When climbers discuss climbing roped climbing routes, the difficulty rating of the climb is often considered essential information. The difficulty rating gives a climber an indication of what moves, strength and/or skill the route might involve.

In North America, vertical travel is generally described using the Yosemite Decimal System (YDS). The YDS gives any describes any given hiking, scrambling, or climbing route with a Class. For Class 5 and Class 6 travel, it also includes a Rating.

Most Wisconsin sport climbing is located in the western/central portion of the state. This article highlights the following six sport climbing areas: Petenwell Bluff, Granddad Bluff, Fishing Crag, Qual Wall at Governor Dodge State Park, Hillbilly Hollow and Willow River State Park.

A first climbing outing is likely to generate all sorts of feelings, like excitement, anxiety, curiosity and uncertainty. For those who like to know what to expect, a little advanced preparation can be helpful. Because your trip is custom tailored to you and your group, it’s impossible to predict every detail. However, many aspects are largely consistent from trip to trip, so the rough timeline below provides a good idea of what’s likely to happen and how you can prepare for success.

Lauren Magiera and Steve Scheurer from WGN Chicago came up to Devil’s Lake in June 2019 to film a pilot for Lauren’s new show, Destination Outdoors.

The first half of November is a golden period for the climbing season at Devil's Lake. Crowds have thinned dramatically, the low winter sun shines generously through the bare trees, the yellowjackets are sleeping again, and there is a wonderful, quiet stillness in the air.

Yesterday was a classic example of how October makes for PERFECT climbing conditions at Devils Lake. The weather forecast called for a high of 55, so I bundled up and prepared for a chilly day. But with sunny skies and no wind, it was downright balmy out there, and we were climbing in t-shirts most of the day.