How to optimize your recovery before your next climbing session. If you are one who is training a ton this winter as well as trying to ski or enjoy winter sports on the weekends, you probably aren’t giving enough attention to your recovery. The more efficient you recover, the sooner you are ready for the next hard workout, as well as avoiding plateaus and burn out. As an active person, if you don’t recover adequately, you will more...

It’s a great time to reflect on last year and see where we can improve. Often, most people will make goals or resolutions. The thing is, we often overlook how we will achieve these goals. I think in general, we all want to be a better version of ourselves, a healthier, fitter and wiser self. In saying that, I wanted to share a fantastic concept with you that I learned from reading about the British cycling coach who took his team to win the...

The Vertical Word Seattle features three main climbing rooms: the lead room with a 55ft peak, top-rope corridor with a variety of pitches, and a bouldering room complete with a top-out boulder.

By Mercedes Pollmeier Recently, climbers have been coming to me with aches and pains from recently starting up climbing again. And most of them have gone from doing nothing to doing too much all at once. One of the more common injuries that seems to be popping up recently is impingement and bursitis of the shoulder. This injury occurs from lots of overhead activity, poor pulling technique, and weakness in the back muscles. Pain is...

So there has been a story floating around for the past eighteen years about a weird party that was held at the Vertical Club.  Back in 1988 we would rent out the gym to groups that wanted to hold private after-hours parties. In those days we needed the cash and as long as the place was cleaned up for the next morning, what the heck ­ well, sort of.  I got a reservation one day and a deposit for a Saturday evening after-hours social party....