The Flash: Rock+Run Blog

Scarpa are one of the oldest and most famous creators of mountain-based footwear in the world. What originally started as a mountain boot company in 1938 has since evolved and grown into one of the world’s leading producers of footwear for the outdoors. In recent years this success has come from their superb range of rock climbing shoes; in this article, we’re taking a deep dive into Scarpa’s shoe making process and the technology that defines their market leading status.

The Mystix was a superb 2020 addition to Red Chili’s high performance lineup, packed full of impressive new features and sporting a whole new last but, with most of their time on sale spent during a pandemic, is 2022 the year when the Mystix finally comes of age? 

This week's video comes from Hannah Morris who takes us through climbing's weird and wonderful compilation of confusing terms. Hannah's accessible video unlocks many of the key words, breaking them down and explaining them wonderfully with demonstrations and even a few fun facts.

Originally named ‘Cascade Designs’, Thermarest began life in 1972 as a self inflating camping mattress company. Founded by Boeing engineers and avid mountaineers, John Burroughs, Jim Lea and Neil Anderson - Thermarest truly came to life when the latter two founders were let go in the now-legendary Boeing layoffs. With time on their hands, they dedicated themselves to the quest for a better night’s sleep under the stars. The idea for a self inflating mat? This came from Jim one day while gardening. As he shifted his weight on his foam ground cushion, he heard air escaping from within the pad. The rest, as they say, is history.

This week's video comes from our doorstep here in the Lake District where local lad and friend of Rock+Run, John Hartley, is tearing it up with daring trad ascents.

This week's video comes from Lattice HQ where it's finally the turn of training and dietary guru, Dave MacLeod, to put himself to the test. If, like us, you love nerding out over training content, climbing metrics and professional climbing insight then you'll love this one.

We’ve reviewed the whole range of EB shoes and, in this article we’re going to round it up with some technical insight and model suggestions to give you a better idea of which EB shoe will suit you best.

This week’s video comes from one of our favourite Friday spots, Moravský Kras in the Czech Republic, local haunt of Adam Ondra and recent proving ground for British climber Will Bosi. Check out our weekly video to watch Bosi tackle an unrepeated Ondra first ascent.

This week's video is a bouldering banger from Will Bosi who's got to be one of the world's most 'in-form' climbers right now. This collection from Will features a series of his hardest ascents from the summers of 2020 and '21 with a particular favourite of ours being his impressive flash of Isla De Encanta 8B, a legendary local boulder problem for us here in the South Lakes. 

The Balboa has already done it all. From 9c sport routes to bouldering World Cup finals, but, can this latest offering from EB mix it with the very best?

Ever wondered what your head would look like if a huge rock fell on you? Ever wondered what difference a helmet could make if this huge rock actually fell on your head? Well great because this week’s video from Ben at Hard Is Easy is a masterclass in all things helmets.

We catch up with Seb Bouin in an exclusive UK interview to talk everything from his latest 9c route DNA and the French climbing scene to Adam Ondra’s new baby.

Midtbø and Honnold collaborate in death defying style on the walls of the Red Rock Canyon, Nevada, check it out here.

Founded in 1996 with the moto, ‘Only climbers know what climbers need’, Red Chili took the 90’s climbing shoe world by storm. Over 20 years later and Red Chili are still one of the big players in the climbing shoe market.

Classically EB in features and profile, the Django’s third iteration has been refined into a very recognisable EB shoe that embodies the brand but, whilst it shares many similarities with the other shoes in the range, the Django is a unique beast. Find out why here.

This week’s video documents another slice of the action on Neil Gresham’s awesome Lake District trad route,Lexicon, with Dave Macleod on hand to give us some insight into the route and the process behind his third ascent.

This week’s video comes from Switzerland’s iconic Val Bavona region where Emil Abrahamsson takes a deep dive into Off the Wagon, arguably the most famous boulder problem in the world. Since his breakaway from Eric Karlsson’s YouTube channel, Emil has gone on to compete on the world stage for his native Sweden and has taken his outdoor game to new levels, documenting the entire journey through his own channel. This latest video is a testament to how far he’s come with the Wagon boulder being reserved for the most elite climbers in the world. 

Coming in as the stiffest (and most eye-catching) model in the EB range, the Strange has been engineered to perform tremendously on real rock with a fast lace-up system that further enhances its suitability for a day at the crag. But, aren’t laces, as the name suggests, a strange choice? Although they might take longer to tie than the Velcro alternative, the lace-up closure on the Strange provides unrivalled adjustability that a Velcro system simply can’t match.

Adam Ondra is back on our weekly video feature with more dancing and an onsight attempt of Solitary Souls 8c+, a route bolted by Nico Favresse and first ascented by Alfredo Webber at Le Piazzole, a smaller crag in Italy’s Arco region. The route is the obvious, 35 metre central line of the crag that looks as beautiful as it does intimidatingly long. 

A serious step up in climbing skincare, Climbskin’s Hand Cream comes packed full of superb, natural ingredients which combine to provide the handiest healing solution on the market.

Ever wondered what it takes to climb a grade that might be out of your physical reach? Well Ben from the Hard Is Easy YouTube channel makes another appearance on our weekly video feature as he looks to find the answer. In typical Hard Is Easy style, this answer had to come in the form of scientifically tangible results and that meant getting the best number crunchers in the business on board – Lattice.