Australian Editor’s note to issue seven of Vertical Life. Download the brand new Vertical Life App from iTunes or the Kindle Fire App Store. It’s when leaving Natimuk – just after crossing the bridge over Nati creek – that most climbers see Arapiles for the first time; the low bulk of the Mount dominating the horizon. And more often than not they report the same emotion on glimpsing it: disappointment – it looks low-angled, moss covered. Steve Craddock, who, with his brother Bob, ‘discovered’ Arapiles for climbers…

Tom Hoyle unfurls the the glorious past of the Castle Hill Basin to see what makes it so special WORDS: Tom Hoyle & IMAGES: As credited Castle Hill Basin has come of age as a world class climbing area; even if the world doesn’t yet know or care. Yes, the Lycra Age horrors remain; slippery, slabby sport routes with bad holds and bad bolts. And yes, the late 1990s ‘bouldering boom’ problems at Quantum Field and Spittle Hill still don’t seem…

Vertical Life’s regular columnist, Andrea Hah, on why competing is worth it WORDS: Andrea Hah, IMAGE: Nick Fletcher After recently competing in the 2013 Boulder Nationals at Villawood in Sydney, I got to thinking about the motivation behind doing comps, and, in particular, about whether being able to say you are the best is what it is all about. Before the Nationals the Sport Climbing Australia (SCA) Facebook page carried the following quote, bait to lure in the best climbers in the…