Planning a Trip to Font? Don’t Miss These 6 Tips

I was recently lucky enough to make my first voyage to one of the top climbing destinations in the world: Fontainebleau—or Font. For most of my climbing career, I’d heard stories about the beautiful sandstone boulders and the flat, sandy landings. I knew I had to experience it for myself one day.

But planning a climbing trip to a foreign country can feel overwhelming and even a little scary, especially if it’s your first time. To help make your experience smoother and more enjoyable, here are some tips I picked up along the way.

Favia Dubykfavia dubykJuly 16, 2025climbing, Font, France, boulderingComment

5 Tips for Surviving Your First Solo Bouldering Trip

A major benefit of being a boulderer is that you have the freedom to do it anytime you want. But it can be intimidating to be out in nature alone and it’s inherently risker than climbing with others. I have five tips to make it safer, so you can keep on sending!

Favia DubykFavia DubykNovember 10, 2024solo, climbing, crash padComment

Intro to Climbing Holds!

When you start your climbing journey, there is an overwhelming amount of information to learn! You have to learn safety, new lingo, new muscle use, new movement and more. One of the critical pieces of being a successful climber is understanding the hold types. Knowing the names and how to use different types of hold will help you read the climb before you hop on it and will help you communicate to other climbers. In this post, I go over the basic hold types.

Favia DubykFavia DubykJuly 10, 2023climbing, Climing holds, climbing training, Rock climbing, ClimbingComment

Building a Climbing Community With Color the Wasatch

Color the Wasatch is an affinity group that works to remove financial and social barriers for climbers of color in the Salt Lake City area.

David Robles, Caroline HsuDavid Robles and Caroline HsuSeptember 4, 2022climbing, bouldering, BIPOC, Salt Lake City, Utah, liberation, Color the WasatchComment

Dear Outdoor Industry: Stop Exploiting People of Color for Unpaid Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Work

If we as BIPOC were taken seriously, Gearmunk employees, like myself, wouldn’t have to fight tooth and nail for the thousands of dollars that we are owed. Gearmunk also owes members of the DEI Committee a total of $3,000.

16 Black Women & Non-Binary Rock Climbers to Follow on Instagram

Want to diversify your Instagram feed? We can help! Check out our list of 16 Black Women & Non-Binary Climbers to Follow on Instagram!

Help Save the Only Queer Black Woman Owned Rock Climbing Gym in the U.S.

Abby Dione became the first Black woman in the United States to own an indoor rock climbing gym when she purchased Coral Cliffs in 2011. Here’s why that matters.

African American Climber Zenobia Sims Wants You to Face Your Fears in the Outdoors

She described herself as feeling much more self-aware and much more nervous on her second BASE jump. But then she thought about how she had almost died while driving to work one day in Arizona—a rollover accident that left her with eight pins and a plate in her leg—and she decided to take the leap

Danielle WilliamsDanielle WilliamsFebruary 9, 2020Fear, Climbing, climbing, WOC Climbers, African American, Military, BASE jumping, Moab, moab utan, Profile, Instagram, BlackComment

#VanLife - Climber Clara Soh Is Living Life in 72 Sq Ft

Summer may be over, but #VanLife definitely is not. To learn more about how you can diversify your feed, follow along with our #VanLife series. Our first feature is climber Clara Soh, who survived two accidents and 22 reconstructive surgeries before downsizing into 72 sq ft.

Exercises to Keep Your Arms Healthy!

I was so excited to be on the verge of completing my first v4 when I noticed a sudden pain in my right shoulder. There was no way that I was going to drop down so close to finishing, so I ignored the pain and made it to the top. My friends and I were ecstatic, but I quickly discovered that I was unable to raise my right arm!

Favia DubykFavia DubykSeptember 8, 2019climbing, shoulder exercises, shoulder rehab, IYT, external rotation, healthComment

A Black Introvert's Guide to Conflict and Alpine Climbing

In 2019, African-American mountaineer Rebecca Ross flew halfway across the world to meet her climbing partner for the first time. Together they planned to climb two 16,000ft peaks high in the Georgian Caucuses. Needless to say, things did not go as planned.

Rebecca RossRebecca RossSeptember 1, 2019WOC Climbers, Climbing, climbing, Black Women Climbers, Mountaineering, adventure, WinterComment

Meet the First Black Woman to Be Featured on the Cover of a Climbing Guide

Sabrina has the distinction of being the first woman to be featured on the cover of a Canadian climbing guide, the first woman to complete a 5.13d grade ascent in Ontario and possibly the first black woman ever to land the cover of a climbing guidebook according to Ontario Rock Climbing.

Danielle WilliamsDanielle WilliamsAugust 26, 2019Climbing, climbing, climbers, Black Climbers, Ontario, Immigrants, Immigrant, Sabrina ChapmanComment

Black Canadian Climber Sabrina Chapman on Why Womxn of Color Should Take Up Space in the Outdoors

Sabrina Chapman is a black Canadian climber on a mission to send her first 5.14a, and yet, she didn’t even start climbing until she was 26-years-old! Her story is proof that you can start late, take a non traditional path and still pursue your passion. Help us bring Sabrina’s story to the big screen!

Brown Coaches, Brown Athletes

Coaching representation means not only physical safety but spiritual and emotional safety, too—it’s impossible to overstate how important this is for the next generation of outdoor athletes and enthusiasts.

Michael A. Estradamichael a. estradaFebruary 11, 2019climbing, coaches, Color the Crag, Black womenComment

Eric Catig & The High Sierra Trail

We interviewed Los Angeles based mountaineer, Eric Catig, who recently hiked the High Sierra Trail along with four friends.

Growing Up Black and Outdoorsy

He credits his Black parents and grandparents who “set the tone for us as advocates of outdoor exploration, stewardship, and "atypical" activities such as skiing, ice hockey and hang gliding.”

Danielle WilliamsDanielle WilliamsAugust 28, 2018african american, climbing, skiing, family, stem, race, being the only one, Being the only oneComment

Eight Amazing Asian & Pacific Islander Women Climbers on Instagram

We interviewed eight amazing Asian & Pacific Islander women who are changing the climbing scene through advocacy, representation and redefining what it means to #climblikeagirl.

Don Nguyen & Climbers of Color Are Closing the Mountaineering Gap

Nguyen is frank about his observations of the guiding industry. It looks like “rich old white dudes in charge of a younger set of rich white dudes in charge of a poor set of white dudes.” His goal is to change that.

Meet Melise: A Seattle Based Scientist and Climber

Meet Melise: a climber and neuroscientist based out of Seattle, Washington.

MELANIN BASE CAMP

TRIP REPORTS