The Flash: Rock+Run Blog

This week’s video is pretty special, not for its latest hard ascent or piece of climbing controversy but because it truly encapsulates what climbing is all about. From the waters of the idyllic Lake Saimaa, Finland’s biggest lake, we’re treated to some of Nalle Hukkataival’s latest and most local psicobloc projects.

A climbing shoe buying guide, to help you get exactly what you want in the right size. Find out about the different types of climbing shoes on the market and take a look at our climbing shoe buying guide. 

The dust has settled, grades have been discussed and finally we have the low down on Stefano Ghisolfi’s second ascent of Bibliographie. It seems only fitting then, that this week’s video focusses on Ghisolfi’s iconic ascent, taking an in depth look at the route and its torturous limestone holds. In typical limestone fashion, the holds are characteristically small, sharp and pockety with the crux sections proving to be as beautiful as they are mind blowingly difficult.

In 1969, Seattle engineer and lifelong mountaineer Larry Penberthy formed ‘Mountain Safety Research’ as a one-man mission devoted to improving the safety of climbing equipment.

Comfy, robust and the best underfoot experience I’ve ever had in an approach shoe – the Scarpa Gecko is a superb shoe, impeccably suited to Britain’s mountain conditions and rugged terrain. 

Wide Boy Pete Whittaker is back with another light-hearted video – this time from
Sweden as he attempts one of his hardest pitches of rope soloing to date.

The following video incorporates a run down of not only which brands each Olympic climbing athlete was using, but also which models they chose for the different styles of climbing. 

Climbing’s ultimate power couple, Babsi Zangerl and Jacopo Larcher strive to climb the Eigerwand’s hardest route, Odyssee (8a+, 1,400 meters), inside a day...

Moon Climbing are a British company that were founded in 2002 (initially under the brand name S7) by professional rock climber, Ben Moon. 

For any sport, trad or alpine climber, your harness is an essential bit of kit. With this in mind, why not dig out your harness and follow this easy-to-follow guide to inspection and cleaning.

This week’s video comes from our doorstep up here in the Lake District where internationally renowned ultra-runner, John Kelly, attempts to claim the Wainwrights record. 

Mammut were founded in 1862 by Kaspar Tanner in Wohlen, Switzerland. Tanner, having finished a three-year rope making apprenticeship, embarked upon his own rope company which was later taken over by his son...

Fixe are one of the oldest rope manufactures in the world with over 125 years of experience in the rope making sector. We stock a large number of Fixe semi static ropes with various features and specs, which can be a bit bewildering when trying to choose the right rope for your application. We have therefore broken them down into bite size chunks of information so you can make a more informed decision on which static rope is right for you.

Boreal was founded in 1975 by Jesus Garcia Lopez in the town of Villena, Spain. The area around Villena has a rich history in footwear manufacturing...

This week’s video is a feature length Mellow special from Colorado, USA. Here, we follow climbing vagabond, Hunter Damiani, and his motley...

La Sportiva athlete Adam Ondra meets product specialist, Pietro dal Prà, for the full La Sportiva shoe making experience and factory tour.

This chart provides a straightforward, easy to interpret size comparison, to help you compare cam models against one another in terms of sizing and range of use.

Starting up commercially in 1968 under the name ‘Produits Fernand Petzl’, Fernand marketed his best invention - the first version of the rope ascender. This was followed by the first mountaineering specific headlamp in...

Like many climbing staycationers, Aidan Roberts and Jim Pope head to North Wales on a quest to send some of the region’s proudest lines.

Father and son take a serendipitous journey into the world of traditional climbing, and offer some thoughts and tips for others looking to do likewise.

Straight from the South of France, this week’s video comes from Pic Saint-Loup – the majestic local crag of sport climbing master, Seb Bouin.