Inthekoots: The Kootenay Network

We all know Kootenay Crag is burly. The climbing area is located very close to Nelson (a 10-minute bike ride along the old rail bed just east of the city towards Troupe Beach) but doesn’t see a lot of traffic because the easiest climb (worth doing) is a 5.10c. That’s one heck of a warm [...]

The updates for the West Kootenay Rock Guide are now available on-line. The free PDF download includes over 160 routes which have been put up in the West Kootenay region of south-central British Columbia in the past two years. The updates also include corrections to information that appeared in the West Kootenay Rock Guide and an appendix that [...]

Trish Wilson from yoga.inthekoots joins forces with Vince Hempsall from climbing.inthekoots for this instructional video on how to warm up and get your stretch on for this year’s rock climbing season.

I lived in St. John’s, Newfoundland, for about five years and, in my opinion, it’s one of the best-kept secrets in Canada. Very few people travel to the country’s eastern-most province, let alone live there; and when they do, many just complain about the weather. (Check out Alex Honnold’s whinge-fest about their climbing trip to Devil’s [...]

With the news that the Gravity Climbing Centre in Nelson will have to close on Feb. 25, 2012, a core group of local rock climbers have banded together and formed the Kootenay Climbing Association, a non-profit organization with the mandate of opening and operating a climbing gym in the West Kootenays. The Association is running a [...]

It was bound to happen eventually. The “Shit (insert group of people here) Say” craze has sucked in our beloved past-time. Andrew Tower, the editor in chief of Urban Climber magazine, has put together this little ditty of, well, shit we all say at the crag and in the gym. I’d like to see someone do a [...]

Speed climbing is stupid. It takes everything that is great about rock climbing (the graceful movements combined with strength, endurance and the occasional burst of power) and turns it into a drag race.

That said, damn do these guys climb fast!

Climbers are awesome!

But so are regular people.

Check out the video below to get your holiday stoke on:

A few years ago I had the pleasure of hanging out with Lynn Hill in Potrero Chico, Mexico. She walked into the communal space at Homero’s campground and immediately came over to our table and introduced herself and her young son Owen. My friend Gri-gri and I were a bit taken aback – the best [...]

Last September, while at the base of Mt. Gimli, I had the disturbing experience of being asked by a gentleman holding a rifle whether I’d mind if he “killed that mountain goat over there.” I had just spent the morning watching this beautiful, graceful animal jump around on the boulders in our campsite and now [...]

This is a letter that was recently sent out by the owners of the Gravity Indoor Climbing Gym in Nelson: “To All Of Our Valued Customers It is with great sadness that we here at Gravity Climbing Centre have to announce the closure of the Climbing Centre. This is very unexpected for us & is [...]

Don’t want to interrupt your skiing/shopping/biking/cleaning plans on voting day this Saturday? Then make your way to the Hume Hotel today between 8am and 8pm for advanced voting. The polling station is set up in the Lydia Room at the Hume, located at 422 Vernon Street. Vote Paula Kiss for Nelson City Council.

Don’t want to interrupt your skiing/shopping/biking/cleaning plans on voting day this Saturday? Then make your way to the Hume Hotel today between 8am and 8pm for advanced voting. The polling station is set up in the Lydia Room at the Hume, located at 422 Vernon Street. Vote Paula Kiss for Nelson City Council.

Thanks so much to the Seed Studio who hosted a fundraiser for Nelson city council candidates Paula Kiss an Candace Batycki on Nov. 10 2011. And thanks to Seed staff member Brian for creating such a beautiful movie that captures the evening perfectly. Come out and vote for Nelson city council! November 19th, 2011, registered voters [...]

Thanks so much to the Seed Studio who hosted a fundraiser for Nelson city council candidates Paula Kiss an Candace Batycki on Nov. 10 2011. And thanks to Seed staff member Brian for creating such a beautiful movie that captures the evening perfectly. Come out and vote for Nelson city council! November 19th, 2011, registered voters [...]

We here at climbing.inthekoots love to hate offwidths. And we’re not the only ones. However, there are a dedicated few who actually enjoy chicken-winging their way up heinous cracks that are larger than the average hand width but two narrow to stuff a body into. Tom Randall and Pete Whittaker are two such individuals. The UK [...]

Sure. This is just a commercial for Beal’s new Diablo 10.2 rope. And the “hang ten devil” logo is lame. But the falling sequences in this video are definitely worth the watch. And the rope’s characteristics (a smaller diameter rope with the handling and security of a classic one) have already earned it three international [...]

As we head into our final days of the climbing season, there is a nice new addition to the Nelson cragging scene that you should check out. Gotham City has 13 fun and varied routes that boast easy access in a tranquil setting.  The climbing is mainly steep and juggy – very gymnastic with grades from [...]

“Tomorrow I Will Be Gone” is Outcrop Films’ début feature-length film. Set in the sandstone paradise of Rocklands, South Africa, the film follows a selection of Britain’s finest boulderers on their trip, grappling with the best the boulders have to offer. No interviews, no nonsense, just climbing. Tomorrow I Will Be Gone from Outcrop Films on [...]