Climbing History
A selected history of climbing and mountaineering through the climbers, climbs and media.
2288 Climbers
4011 Climbs
10345 Ascents
Featured
Ben Moon
Ben pushed the cutting edge of sport climbing in the 1980s and 1990s as well as establishing hard boulder problems in the early 2000s. He made many notable ascents in the UK including Statement of Youth at Lower Pen Trwyn, one of the earliest examples of a pure sport route in the UK (previously many routes were climbed in a sport style but relied on old aid gear. Ben equipped Statement with bolts specifically to free climb it).
1980s
Ben established or repeated many of the hardest sport routes in the world at the time, most notably in the UK and the France. Agincourt at Buoux, first climbed by Ben in 1989, was one of the hardest lines in the world at the time and still has a fierce reputation featuring extremely hard moves on tiny pockets.
1990s
in 1990 Ben established Hubble at Raven Tor, at the time the first 8c+ in the world but now considered to be 9a.
Around 1995 he put considerable effort in to what would become Northern Lights at Kilnsey but despite an extended campaign couldn't get it done. This marked a bit of a turning point where he started to focus more on bouldering.
2000s
In 2005 he established Voyager an 8B boulder in the Peak DIstrict, then almost exactly a year later Ben succeeded in climbing the low start Voyager SDS to give the peak district one of it's hardest problems to date and an enduring testpiece that took 9 years before seeing a second ascent.
Ben continues to climb hard. In 2015 he climbed Rainshadow for his second 9a, 25 years after making the first ascent of Hubble.
References
[1] Interview with Simon Lee, September 2013 https://vimeo.com/75374593
[2] Training in the cellar with Jerry Moffatt, 1989 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LceV005nte0
[3] The Real Thing
[4] Stone Love, 2001 film by Ben Pritchard https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FguueX9jM78
[5] 80's Birth of Extreme by Al Hughes https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jkj3Buhfi2k
[6] Statement of Youth, 2019 Film by UKClimbing and Nick Brown https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zeqI9axxrco.
[7] https://www.facebook.com/climbing.in.the.80s/photos/a.270388289694020/942618999137609
[8] https://www.facebook.com/climbing.in.the.80s/photos/a.270388289694020/876401569092686
[9] One Summer by Ben Pritchard, 1994 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RnGf69g6Igc
[10] A Sport Climbing Pioneer: The Story Of Ben Moon, Interview with Matt Groom, 2023 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xfyU4KHvioM
[11] Interview with Adrian Berry March 2005 https://web.archive.org/web/20061022044659/http://www.planetfear.com/article_detail.asp?a_id=460
[12] https://open.spotify.com/episode/7b64enKBPgbOPR9gK7T4nZ?
Ben pushed the cutting edge of sport climbing in the 1980s and 1990s as well as establishing hard boulder problems in the early 2000s. He made many notable ascents in the UK including Statement of Youth at Lower Pen Trwyn, one of the earliest examples of a pure sport route in the UK (previously many routes were climbed in a sport style but relied on old aid gear. Ben equipped Statement with bolts specifically to free climb it).
1980s
Ben established or repeated many of the hardest sport routes in the world at the time, most notably in the UK and the France. Agincourt at Buoux, first climbed by Ben in 1989, was one of the hardest lines in the world at the time and still has a fierce reputation featuring extremely hard moves on tiny pockets.
1990s
in 1990 Ben established Hubble at Raven Tor, at the time the first 8c+ in the world but now considered to be 9a.
Around 1995 he put considerable effort in to what would become Northern Lights at Kilnsey but despite an extended campaign couldn't get it done. This marked a bit of a turning point where he started to focus more on bouldering.
2000s
In 2005 he established Voyager an 8B boulder in the Peak DIstrict, then almost exactly a year later Ben succeeded in climbing the low start Voyager SDS to give the peak district one of it's hardest problems to date and an enduring testpiece that took 9 years before seeing a second ascent.
Ben continues to climb hard. In 2015 he climbed Rainshadow for his second 9a, 25 years after making the first ascent of Hubble.
