Janja. Emily. Sharma.

Later this month, Alex will set out to climb the Taipei 101 skyscraper, but he certainly won’t be the first. For the last three decades, Alain Robert has been the living legend of the underground scene of climbing buildings. Arrested more than 170 times, his passion for buildings stemmed out of his passion for cutting edge free soloing.

Image: Alain Robert Collection

In 2001, Chris Sharma ushered in 5.15a when he completed Biographie after pouring years into the long standing project. Its position, aesthetic, history and heartbreaking sequences that have spit off the best climbers cemented the route into climbing’s memory. Today, we dive into Biographie with Chris, cinematographer Brett Lowell, Margo Hayes and Jonathan Siegrist to understand what makes the route so special. 

Image: Brett Lowell

As climbers, are we powerless in the face of what’s happening to our public lands? We sat down with retired Senator Mark Udall and Heather Thorne, Executive Director of Access Fund, to talk about what we can do to help the future of American climbing and our public lands. 

Image: Mark Udall collection

Alex has climbed all over the world, but he’s never visited some of our country’s best climbing areas. Today, three devoted southern climbers – Andrew Kornylak, Karen Lane and Colette McInerney – lay out the case for why the Southeast should be on his tick list.

Image: Andrew Kornylak