Climbing goals for 2026

What are your climbing goals for 2026, and how will you train for them?

As always, goal #1 is to not die. 

Besides that, personally I just want to climb more, prioritize volume and get a little stronger so I can send my project when I'm not 100% fresh, get out of the heat for the summer, and maybe see my gf get deeper into it and find some inspiration in her progress. 

Hi Fritz!

Last year, for the first time in about 20 years of climbing, I focused on rock climbing (instead of mountaineering, alpine, ice, dry tooling, mixed, etc.) In the spring, for about ten weeks, I climbed a minimum of 3 times per week, sport climbing on tricky limestone outside or climbing in a gym.  Although it shouldn't be surprising, I was genuinely suprised that grades which had once been at the impossible became normal and comfortable.  For me, that meant that I could finally onsight 6a somewhat regularly outside, not all 6as, but many. I know that's a very modest grade, but for me, at 53, it was really fulfilling to climb rock better than I ever had before. 

So, next spring, as the ice climbing season winds down, I'll do the same.  I'll start with some weeks of light hangboarding, which I did last year, and found really important to slowly get my tendons/arms/shoulders accustomed to the specific forces.  Then I'll introduce weighted pulls on a comfortable edge (for me that will be about 20-25 mm).  I don't know the name of the specific technique, but I will be pulling up on the weight (not hanging).  I've never done this before, so I'll go slow.  I hope the weighted pulls will allow me to develop some specific finger strength without injuring my elbows/arms/shoulders.  I find that's often the limiter for me--the ability to hold onto small edges.  And of course I'll climb at least 3 times per week.  

My goal is to become even more comfortable on 6a routes, maybe move into the 6bs, and take that comfort back to the mountains.  

Here in Switzerland/France/Italy there are so many nice routes in the mountains that become possible when you can climb 6a comfortably.  So the ultimate goal is always to go to the mountains, but I have to say, sport climbing and red pointing at local limestone crags is pretty addictive, especially when you can actually see progress!

I also found it interesting that the specific rock climbing strength and movement skills I built in the spring translated over to dry tooling and ice climbing. I feel stronger now at the beginning of this winter season that I have been in past season.  It doesn't really work the other way around!  Ice climbing and dry tooling strength doesn't transfer very well to rock climbing, at least in my experience. 

Open to all questions/suggestions.  I love training!

With another Minigote expected this summer, most of my goals will be indoors:

Goals:

- Send four V7 benchmarks on Mini Moonboard 2025 (currently have five V6's and no V7's). 

- Set one problem that gets benchmarked.

- One-arm 20mm (currently at -25lbs for 10sec)

- One-arm pullup (currently using skinny purple)

- Complete 40-pitch birthday challenge at the gym in December (finished, 35 and 35, DNF 37, DNS 38)

- Outdoor short-term projects depending on what trips I can schedule. 

Training:

My current weekly regimen is 

- 2x two-hour Mini Moonboard sessions

- 2x hangboard (max hangs or assisted one-arm)

- 3x twenty-minute stairstepper 

- 1x deadlifts or squats

- 1x bench

- 4x ten-minute yoga

This year is likely to be a weird one for me, as I’m planning on moving halfway across the country before the year is over.

I originally had an ambitious goal of sending a board V10 before I move, but I can’t seem to reliably climb on the boards or really train without pretty significantly flaring up the arthritis in my fingers, so that’s probably the lowest priority of my goals.

So, really, I just have 2 fairly nebulous goals.

1. First, I’d like to keep adding new lines to Wonderland (getting my 200th FA there would be my stretch goal) and getting things in a good state for people to keep enjoying once I leave. This involves making sure there’s at least cairn trails to all of the main areas. I’d also like to put together a “development map” kind of detailing the potential lines I don’t get to, in order to give a head start to whoever decides to take up the torch in the future.
2. I’d like to get established in/involved in the new community. Ideally I’d like to just meet folks, get a feel for the local climbing, and try and help with route cleanup, trail work, and rebolting. Get involved in a new LCO, etc. 
3. Stretch goal 3 - cobble together a V2 of the guidebook to release, likely for free to anybody who currently has a copy of the guidebook, that includes all of the new routes (up to 250ish from 188 when the guidebook released in March). Likely will drop all of the bouldering stuff since it’s basically all on MP. Really, just want to create a new bingo board

My biggest goal for the year is just to find out how and where I want to fit in the climbing community. I’ve definitely struggled with identity in the sport a bit, and get a grasp on the person I want to be. It’s a super vague goal, but I’ve accepted I’m probably gonna be a part of this sport for the rest of my life, so I just want to approach it with some additional intention.

Get back into it after time off and finally figure out how to be a good dad and decent climber at the same time. Luckily it's my climbing that has suffered and not my son. 

