The rock is sandstone, which makes it less painful on the hands while bouldering, allowing climbers to boulder for long periods of time without worrying about the pain.

Nepalese law does not allow climbers under 16 to climb Everest, so Ming Kipa Sherpa summitted Everest from the Chinese side.

He added sharp fangs that jutted out in front of the crampons, which allowed climbers to navigate steeper ice.

Competition - in competition climbing every hold counts, so using liquid chalk may allow competitive climbers to take fewer chalk breaks, leading to a better result.

Krakauer wrote that the use of bottled oxygen allowed otherwise unqualified climbers to attempt to summit, leading to dangerous situations and more deaths.

Indeed, the via ferrata technique, which was developed during World War I to move troops quickly through the Dolomites in Northern Italy, allows climbers with little instruction or climbing skill to safely ascend sheer cliff faces.

A successful petition was established to save the facility and the Council opted to shelve the plans allowing climbers to "Carry on climbing", The Sheffield Telegraph 24 August 2007 as well as maintaining the centre for other users.

On Everest and in Antarctica, the Sjogrens have experimented with wireless systems that could eventually allow individual climbers to transmit images and their positions to a base camp and then onto the Web.

From here begins the steepest part of the path allowing climbers, after 300 to 400 meters uphill, the base of Pizzo Coca is reached.

This attitude quickly changed as the safer sport climbing technique allowed climbers to push hard without much risk, causing the formerly more-or-less fixed grades to steadily rise.