Vertical Life

Vertical Life is a climbing magazine in Australasia, available in both digital and print options. Here at Vertical Life we love climbing, be it beanied bouldering, clip-up sportclimbing, old-school daddy-tradding, big-wall suffering, alpine extremism, spandex-clad competition climbing, desperate-times-call-for-desperate-measures buildering, the lot – if it involves monkey business we will cover it.

Vertical Life

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT OF COUNTRY

Climbing EVOLVES, AND SO DO WE

Read • CLIMBING WILD

Watch • THE LAST TEPUI

Listen • A SOFTER STRENGTH — MUM’S GONE CLIMBING

Jason WHITER • (HE/HIM) NAARM/MELBOURNE

GENESIS, TASMANIA • A NEWLY DEVELOPED CRAG JUST 20 MINUTES FROM HOBART BRINGS EVEN MORE ROCK OPTIONS FOR CLIMBERS LOOKING FOR VERTICAL METRES ON TASMANIA'S CLASSIC SEA CLIFFS. VL REGULAR DAVE BARNES TELLS THE STORY OF THE INFAMOUSLY CHOSSY CLIFF HE WAS DETERMINED TO DEVELOP.

RACING THE SETTING SUN AT FLINDERS CAVE • When Queensland-based photographer Nathan was asked to be part of a shoot with Ben Cossey at his local crag, he jumped at the chance. He planned his perfect shot, and waited to see if the stars would align with lighting, flash and position… and if so, would Ben have enough skin left on his fingers to pull through the crux one last time?

THE CLIMBING FILM TOUR RETURNS

Walking with Fear • GRAPPLING WITH FEAR IS A FAMILIAR CONCEPT FOR CLIMBERS. MOUNT BEAUTYBASED HIGHLINER ELISE EXPLORES HER RELATIONSHIP WITH FEAR, AND HOW SHE LEARNT TO MOVE WITH IT, NOT FIGHT AGAINST IT.

WARRUMBUNGLES THROUGH THE DECADES • CLIMBING LEGEND KEITH BELL HAS BEEN EXPLORING THE ‘BUNGLES SINCE THE 1960S. WITH A WEALTH OF TALES OF FIRST ASCENTS, NEAR MISSES AND INSIDER ADVICE, HE TAKES A JOURNEY ALONG THE INFAMOUSLY WILD ADVENTURE ROUTES THAT WEAVE THEIR WAY UP THE ANCIENT VOLCANIC SPIRES.

SEAN MYLES PROJECT / LIGHT WEIGHT BABY

K2 • Aussie mountaineer Allie Pepper is attempting to climb the world’s 14 highest peaks without supplemental oxygen in record time. With Broad Peak (8051m), Manaslu (8163m), Annapurna 1 (8091m) and Makalu (8485m) ticked, she and her partner Mikel Sherpa headed up K2 at the end of July–returning just in time to send us an update before VL went to press!

COPING WITH INJURY • At some point most climbers will face an injury of some description… awkward falls, overtraining on the hangboard, or just tripping over at the crag. We’ve all been there and, frankly, it sucks. The desire to mope is high. However, the psychological component of recovery impacts not just how cranky we feel about the situation, but can ultimately influence physical recovery too. Clinical and Performance Psychologist Dr Kate Baecher examines why it’s so important to look after your mental health while your body heals from injury.

Two tales • Climbing safety is everyone’s responsibility, and it’s something our editorial team are incredibly passionate about. Our Tale of Whoa column is our continued commitment to creating a culture of safety within our community. This edition we welcome guest contributor Natimuk climber Keith “Nod” Lockwood, who recounts some key moments from his five decades of climbing—an early rescue on Tiger Wall, Arapiles, and a near miss on Balls Pyramid.

GALLERY

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