Me Sane at Sea (Theodore Slagle, Climbing-dot-com)
- “You have to lose weight before you exist” – the athletic body according to Yaël (Pierre-Gaël Pasquiou, Vertige Media)
- The War in Ukraine Has Cost 100,000 People Their Limbs. Now They’re Learning to Climb (Andrew McLemore, GearJunkie)
- AMGA Comments on Draft Federal Guidance for Wilderness Climbing Management (AMGA)
Why Climbing Is Showing Up in New Places (EP Climbing)
Comp Scene
- Sep 17-19: Canadian Para-Climbing Summit (Kraig Devlin, CEC)
- USA Climbing Releases 2025 Impact Report (USAC)
Gyms & Industry
- Sep 22: Live Auction of Ohio Climbing Gym (LoopNet)
- Climbing gym accident statistics 2025 – the most frequent causes and injuries (Lacrux)
- Is the Independent Shop the Future of the Outdoor Industry? Inside Outdoor Retailer’s Big Debate Panel (Tiffany Montgomery, Shop-Eat-Surf-Outdoor)
- Q2 2026 Outdoor Retail Sales Trends Report – Executive Summary (OIA)
- Podcast: Ryan Jenks – The Business Behind HowNOT2 – Breaking Gear, Climbing Retail, & Product Development (The Climbing Majority)
For Managers & Owners
- Top Trends in Climbing Wall Technology (Elevate Climbing Walls)
- The Anatomy of a Professional Climbing Gym Build (Elevate Climbing Walls)
- NICAS Pro Connects returns for 2026/27 (NICAS)
- Video: Our Bouldering Gym Redesign – Complete Timelapse (BLOC House)
For Routesetters
- Video: Hosting and Setting Elite Community Competitions (ft. Jonathan Brock) (CBJ)
- Wanted: Routesetter Opinions for Grip List 2026 Survey (CBJ)
- Let’s Talk About Speed In Route Setting (Impact Route Setting)
- Podcast: Boulder 24 is out! Also forerunning tips & tricks (Another Setting Podcast)
- Video: Shanghai Vlog #1 – Route setting in Banana Climbing in January 2026 (Beta Routesetting)
- Video: Setting competition (Kilter Grips)
Training Tips
- Video: Pelvic Health Considerations for Climbers – Sam Lemminger (The Climbing Doctor)
- Not All Protein Is Created Equal – It’s Amino Acids That Matter Most (PhysiVāntage)
- Podcast: Charlie Schreiber – goal adjudication and climbing when time-poor (Careless Talk)
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.
