ROCK CLIMBING (Magazine) 009

A compilation magazine featuring a series of articles by people who’ve been “7-ed” on the rock—a must-read for every climber. Whether you’re just starting out, a seasoned pro with over 20 years of experience, someone who’s only ever climbed at a gym, or someone planning to head out to the crags for the first time—this is a climbing literary magazine we want everyone who enjoys climbing to read.

[Contents]

・The Mizukake Pioneering Chronicles: A Stagnation Period Once Again—Omen-iwa / Naoya Naito

・Yuka Kobayashi = Free Climber: Him, Her, and Me / Yuka Kobayashi

・Free Climbing in the Pre-Christian Era, Part 9 / Toshiyuki Kikuchi

・Reflections on the Completion of “Genetics” / Wataru Nakajima

・Interview with Nalle Fukkaitibar: The Man Who Knows the World’s Toughest Route

・Nalle’s Beat Selection

・Hard Trad & Multi Commentary: Mizukake Mountain’s Crown Rock, Ashoka’s Tree / Satoru Hagiwara

・On the Issue of Bolt Replacement / Yujiro Goda

・One of the World’s Most Treacherous Gorges: Taiwan’s Qiakan Creek, Part 6 / Ryoji Onishi

・SO WHAT I GET HIGH / Daisuke Ichinomiya

・Like a Sliver of the Moon / Ippei Tajima

▼Excerpt from
ROCK CLIMBING The primary reason for
launching this magazine was to celebrate the “diverse spectrum of climbing culture.” Even when faced with the same rock face, every climber has different goals and values. However, the prevailing trend seems to be moving in the opposite direction—toward homogenization—and climbing media around the world are driven by a results-oriented, numbers-first mentality.In the discussions about climbing culture I once heard from my seniors—like a father’s nagging around a campfire—there were various standards, values, and perspectives. As a novice climber present at those gatherings, I learned about different worlds through words and photographs; I felt a sense of excitement, became deeply immersed in the allure of rock climbing, and it became my way of life.Wouldn’t it be a tragedy if the culture of rock climbing were to become indistinguishable from other sports driven by a ranking system?

In this magazine, the editorial team has carefully selected climbers to contribute serialized articles. While the contributors are primarily active top climbers excelling in various disciplines of rock climbing, we have also invited individuals from diverse backgrounds—including writers, office workers, and lawyers—who engage in rock climbing from their respective perspectives.These columns will primarily serve as a platform for sharing achievements measured by each writer’s own standards, past experiences, cultural reflections, and insights that may benefit the future of the climbing community—among other topics. We hope this magazine will help spread the word about such diverse climbing dreams, make them known, preserve them for future generations, and further contribute to raising public awareness of the climber’s way of life.To all our top climbers contributing to the serialized columns and to our readers, we look forward to your continued support for many years to come.

Toshiaki
Takeuchi, Editor-in-Chief, ROCKCLIMBING Magazine