3

You’re already a climber and you already know what grade you can climb from the bottom to top without falling off. There’s a number of variables that come in to play, such as climbs that are the same grade but ones a face and ones an offwidth, but you have a good idea of your maximum. If you’re a grade chaser, and let’s be serious most of us keep it in mind, then breaking through to the next can be frustrating.

Getting shut down time and time again when trying to punch through to the next limit can be frustrating. But there are ways to claw your way up that seemingly impossible climb in time to start over and try for the next one, all by summer. Here are five tips to raising the bar and climbing that next milestone.

The Training The triad of climbing training is power, endurance and power endurance. Endurance has to do with how long you can hold on before falling. Power is about the strength you need to pull off challenging and dynamic moves. Power endurance is about how many moves you can make at your limit with easier climbing in between. The best climbers are good at all three. For endurance days, boulder for 20 minutes straight or do autobelay laps until you’re too pumped. For power, focus on climbs and boulders at your limit. If you’re limit is 5.11 (cruxes are often V3) then train on V4 and V5. For power endurance, focus on climbing pyramids (see chart).