Vertical Life

Vertical Life is a climbing magazine in Australasia, available in both digital and print options. Here at Vertical Life we love climbing, be it beanied bouldering, clip-up sportclimbing, old-school daddy-tradding, big-wall suffering, alpine extremism, spandex-clad competition climbing, desperate-times-call-for-desperate-measures buildering, the lot – if it involves monkey business we will cover it.

Vertical Life • WINTER 2026

QLD YOU WON THE BATTLE!

Rock NEWS

IAN SMITH Collection • INSIDE THE WORLD OF IAN SMITH, A PHOTOGRAPHER AND EDITOR WHOSE INFLUENCE RUNS DEEP THROUGH THE UK CLIMBING COMMUNITY.

Trust YOURSELF • LUCY STIRLING IS ONE OF AUSTRALIA’S MOST ACCOMPLISHED COMPETITION CLIMBERS, WITH 20 YEARS OF EXPERIENCE ON THE INTERNATIONAL STAGE, NOW BRINGING THAT DEPTH TO THE ROCK. IN HER DEBUT COLUMN, A COMMITTING MOMENT ABOVE A WILD OCEAN UNRAVELS INTO A REFLECTION ON FEAR, IDENTITY, AND THE QUIET DISCIPLINE OF TRUSTING YOURSELF WHEN IT MATTERS MOST.

GUIDEBOOKS AREN’T THE PROBLEM THEY’RE PART OF THE SOLUTION • GUIDEBOOKS AND THEIR EXPOSURE HAVE BEEN UNDER THE SPOTLIGHT IN RECENT VERTICAL LIFE ONLINE ARTICLES. SIMON CARTER JOINS THE DEBATE FROM A PUBLISHER’S PERSPECTIVE.

Secret CAVE BOULDER • There’s an almighty secret on South Australia’s picturesque Fleurieu Peninsula. And, if you head to the northern end of Carrickalinga Beach, bypass the never-ending stream of influencers and brave the undulating seaside goat track, you might just find it.

WHERE THE BLOODY HELL ARE YA, VL? • Ben Cossey said it best when referring to climbing in the sunshine state, “Palm trees, pineapples, pina coladas & kneebars… life cannot possibly be better!”. So it begs the question - “Where the bloody hell are ya (VL)?”

CRYSTAL VISION THE 2ND ASCENT OF SHIFTING SANDS • TWENTY-SIX YEARS AFTER MALCOLM MATHESON’S VISIONARY FIRST ASCENT, SHIFTING SANDS (28) REMAINED UNTOUCHED—UNTIL CONOR WHITE STEPPED ONTO THE CRYSTALS TO DECODE ONE OF AUSTRALIA’S MOST ELUSIVE SLAB TESTPIECES.

CHOCOLATE CRACKLE AND THE MISCHIEVOUS GNOMES • A sandbag is a climb that feels harder than its allocated grade. It could be that the moves don’t suit our style, a common experience for short climbers encountering reachy moves. Maybe it’s short and punchy, while we prefer long, balancy endurance climbs. Sometimes it’s because the first ascensionist climbs much harder and lacks a feel for grading easier routes. Or perhaps the allocated grade is just a bit of a cruel joke. In this new column, Tommy Hutchinson unpacks the grey area between numbers, movement, and what it really means when a climb doesn’t feel as advertised.

DANCING WITH Death • Climbing without a rope is a conversation almost nobody wants to have. The reaction is understandable: when roped protection disappears, consequence becomes absolute. Yet silence does not prevent the practice, and avoidance does not protect anyone.

BIG WALL Dreaming

ABOVE THE DEATH ZONE • FOUR RECORD-BREAKING CLIMBERS FROM COUNTRIES WITHOUT HIGH MOUNTAINS SHARE THEIR JOURNEYS TO THE WORLD’S HIGHEST PEAKS. THROUGH CHALLENGE, RISK AND RELENTLESS PURSUIT, THEY REVEAL WHAT IT TAKES TO MOVE, AND EVOLVE, ABOVE 8000 METRES.

ANTARCTIC ADVENTURES • FIRST ASCENTS IN AN ICY WILDERNESS

FREE BLACK DIAMOND CHALK BAG, CHALK AND CARABINER • WHEN YOU SUBSCRIBE TO VERTICAL LIFE

SNAKE IN THE GYM • VL’s editor Claire Williams ducked into Buffalo Boulders in Myrtleford chasing a fresh indoor story—and stumbled into something far stranger. What began as a tale about a snake in the gym quickly unravelled into the story of its new owner, Tia Wishart, whose life is punctuated by a series of uncanny (and very real) encounters with snakes.

UNLEASHED CLIMBING • VERTICAL LIFE TAKES A WALK WITH WILL WATKINS, FOUNDER OF...