by Christopher Schafenacker
Looking to put all your home climbing wall training to the test? Wondering if that hangboard routine you’ve been following really works? Why not plan a trip to one of the world’s top climbing destinations and find out? Below, we list our top five recommendations and explain why they’re worth the visit!
1. Yosemite, USA
No self-proclaimed rock climber can truly carry the moniker until they’ve tested their mettle on the famed walls of Yosemite. All of our sport’s biggest names have visited the valley, and many of the world’s most notable ascents have taken place here. Even if you don’t care about climbing history, you should care about visiting one of the planet’s most beautiful places to practice what you love most.
Yosemite is stacked with multipitch climbs of epic proportions. But you don’t have to be willing (or able) to spend nights on the wall to enjoy this climbing paradise. Numerous shorter routes of exceptional quality await you at places such as Cathedral Rocks and the Royal Arches. There is also a wealth of boulders that should be on any serious pebble wrestler's ticklist.
2. Leonidio, Greece
Kalymnos may be this Mediterranean country’s most well-known crag, but Leonidio is every bit as good and not nearly as crowded. From the friendly-graded and generously-bolted Hospital Wall to the hard tufa-climbing testing ground of Elona, Leonidio has something to offer climbers of all grades, abilities, and tastes. And speaking of tastes, is there anywhere better to eat than Greece?
Leonidio is a small town nestled on the coast of the Peloponnese peninsula. It offers not just thousands of world-class sport and multipitch climbs, but also pristine beaches, cheap (and delicious) eats, and a thriving climbing community that knows how to throw down at the Panjika Café’s Thursday night jam sessions.
3. Chulilla, Spain
Looking to escape winter and climb shirtless in the sun on perfect Spanish limestone? Fancy filling up on tapas, cheap beer, and paella day in and day out? Curious about why every Spaniard eats 5.12s for breakfast? Well, then you need to book a trip to Chulilla.
This endless canyon of perfect, vertical 130ft (40m) pitches will simultaneously whip you into shape and inspire with its fantasy-land level of beauty. That, and it’ll make you feel stronger than ever with its vacation grades to match its vacation vibes.
4. Fontainebleau, France
What Yosemite is to big walls, Fontainebleau is to bouldering. With more than 500 boulders of all grades and a history as rich as the country in which it is situated, Font is every boulderer's dream. That, and it sits less than an hour outside of Paris, meaning you can send hard and sip a glass of French red under the Eiffel tower all in one day. Need we say more?
5. Rumney, USA
Now, we know we’re showing our stripes as New Englanders by including Rumney on this list, and yet it is as deserving as any other climbing area on the planet. Largely thanks to the tireless work of Ward Smith, this sprawling New Hampshire crag attracts not only local crushers but climbers from all over the world looking to cruise up the classics of the Parking Lot Wall or surf the relentless testpieces of the wave-shaped Waimai sector.
On a budget? Against burning carbon to practice a sport that claims to respect the environment? After that picture-perfect climbing shot that will convince all your friends you’re a bigger badass than the Predator, himself? Then Rumney needs to be on your list of must-visit crags.
Featured Climbing Training Gear
Maverick: The on-the-go, bring it anywhere hangboard. On a family road trip to keep your fingers in shape. We like to bring this to the crag with us to keep our fingers warm—without losing skin on mediocre warm-ups—at that steep, thuggy sport crag.
The Rocket Wall: Available in 6’ and 8’ widths, it’s been tough for us to keep up with the demand for this innovative home climbing wall solution. Slightly overhanging, the Rocket Wall is big enough to set routes on, or to build a systems board.
The Rock-Stah: Our handcrafted version of a traditional hangboard, with curving crimp rails to help alleviate unnecessary strain on your pulleys. Because ain’t no one got time for a finger injury…
The Rocketeer Wall: our free-standing adjustable solution for those who can’t mount a hangboard anywhere in their home or apartment—or who are limited on space. The Rocketeer gives climbers the additional option to set specific climbing holds. Recreate the crux holds of your proj and get ready to send, bruh.