Climbing without a rope (free-soloing) is not dangerous! 99.99% of all climbers who free solo know what they are doing. Most of them have climbed their free solo route x-times before they even consider a rope less ascent. They pick their route difficulty much below of what their limit is. Free solo climbers want to know what they get into. They want to have a 100% control over what they are doing – there is absolutely no room for error and they know that!As a free solo climber you should be aware of two things:1. What is my physical limit and technical skill?2. What is my psyche? How do I deal with the fact that there is no room for error?#1 is all about what your body can do. Are you flexible? Do you know how to move your body? Do you have the strength to hold a certain hand hold?#2 is a much more complex area because it addresses your psyche directly. Are you comfortable with heights? Can you stay calm and not become hectic when you encounter a difficult section of the climb? Can you maintain your breathing at a constant pace? Are you scared? Do you picture consequences often – what if…? Knowing what your body can do is the best precondition for building your mental strength. After that it is all about your mental conditioning. This touches upon your every day life personality… How many risks are you willing to take? Do you have goals in life? Are you concerned with failing? How hard do you try to achieve your goals and the list goes on… It is inevitable to mention that mastering both skills (physical+mental) make up a good free solo climber – knowing your skill and being confident about it makes you forget about all the what if's?A strong climber may never attempt a free solo climb due to mental limits. A weaker climber with a strong mind may consider a free solo climb more likelier than the above.Please give me se input about free solo climbing as there are certainly more aspects to it than what I mentioned above.Know yourself and know what your limits are… And don't forget to push them once in a while (does not have to be a free-solo ;) Stay safe!

Climbing without a rope (free-soloing) is not dangerous! 99.99% of all climbers who free solo know what they are doing. Most of them have climbed their free solo route x-times before they even consider a rope less ascent. They pick their route difficulty much below of what their limit is. Free solo climbers want to know what they get into. They want to have a 100% control over what they are doing - there is absolutely no room for error and they know that!As a free solo climber you should be aware of two things:1. What is my physical limit and technical skill?2. What is my psyche? How do I deal with the fact that there is no room for error?#1 is all about what your body can do. Are you flexible? Do you know how to move your body? Do you have the strength to hold a certain hand hold?#2 is a much more complex area because it addresses your psyche directly. Are you comfortable with heights? Can you stay calm and not become hectic when you encounter a difficult section of the climb? Can you maintain your breathing at a constant pace? Are you scared? Do you picture consequences often - what if...? Knowing what your body can do is the best precondition for building your mental strength. After that it is all about your mental conditioning. This touches upon your every day life personality... How many risks are you willing to take? Do you have goals in life? Are you concerned with failing? How hard do you try to achieve your goals and the list goes on... It is inevitable to mention that mastering both skills (physical+mental) make up a good free solo climber - knowing your skill and being confident about it makes you forget about all the what if's?A strong climber may never attempt a free solo climb due to mental limits. A weaker climber with a strong mind may consider a free solo climb more likelier than the above.Please give me se input about free solo climbing as there are certainly more aspects to it than what I mentioned above.Know yourself and know what your limits are... And don't forget to push them once in a while (does not have to be a free-solo ;) Stay safe!

Last move to the top! While others are relaxing, Jamie is going for it! Joshua Tree are always guaranteed good times. Wether you are climbing or just lean back and enjoy magic landscapes… Climbing season starts mid October and runs through May. The winter destination number one for US climbing. While most other areas are shut down by snow,rain and freezing temps "JTree" is mostly just fine! Only few days are windy, cold or even snowy. Find out yourself and visit this beautiful place on earth. PC @shepherdimages always rock'n it @jaimiegunn chillin on the ground @calistyla and @erica___claire

Last move to the top! While others are relaxing, Jamie is going for it! Joshua Tree are always guaranteed good times. Wether you are climbing or just lean back and enjoy magic landscapes... Climbing season starts mid October and runs through May. The winter destination number one for US climbing. While most other areas are shut down by snow,rain and freezing temps "JTree" is mostly just fine! Only few days are windy, cold or even snowy. Find out yourself and visit this beautiful place on earth. PC @shepherdimages  always rock'n it @jaimiegunn  chillin on the ground @calistyla and @erica___claire

Rappelling is a very essential part of rock climbing! When there is no "walk off" the climber has to descent the rock formation via rappelling. Most established climbing areas have fixed rappel anchors on top of the rock. Rappel anchors consist of at least 2 bolts with each bolt having a metal ring threaded through (rappel ring). Those rings have a round and smooth surface and are used for the rope to be pulled through before rappelling. Once the climber is on the ground the rope can be pulled off the rings Rappels need to be backed up every time! In this picture Iwan @calistyla is backed up through a "fireman's belay" which is a person on the ground holding the rope in order to stop Iwan from involuntarily descending! Stay safe! And have fun on the rocks PC: @shepherdimages thanks for sharing these wonderful moments out in Joshua Tree

