Climbing · Worth knowing

The UIAA and World Ice Climbing have released the provisional 2026-2027 ice climbing calendar, featuring the biennial World Championships in Champagny-en-Vanoise, France on January 29-31, 2027. The season includes four World Cups across three continents with new venues in Canada—Calgary hosting its first UIAA ice climbing event on February 19-21 and Edmonton closing the season on February 25-27. The South Korean venue Cheongsong opens the World Cup season on January 15-17, followed by Saas-Fee in Switzerland on January 21-23. The World Youth Championships will take place in Edmonton on February 25-28, with three Continental Cup events in Slovakia, Czechia, and the Netherlands scheduled for late November and December to prepare athletes for world-level competition.

The Osprey Mutant 52 is a climbing-focused backpack tailored from their backpacking expertise, tested on an Alaska Range expedition for alpine use. Hyperlite Mountain Gear's Halka 55L continues their reputation as ultralight leaders in high-altitude mountaineering, developed with seasoned climbers. La Sportiva's approach and climbing shoe lineup—including the TX series, Trango Tech GTX, and performance models like the Solution and Miura VS—receives detailed testing across various terrain and missions. Scarpa's Crux approach shoe and Instinct VS climbing shoe are field-tested options for different climbing disciplines. Black Diamond's Momentum climbing shoe and Alpine Light Pants round out reviewed technical climbing gear evaluated for durability and performance.