ROCK CLIMBING (Magazine) 006

A magazine featuring a collection of serialized 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 at the gym, or someone planning to try outdoor climbing for the first time—this is a literary climbing magazine we hope everyone who enjoys climbing will read.

[Contents]

・Stories of Rocks, Part 6: The Tree-Planting Festival and “The High Throne” / Tokio Muroi

・Mizugaki Pioneering Chronicles 5: The Second Pioneering Expedition on Kasameri Valley—“Team Tawashi” / Naoya Naito

・Free Climbing in the Pre-Christian Era (6) / Toshiyuki Kikuchi

・Interview with Ben Moon

・Sakuma’s Tower, “All Along the Watchtower” / Satoru Hagiwara

・Yuka Kobayashi: Free Climber #5 / Yuka Kobayashi

・Pakistan: Charaksa Glacier, East Face of Beatrice—Part 2 / Yusuke Sato

・Shantaram / Niccolo Ceria

・Rethinking Access Issues / Yujiro Goda

・NP / Wataru Nakajima

・Catharsis / Kensuke Hamada

・Jade / Daisuke Ichinomiya

・A Beginner’s Account of Ascending the Itoigawa and Fudo Rivers / Toru Nakajima

・Walking the Trail on Mt. Ryutai / Ippei Tajima

・A Former Salaried Worker’s Climbing Diary / Jun Shibanuma

・The Great Inquisition, 5th Grade—The Journey to Completion— / Toshiaki Takeuchi

▼Excerpt from

ROCK CLIMBING The primary reason for
launching this magazine was to celebrate the “diverse range of climbing culture.” Even when facing the same rock face, every climber has different goals and values. However, the prevailing trend seems to be moving in the opposite direction—toward narrowing everything down to a single standard—and climbing media around the world are driven by a results-oriented, numbers-first approach.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?

For this magazine, the editorial team has carefully selected climbers to contribute serialized articles. Our contributors consist primarily of active top climbers excelling in various disciplines, but we also feature writers, corporate employees, lawyers, and others who approach rock climbing from diverse perspectives.These articles will primarily serve as a platform for sharing achievements as measured by each author’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 disseminate and preserve this diverse array of climbing dreams for future generations and contribute to raising awareness in the wider society 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