Rappelling is a very essential part of rock climbing! When there is no "walk off" the climber has to descent the rock formation via rappelling. Most established climbing areas have fixed rappel anchors on top of the rock. Rappel anchors consist of at least 2 bolts with each bolt having a metal ring threaded through (rappel ring). Those rings have a round and smooth surface and are used for the rope to be pulled through before rappelling. Once the climber is on the ground the rope can be pulled off the rings Rappels need to be backed up every time! In this picture Iwan @calistyla is backed up through a "fireman's belay" which is a person on the ground holding the rope in order to stop Iwan from involuntarily descending! Stay safe! And have fun on the rocks PC: @shepherdimages thanks for sharing these wonderful moments out in Joshua Tree

Mt. Woodson, San Diego. Thousands of high quality granite boulders that are sprinkled over the hillside of the mountain near Ramona. Woodson is quite a special climbing area since many of the boulders are too high for just a crash pad but too short for a legit lead climb. That is why this area is often described as a "world class" top roping area ;) with many of the boulders featuring bolted TR anchors. Climbing styles are typical for California desert granite with many excellent crack and slab climbs and a few face climbing lines. Many classics routes are home to Woodson just as the one in the picture – "Rockwork Orange" (5.10b) is the definition of a perfect dihedral – 30feet/10meters of a perfect corner featuring a parallel sided (splitter) crack between the left and right side. Mostly climbed with ropes due to length and bad landing. @shepherdimages thanks for capturing this one. See you guys out there! Fabi

Mt. Woodson, San Diego. Thousands of high quality granite boulders that are sprinkled over the hillside of the mountain near Ramona. Woodson is quite a special climbing area since many of the boulders are too high for just a crash pad but too short for a legit lead climb. That is why this area is often described as a "world class" top roping area ;) with many of the boulders featuring bolted TR anchors. Climbing styles are typical for California desert granite with many excellent crack and slab climbs and a few face climbing lines. Many classics routes are home to Woodson just as the one in the picture - "Rockwork Orange" (5.10b) is the definition of a perfect dihedral - 30feet/10meters of a perfect corner featuring a parallel sided (splitter) crack between the left and right side. Mostly climbed with ropes due to length and bad landing. @shepherdimages thanks for capturing this one. See you guys out there! Fabi

Zion National Park! World class climbing on sandstone with big wall style climbs. This is here is André just about to get ready for the short and incredibly amazing traverse pitch on "Moonlight Buttress" (5.12d) – this is Zion's most famous long route following a continuous wide finger crack pitch after pitch. Most parties skip this traverse pitch and aid climb via a bolt ladder straight up from the belay stance. 12 pitches of hard and sustained climbing including views and exposure that is unbelievable!

Zion National Park! World class climbing on sandstone with big wall style climbs. This is here is André just about to get ready for the short and incredibly amazing traverse pitch on "Moonlight Buttress" (5.12d) - this is Zion's most famous long route following a continuous wide finger crack pitch after pitch. Most parties skip this traverse pitch and aid climb via a bolt ladder straight up from the belay stance. 12 pitches of hard and sustained climbing including views and exposure that is unbelievable!

This is the time San Diego! One of the finest "winter" climbing destinations! Where many other areas are shut down by rain, snow and freezing temperatures at this moment, SoCal presents itself from its best side. Here Thomas in action following up "grip tape ramp" (5.12a) – another beautiful climb way up on El Cajon Mt. in San Diego. Great exposure, awesome steep approach hike, gets your pump going, flying with birds. @sqmot @grottoclimbing #sandiegooutdoor #sandiegorockclimbing #sandiego #rockclimbing #rockclimbingschool #elcajonmountain #griptaperamp

This is the time San Diego! One of the finest "winter" climbing destinations! Where many other areas are shut down by rain, snow and freezing temperatures at this moment, SoCal presents itself from its best side. Here Thomas in action following up "grip tape ramp" (5.12a) - another beautiful climb way up on El Cajon Mt. in San Diego. Great exposure, awesome steep approach hike, gets your pump going, flying with birds. @sqmot @grottoclimbing #sandiegooutdoor #sandiegorockclimbing #sandiego #rockclimbing #rockclimbingschool #elcajonmountain #griptaperamp