Climbing History
A selected history of climbing and mountaineering through the climbers, climbs and media.
3176 Climbers
6096 Climbs
15854 Ascents
Featured
Fred Rouhling
Fred Rouhling was a controversial figure during the late 90s and early 2000s. With a string of hard ascents in a relatively off the beaten track location there were many people who doubted his ascents, not helped by the fact that many of his routes were unashamedly chipped (for example De L'Autre Côté du Ciel).
His route Akira was particularly contentious. When he made the first ascent he gave it the then unheard of grade of 9b at a time when 9a+ didn't exist.
A 2005 profile by Pete Ward [2] helped to dispel some of the more outlandish myths, and many of his routes have now received repeats which confirm their quality and difficulty. However, his route Akira did receive a notable downgrade to 9a after being repeated by Sébastien Bouin and Lucien Martinez.
References
[1] Interview with Relais Vertical Part 1 https://youtu.be/xqk0nQCNtpY
[2] Interview with Relais Vertical Part 2 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=enFSnkF25eI
[3] The Other Side of Fred Rouhling by Pete Ward, 15th June 2012 https://www.climbing.com/people/fred-rouhling/
[4] Interview with camptocamp.org, October 2008 https://www.camptocamp.org/articles/143240/fr/interview-de-fred-rouhling-21-10-2008-
[5] https://open.spotify.com/episode/4T8j5taHKyu11HnWMKvxWT?
[6] Interview for On The Edge Issue 102, page 40
Fred Rouhling was a controversial figure during the late 90s and early 2000s. With a string of hard ascents in a relatively off the beaten track location there were many people who doubted his ascents, not helped by the fact that many of his routes were unashamedly chipped (for example De L'Autre Côté du Ciel).
His route Akira was particularly contentious. When he made the first ascent he gave it the then unheard of grade of 9b at a time when 9a+ didn't exist.
A 2005 profile by Pete Ward [2] helped to dispel some of the more outlandish myths, and many of his routes have now received repeats which confirm their quality and difficulty. However, his route Akira did receive a notable downgrade to 9a after being repeated by Sébastien Bouin and Lucien Martinez.
References
[1] Interview with Relais Vertical Part 1 https://youtu.be/xqk0nQCNtpY
[2] Interview with Relais Vertical Part 2 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=enFSnkF25eI
[3] The Other Side of Fred Rouhling by Pete Ward, 15th June 2012 https://www.climbing.com/people/fred-rouhling/
[4] Interview with camptocamp.org, October 2008 https://www.camptocamp.org/articles/143240/fr/interview-de-fred-rouhling-21-10-2008-
[5] https://open.spotify.com/episode/4T8j5taHKyu11HnWMKvxWT?
[6] Interview for On The Edge Issue 102, page 40
Pics + Vids
Featuring 7641 pictures and videos. Try searching for a climber, climb or summit to see pics and videos.
Support
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You may also be interested in the Mountain Heritage Trust, a charity dedicated to preserving the rich history of climbing and mountaineering. Their collection includes many unique and valuable items, from rare guidebooks through to the boots worn by Doug Scott on the 1977 Ogre expedition.
Explore
Fancy a look around? You can browse by climber or by climbs, or you can check out some lists. For example
- All sport ascents of 9b or above
- British women who have climbed 7C or above
- British men who have climbed 8c or above
Podcasts
Featuring 3649 podcasts. Try searching for a climber to see podcasts with them, or check out some of these podcasts:
- Lor Sabourin on Lattice Training, February 2021
- Siebe Vanhee on Climb in Flow, June 2025
- Adam Ondra on Climbing Gold, May 2024
- Peter Beal on Lattice Training, February 2022
Library
Featuring 11012 items in the library. Try a search to see what you can find, or check out these library items:
- Crepuscular Days 8B First Ascent (2024) Film
- Alpine Journal 2014 403-404 AC Library (2014) Journal
- Snowdon South (1960) Guidebook
Recent updates
A diminutive put beguiling mantel problem from Johnny Dawes. Dawes mantled the sloping shelf, pressing it out directly; others have used heels, pebbles or other holds to try and avoid the eye-popping move.
Some commentary from Dawes on this video: What's the world's hardest mantle?
References
A diminutive put perfect mantel problem from Johnny Dawes. Dawes mantled the sloping shelf, pressing it out directly; others have used heels, pebbles or other holds to try and avoid the eye-popping move.
Some commentary from Dawes here: What's the world's hardest mantle?
References
Norway