Climbing · Worth knowing

Austin Hoyt, one of the strongest young boulderers in the American Northeast, made the fifth ascent of The Process, a V16 highball in Bishop, California, in December 2025—his first V16 and a defining moment in his career that he had dreamed about for eleven years after seeing a poster of Daniel Woods' first ascent as a child. Hoyt's training approach focuses on trying extremely hard at his limit across rock, boards, and gym work, deliberately targeting style weaknesses; he recently climbed Creature From The Black Lagoon V16 in Colorado after returning for a second attempt, and spent two years projecting Lucid Dreaming V15 in Bishop before sending it in 2025. In his home region, he established Big Bad Wolf V15 in October 2024, the first V15 in the Northeast, and is currently working on what he believes could be the world's hardest boulder problem—a roof project called Fairytale in the Gunks that requires savage crimping and underclings but has all moves completed except one.

The Nagaland Sport Climbing Association organized the 1st Nagaland Open Top Rope Sport Climbing Competition, attracting 120 participants from schools and institutions across multiple age categories, with additional representation from the Karbi Anglong Mountaineering Association in Assam. The event served as a platform for young climbers to gain competitive experience and build confidence in top-rope climbing, while fostering awareness and interest in the sport across the Northeast region. Winners across men's open, women's open, junior boys, junior girls, and sub-junior categories included Lamche Khiamniungan and Lily Khiamniungan taking the top spots in their respective open divisions.