Love these annual threads thanks Fritz!

• Have more fun. Be more deliberate with partners. Availability does not automatically equal a good partner.
• Continue pushing my single pitch grades on gear. Leading low 11s is happening now so redpointing more of the routes I've fallen on or had to take on is the plan. Aiming for redpointing 5x 11a's and 5x 11b's, at minimum.
• Gradually ramp up to attempting 11c's during the year in conjunction with building a bigger pyramid base at the 10+/11- level to raise onsight level from 10b to 10d
• Tick Positive Vibrations on The Hulk. Finish the rest of Red Dihedral if there's time
• Lead all pitches of The Vampire at Tahquitz
• Knock off a big wall or two
• Help a couple beginner friends learn to be safer

Help re-establish Space through the rock fall sections.

Climb more pitches at A4 level.

Do some shorter walls- under a week. 

Gain more confidence Trad climbing and climb as many new routes as possible.  Focused on j tree and tahquitz.

My 2026 goals are to get back to a level and fitness I was at before having a kid and building a house:

• Ross Bongo at Gold Bar. I’ll be building a board in my garage during winter break so hopefully I have a good chance at this
• Fitness/mileage. After listening to the podcasts and watching the videos about the triple in Yosemite, what I thought about was the benefits of climbing the same multi pitch multiple times. So I hope to climb some long routes in Squamish multiple times, repeating ones I’ve done already, not for speed, but for the benefit of having lots of first-hand information and can just enjoy the climbing and get fit
• Redpoint Bobcat Cringe in Index 

Climbing Goals:

1. Don't Die/Minimal injuries
2. Complete my pyramid of clean leads for the year: 20 of 5.11, 50 of 5.10, 100 lower than that. 2025 was only new to me climbs and half the numbers.
3. Find a new long-term partner in the Co Springs area

Development Goals:

1. Finish the main trail
2. Finish fixing the 4 individual wall trails
3. Clean and bolt the 7 new routes we've identified
4. Replace bolts and anchors for the 22 older routes
5. Document everything
6. Open it up to the community

If you're in the Co Springs area and want to partner on any of these goals let me know.

My 2026 goals include 2025’s goal of avoiding injury (punted on that this year despite genuine effort), dialing in my nutrition a little better, and getting outside as much as possible.

It will be hard to top this year’s bounty, but I hope to experience more *gratitude and awe and find ways to contribute to local climbing a little more than I did this year. Among other things, that last means opening more areas/routes/problems, and supporting friends in achieving their goals.

If the wrist injury allows, it would be cool to free the routes I put up this year, send my boulder project, and do a few Kilter 9s.

Above all, I want to avoid being so focused on my personal goals that I miss even one opportunity to drop anything and everything to climb with my kids. If that means December 2026 has me reporting I spent most of the year in the gym, I’ll be pretty pale, but a very happy man.

*In the interest of starting early, I’ve found that expressions of gratitude have a way of magnifying it.
To that end, Fritz, thank you for your consistent example of how it’s possible to communicate openly, sincerely, and positively in person and in online spaces. MP is a better place because of you.

Also, there’s a detail from our trip I may not have shared.

I knew the cumulative burden of having to lead every pitch on every climb was taking its toll on you, and when you started experiencing muscle cramps in the middle of one of the cruxes, the writing was on the wall. Our day was done.

Still, you retreated to a rest, shook out and recovered as best you could, and fired it in glorious fashion.

And then you charged headlong up the next pitch and battled against building cramps in an effort that I’ve rarely witnessed. He’s off, I thought with every move, but you managed to hang on despite one arm being nearly useless.

I was so inspired, so moved by how deeply you dug that when you got to the anchor, I just put my head against the wall with tears streaming down my face. Months later, the memory still stirs me greatly.

For the gift of witnessing my friend give everything he had—thank you, sir. That was an honor.

Happy 2026, everyone!

1. Climb rock outdoors every month, as I’ve got a 3 year streak.  Luckily, even in Montana I’ve got partners willing to brave questionable days.
2. Lead a pitch >90% of the days I climb outdoors. Fear is real, and I give myself grace for days when that will not go well if I attempt it. Sub-goal to this is to flash 5 10c/d’s
3. Redpoint 3 11’s. One is a short thuggy route I simply don’t have the endurance to climb clean. I have a reoccurring finger injury so the goal is to not injure it more this winter, so I can start the spring strong.  For that the goal is weights 2x, indoor climbing 1x, run/xc ski 2x a week for the winter months. Then keep a running regimen.  
4. Climb in 4 new areas.  With decent climbing close to me, I get lazy about finding fun new things.
5. Climb 3 multi pitches where I’m leading the upper pitches.  Again fear is pretty real. So I’ll start by just leading pitch 1 on a 2 pitch then redo the route and lead pitch 2 the second time.  Then move to leading pitches 1 and 3.
6. Lastly, I’m part of a LCO, and I need to do some more research about alternate insurance.  Goal is to understand the options well enough so that our board can spend less time talking about it when it comes up.  