References
[1] Interview with Simon Lee, September 2013 https://vimeo.com/75374593
[2] Training in the cellar with Jerry Moffatt, 1989 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LceV005nte0
[3] The Real Thing
[4] Stone Love, 2001 film by Ben Pritchard https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FguueX9jM78
[5] 80's Birth of Extreme by Al Hughes https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jkj3Buhfi2k
[6] Statement of Youth, 2019 Film by UKClimbing and Nick Brown https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zeqI9axxrco.
[7] https://www.facebook.com/climbing.in.the.80s/photos/a.270388289694020/942618999137609
[8] https://www.facebook.com/climbing.in.the.80s/photos/a.270388289694020/876401569092686
[9] One Summer by Ben Pritchard, 1994 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RnGf69g6Igc
[10] A Sport Climbing Pioneer: The Story Of Ben Moon, Interview with Matt Groom, 2023 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xfyU4KHvioM
[11] Interview with Adrian Berry March 2005 https://web.archive.org/web/20061022044659/http://www.planetfear.com/article_detail.asp?a_id=460
[12] https://open.spotify.com/episode/7b64enKBPgbOPR9gK7T4nZ?
Pics + Vids
Featuring 5300 pictures and videos. Try searching for a climber, climb or summit to see pics and videos.
Drew Ruana on Dire Wolf (8C)
Elle Partington on The Keel (7C)
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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
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Podcasts
Featuring 2845 podcasts. Try searching for a climber to see podcasts with them, or check out some of these podcasts:
- Connor Herson on The Enormocast, October 2023
- James Pearson on The Nugget, January 2024
- Anna Hazlett on Lattice Training, September 2021
- Mimi White on The Careless Talk Climbing Podcast, February 2024
Recent updates
References
[1] https://www.8a.nu/news/patrick-vonbruel-completes-le-boa-8c
Bain was a dream route for me as a historical tick - it's up there with the likes of Action Directe, Hubble, Om, Mutation, Northern Lights etc. These are the kind of sport routes which inspire me the most. I'm not one for getting excited when I top routes out but have to say this one definitely gave me a 'c'mon yes!' moment. Next... It is time for home and work! [2]
References
[1] https://www.instagram.com/p/Bv8oUzjBuiT/
[2] https://www.ukclimbing.com/news/2019/04/bain_de_sang_9a_by_ryan_pasquill-71911
Bain was a dream route for me as a historical tick - it's up there with the likes of Action Direct, Hubble, Om, Mutation, Northern Lights etc. These are the kind of sport routes which inspire me the most. I'm not one for getting excited when I top routes out but have to say this one definitely gave me a 'c'mon yes!' moment. Next... It is time for home and work! [2]
References
[1] https://www.instagram.com/p/Bv8oUzjBuiT/
[2] https://www.ukclimbing.com/news/2019/04/bain_de_sang_9a_by_ryan_pasquill-71911
References
It was one of those longterm projects, which you never know if it will go for sure. I started trying it two years ago. It was just after completing L'Isola che no c'é. I enjoy having this kind of projects where you can go back over and over again, and slowly, try after try, you start to visualize the complete picture of it.
It is a sit down start on a big snake like looking structure, which also gives the name to the problem. Some powerful moves on pockets underclings that bring you to a tricky traverse with more pockets and a finish with long moves into a big flake. It ends in another problem called Mosaik, rated V11 or 8A. The first four moves are by far the hardest, but the last ten are quite delicate and bring a great dimension to the line.
Most of the time I don't grade my boulders anymore, but people are still curious what they could be. On this one my feeling lies around 8C boulder, as it felt as the hardest boulder I ever did on pockets. For sure the hardest thing since L'isola che non c'é and reckoning the time spent on it anyway an important line for me. [2]
References
[1] https://youtu.be/dQW3v7-pYXk?t=302
[2] https://www.ukclimbing.com/news/2011/09/fred_nicole_climbs_le_boa_-_new_font_8c-64179
