If ever there were such a thing as a sport climber’s paradise, then Kalymnos would be it.
With over 2,000 bolted routes, 50 miles of island to explore, and water so clear you can see all the way to the bottom, Kalymnos had been on our climbing wish list for nearly a decade.
Welcome to our inaugural edition of Seeking Higher Ground – a column about climbing, women, and women climbing – written by Bouldering Babe Athlete Anastasia B.
It’s 100 degrees outside, and I’m halfway up one of maybe ten bolted routes in the whole of Zion. I’m not sure what grade the route is, only that I’m hot, it’s hard, and that I’ve never been in this far over my head. From the ground this seemed like such a sure thing, but I am afraid. I am gut-wrenchingly, mind numbingly afraid.
Every so often, we’ll interview extraordinary girls doing extraordinary things: this is Girl Crush. This week, we’re stoked to feature badass radass female climber and digital dirtbag Megan Sullivan.
Meg the Legend
Megan Sullivan’s business card says that she is a Producer and Director for an internal production company within an advertising agency, but she is basically a dirtbag who lives in the city of San Francisco and travels to wherever possible as much as possible.
Join us this Saturday, August 22nd from 7:30-9pm @ Rock Spot Climbing for a female-focused climbing clinic for all our Providence-based lady crushers!
You’ll learn to climb safely and confidently, and confront your fear of heights, falling, and exposure. Jeanne loves bouldering with female-focused hip movements, strong core work, and delicate balancey footwork to create fluidity with the wall, so there will be some of that. She hates injuries, so there will be none of that.
WHO: The Ladies of Rock Spot Climbing!
WHAT: Bouldering Babes Climbing Clinic
WHERE: Rock Spot Climbing @ 100 Higginson Ave in Lincoln, RI
WHEN: Saturday, August 22nd | 7:30 PM – 9 PM
WHY: Climbing Girls Run the World!
Join us this Sunday, August 16th from 6-7pm @ Brooklyn Boulders Chicago for a female-focused bouldering clinic for all of our Chicago-based lady crushers!
You’ll learn to climb safely and confidently, and confront your fear of heights, falling, and exposure. Jeanne loves bouldering with female-focused hip movements, strong core work, and delicate, balancey footwork to create fluidity with the wall, so there will be some of that. She hates injuries, so there will be none of that.
— WHO: YOU! The ladies of BKB Chicago! WHAT: Bouldering Babes Climbing Clinic WHERE: Brooklyn Boulders Chicago! WHEN: Sunday, August 16th | 6 PM – 7 PM WHY: Girl climbers rule —
Lush green forest, 70F and sunny in summer, and all the granite in the planet that you can climb to your heart’s content: this is Squamish.
Just an hour north of Vancouver lies the Outdoor Recreation Capital of Canada; Squamish sits at the north end of Howe Sound on the Sea to Sky Highway, where ocean, river and alpine forest meet.
Summer solstice is in full swing in the Northern Hemisphere, and we love immersing ourselves in the great outdoors and all its sun-kissed and sweaty glory!
To celebrate summer, here are five outdoor essentials to keep in our beach/crag bag:
Half an hour away from the Las Vegas strip lies a desert paradise, strewn with fascinatingly beautiful and strange rock formations.
There are pockets of zen to be found all over Vegas – from the tranquil rooms of the Canyon Ranch Spa to Red Rock Canyon’s Black Corridor, where climbers crag to seek refuge from the scorching desert sun.
The rocks are reddish and time erodes them into the pinkish sand that covers the trails.
But perhaps the best kept secret of Vegas is Mount Charleston, a sanctuary located just 35 miles northwest of Sin City.
Welcome to Charleston!
Some folks travel around the world; we prefer to climb it.
Seasoned rock climbers know all about the limestone cliffs of Krabi, Thailand, or the ’14 pitches, bitches’ of Portero Chico, Mexico. But oftentimes, it’s worth discovering new and beautiful places, full of phenomenal rock, ice, and snow to climb.
Here’s our list of world-class climbing all over the world, so read on and climb on!
AFRICA
Lukenya, Kenya: there’s nothing quite like camping and climbing in the African bush – waking up to a sunrise where you can almost see the faint shadow of Kilimanjaro lingering in the background, basking in the scorching equatorial sun as you route find and lead your way up V Diffs whilst battling the thorns and bushes of various vegetation. Located just 30 miles south of Nairobi, Lukenya is a Kenya climbing scene favorite – but you must join the Mountain Club of Kenya to gain access to climb there (do it, they are good peoples!)
ASIA
Cat Ba, Vietnam: sport climbing and gorgeous limestone tuphers – ’nuff said. Make sure to check out Asia Outdoors, a solid guiding service who will certainly lead you in the right direction as far as bar, food, and routes beta are concerned.
Chiang Mai, Thailand: same, but different. Superb sport climbing in a concentrated area that is lush and green and known as one of the ‘world’s greenest mega-crags’. You won’t regret trekking out to this jungle to send, but don’t leave your bug spray in the hostel.
Natalie Siddique
is a Russian-Bangladeshi climber, traveler, shenanigan-seeker, and co-founder of Moja Gear. She’s explored over 25 countries and 48 states, lived in both Russia and Bangladesh, and has found her happy place in California. Natalie’s ideal days involve early morning sunrises, crimping on small nobs, playing a round of Settlers of Catan, and drinking an IPA.
Bouldering Babes 