As the year draws to a close, we look back on an eventful year full of climbing fun, exciting articles, inspiring personalities and top-class sport. We look back on the year using the most popular posts on the Climbers Paradise blog:
1. games for climbers big and small
Who doesn't like to play? One of the most popular posts on the Climbers Paradise blog shows us that climbers particularly enjoy playing games: "Climbing games for young and old". In it, we show you how you can warm up in a playful way or train your climbing skills with games. So head to the climbing gym and have fun playing!
Blind climbing as a climbing game
2. the Paraclimbing charity campaign "Anyone can climb"
Under the motto "Anyone can climb", we showed videos about climbers who master very special challenges and impressively demonstrate that climbing is also possible with a handicap. In the run-up to the World Championships, a Black Diamand Crash Pad Couch traveled through Tyrol and made stops at a wide variety of climbers. The aim of the campaign was to raise awareness of paraclimbing and generate donations for the Paraclimbing Team Austria. At the end of the tour, the couch arrived at the World Climbing Championships in Innsbruck. There, all the World Championship stars signed the couch and then it was raffled off among all donors.
You can find more information about the campaign at www.paraclimbing.com.
One of the most popular contributions to the video series "Anyone can climb" is the contribution from the Wilder Kaiser region with Hannes Mayer:
3rd via ferrata for experts and beginners
Climbing on via ferratas - whether for beginners or experts - this year on Climbers Paradise we have presented some of the via ferratas in Tyrol, for example "5 worthwhile via ferratas for beginners", "10 spectacular via ferratas, part 1" and the corresponding "part 2" as well as "6 via ferratas for the start of the season" for those who can hardly wait to get on the mountain.
Innsbruck via ferrata, photo: Innsbruck Tourismus
4. climbing stars in person
One of the highlights of 2018 was of course the World Climbing Championships in Innsbruck, which took place in September. Of course, we couldn't resist the opportunity to talk to a climbing star like Janja Garnbret after her competition. The result can be read in the article "Interview with runner-up Janja Garnbret". But Janja is not the only climbing star we have spoken to this year. One of the most popular articles is also the interview with Barbara Zangerl, in which she talks openly about fear and motivation: "Without fear, it wouldn't be so cool to climb a route".
Barbara Zangerl, photo: François Lebeau
5. climbing with the family
Climbing as family fun? In 2018, we showed you exactly which climbing gardens are ideal for climbing with children and which also offer enough challenges for adults. So everyone gets their money's worth. Read, for example, in the articles "Family-friendly climbing gardens, part 1" and in the corresponding "Part 2" and in the article "Popular areas for climbing with children".
Children's route in the Ötz climbing garden, photo: Matthias Bader
6. recipe tips for healthy eating
For performance-oriented climbers in particular, the question arises as to the best way to eat when climbing. Particularly popular on the Climbers Paradise blog: recipes for energy and protein bars. Brand new on this topic is our post with two recipes for delicious energy bars.
Homemade protein bars
7. tips for climbing
What needs to be considered when a climber who was previously used to the comfort of the gym suddenly finds himself outside on the rock? What to do with equipment such as crampons, slings, double ropes, etc. ....? You can find out how to make the transition from sport climbing to alpine climbing in the article "Tips for aspiring alpine climbers", which was very popular this year. Perhaps even more climbers will be out and about on the rocks in the Alps in the future.
Granite intersection
8. multi-pitch climbing at its best
For those who have been climbing on the rocks for some time and who like to climb more than just one pitch, we have put together "The popular multi-pitch areas in Climbers Paradise": Five areas, some with up to 14 routes, invite you to enjoy a long climbing session in summer.
Climbing on the Vordere Karlspitze near the Wilder Kaiser, photo: Roland Schonner
9. news about bouldering
It must have been like Christmas for enthusiastic boulderers at Climbers Paradise. Because one of the bouldering highlights of 2018 brought them a new area: in Hoch-Imst at 1,400 meters, the Steinblock crew created bouldering blocks of the finest quality. And after bouldering, you can take the local summer toboggan run back down to the valley. You can find out more about the new bouldering area in Simon Schöpf's article: "Bouldering with a view in Hoch-Imst".
Good rock for bouldering in Hoch-Imst, photo: Simon Schöpf
10th Great Lines: the crème de la crème in Climbers Paradise
When Barbara Bacher, Kilian Fischhuber, Michaela Harnisch, Michael Meisl, Markus Schwaiger and Barbara Zangerl sit around a table and chat about the best climbing routes, they come up with a hit list of 5 climbing routes - the Great Lines in Climbers Paradise. One of the Great Lines is the Puls 2000 route on the Great Wall of China. You can find out more about the route and our experts' assessment in the article "Great Lines in Climbers Paradise, Part 1".
The Puls 2000 route on the Great Wall of China, photo: Tirol Werbung, Johannes Mair
That's it for the articles in 2018! We had a lot of fun!
We are already looking forward to great climbing highlights, inspiring personalities, practical tips & tricks, challenging spots and lots of climbing fun in 2019!
With this in mind, we wish you a great end to the year and all the best for 2019!
