ROCK CLIMBING (Magazine) 004

A compilation magazine featuring a series of articles by people captivated by 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 in a gym, or someone planning to try outdoor climbing for the first time—this is a literary climbing magazine we want everyone who enjoys climbing to read.

[Contents]

・Stories About Rocks, Part 4: A Collection of Boulder Illustrations and “Winter Day” / Tokio Muroi

・Yuka Kobayashi = Free Climber #3 / Yuka Kobayashi

・Free Climbing in the Pre-Christian Era (4) / Toshiyuki Kikuchi

・Interview with Dave Graham

・Ogawayama: The Rolling Daikon / Imafumi Hashimoto

・Zion National Park: The Great Sandstone Cliffs / Yusuke Sato

・After Dreaming / Toru Nakajima

・Rocklands: The Escapist / Ryuichi Murai

・Will You Keep Wearing Climbing Shoes Anyway? / Yujiro Goda

・Stingray and the White-Haired Demon (Part 2) / Wataru Nakajima

・The Path to Myself / Sachi Anma

・Toward the Autumn Harvest / Ippei Tajima

・Mt. Mizugaki: Daidarabotchi “Sky Rocket” / Satoru Hagiwara

・When the Stag Calls, the Rain Will Come / Kensuke Hamada

・A Former Salaryman’s Climbing Diary / Jun Shibanuma

・Kyoto, Kasagi: Respect (Thumb-kun’s SD) / Yuta Handa

・Kuzan / Toshiaki Takeuchi

▼Excerpt from

ROCK CLIMBING The primary reason for
launching this magazine was to celebrate the “diverse nature of climbing culture.” Even when facing the same rock face, every climber has different goals and values. However, the prevailing trend seems to want to narrow this down to a single standard, and climbing media around the world are driven by a results-oriented mindset.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 was thrilled, 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?

This magazine features serialized articles written by climbers carefully selected by the editorial staff. While the contributors are primarily active top climbers excelling in various disciplines, we also invite people from diverse backgrounds—including writers, office workers, and lawyers—who climb from their respective perspectives.These articles will primarily serve as a platform for sharing achievements as measured by each author’s own standards, reflecting on past experiences, offering cultural insights, and discussing ideas that might benefit the future of the climbing world, among other topics. We hope this magazine will help disseminate and preserve the diverse dreams of rock climbing, allowing future generations to learn about them, and further contribute to raising awareness in society at large about 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