Don't Climb
Without the Net

If you're on the wall at Mission Cliffs, you might want to make sure your partner's on belay and not online. The San Francisco rock gym has set up two terminals for anybody who uses its facilities. The gym also offers $5-a-month email accounts for customers who don't have Net connections at home or work. Erik Singer, a Mission Cliffs investor, says they wanted to give gym users access to the tremendous amount of climbing and other information on the Net. Help staff will be available for several hours each week to aid climbers new to the online world.

Story by Kristin Windbigler

Pick on Someone
Your Own Age

Fourteen-year-old US climbers Katie Brown and Chris Sharma proved they can win against more than just the old folks last month at the Juniors World Cup in Laval, France. Brown and Sharma both took first in the girl's and boy's events for 14- and 15-year olds. In August, Sharma placed first in the men's event at the US Nationals, while Brown took third in the women's division.

Other winners at Laval were Amel Haager (Germany) and Sylvain Millet (France) in the competition for 16- and 17-year-olds. Liv Sansoz (France) and Frederic Sarkany (Belgium) placed first in the 18- to 19-year-olds contest.

Story by Kristin Windbigler
Video Provided by Linda Rodden