1. Ten pitches of 11a or higher trad redpoints.
2. At least one 11b / solid 11 trad redpoint.
3. Five pitches of 12a or higher sport redpoints.
4. Cathedral Spire Triple (Petit Grepon, Saber, Sharkstooth IAD)
5. Yellow Wall -> Forrest Finish on The Diamond
6. Black Elk in The Winds
7. Fine Jade and North Face Castleton
8. Send the 5’s offwidth pitch on The Rostrum after getting wrecked by it last trip. Lead some of the 11 pitches on it next time.
9. Send Yosemite 5.11a
10. Don’t die and have fun with my friends.

1. Keep working on mental game and progressing leading skills. 
2. Continue improving physical fitness (cardio, endurance, rock movement, finger strength) to support mental game. 
3. Consistently lead 5.10 a-d on rock, WI3-4 on ice. 
4. Work up to M5/M6 leads on mixed. 
5. Lead Hero Ridge, Brain Matter Direct, Grand Tour, and Total Abandon on Pikes Peak. Katana Ridge as stretch goal. 
6. Super stretch goal: lead a pitch in the Black Canyon

first v6 boulder

heart of darkness and dracula at broughton bluffs in portland

focusing more on long climbs instead of short climbs at my limit. i noticed in 2025 that i go to a crag with longer routes and end up having to do easier climbs b/c of my lack of endurance. my top sends of 2025 were all on much shorter climbs.

launch a gym-to-boulder program with our LCO (portland has double the amount of bouldering gyms than roped gyms, but most g2c programs are just for roping up and leaves a huge population without a guided path to getting outside)

at least two climbing focused trips of 5+ days - only got one in for 2025! i don't need a top-class destination; i just love getting time to dig into a crag.

probably my first 5.10 trad lead somewhere in there

Cosmic Hotdogwrote:

• Have more fun. Be more deliberate with partners. Availability does not automatically equal a good partner...

This answer is so good it needs a separate thread

0. Climb safe and be grateful for my health!

1. Send Wunsches dihedral with breashears start.  Lead p1 and p3 clean
2. Boulder 5 v5s, 3 v 6s, 1 v7 outside
3. Climb 5.12a trad, stretch goal, put down bone crusher 
4. Hit the valley and send the rostrum
5. Follow 50 pitches of ice
6. Get back to the alpine, whoo! Climb past table ledge on the diamond (Forrest finish pitches), the barb, directissima
7. Take rest when needed, at least 3 rest days per week
8. Enjoy the awesome partners I have :)

I've got aid on the brain (it's that time of year)

So a couple goals:

-get to 50 desert towers before summer. I'm at 39 now.

-finish Zenyetta Entrada which my partner and I started yesterday and realized it would take more than one day

-climb cool towers like the Hindu (anybody want to do it with me this winter?) and Sheep Rock, maybe Kingfisher 

-do a tower FA. I have a few candidates picked out near Grand Junction and a team lined up for warmer weather in the spring - as expected for unclimbed towers they involve long, complicated approaches

For more normal climbing goals:

-get back to regularly sending 5.11s sport after a year of not doing so

-do my annual failed attempt to climb some local testpiece 5.10+ trad climbs

-try not to get injured for once. In 2024 it was my shoulder, this year I injured a pulley in May which kept me out of trying hard all summer into the fall.

Hmm, this is a hard one since my 2025 was so unbelievably packed with success in my climbing. i think in 2025 I borrowed from some of my future success somehow so i’m not sure I’ll top this year. That said, there is still a lot to do.

Since I have spent most of my PTO for the last 2 years in Yosemite, my main goal is to go on a road trip specifically to:

1. Climb devils tower 
2. Climb grand Teton

Other than that:

1. Red point iron horse at index
2. Climb all 3 summits on the chief in a day (routes tbd)
3. Rope solo cowboys and Indians on the sheriffs badge
4. Find a new world wall project
5. Climb jötner on mt index (I need a partner for this one if anyone is interested)
6. Climb the nose in a day (long overdue to climb this route)
7. Red point heinous cling start at smith (this one probably won’t happen)
8. Do at least one more wall in Squamish, maybe something A4?

Unlikely but if by some miracle I have the time:

1. Climb the RNWF of half dome (somehow I still haven’t done this one)
2. Rope solo el cap via the shortest straw (still not 100% sure how I feel about this one)
3. Climb aurora on el cap

and last but not least: see if I can hit 500 pitches in a year!