Climbing History
A selected history of climbing and mountaineering through the climbers, climbs and media.
1923 Climbers
3346 Climbs
8258 Ascents
Featured
Johnny Dawes
Johnny Dawes is very influential in British climbing, particularly in the 1980s and particularly in the Peak District and North Wales. Alongside contemporaries such as Jerry Moffatt and Ben Moon he helped take over the mantel from the likes of Ron Fawcett and pushed the standards in trad climbing to new levels, culminating in his ascent of Indian Face on Clogwyn Du'r Arddu (Cloggy).
Whilst Johnny's trad climbing was cutting edge he did not embrace sport climbing in the way that many did in the early 90s, though he did still climb up to 8b+, a very respectable level for the time.
References
[1] Interview with Niall Grimes and Nick Dixon https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5gfAxYENlmU
[2] Features in 80's Birth of Extreme
[3] Interview for the film Stone Monkey, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QdeaV_vfp5Q
Johnny Dawes is very influential in British climbing, particularly in the 1980s and particularly in the Peak District and North Wales. Alongside contemporaries such as Jerry Moffatt and Ben Moon he helped take over the mantel from the likes of Ron Fawcett and pushed the standards in trad climbing to new levels, culminating in his ascent of Indian Face on Clogwyn Du'r Arddu (Cloggy).
Whilst Johnny's trad climbing was cutting edge he did not embrace sport climbing in the way that many did in the early 90s, though he did still climb up to 8b+, a very respectable level for the time.
References
[1] Interview with Niall Grimes and Nick Dixon https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5gfAxYENlmU
[2] Features in 80's Birth of Extreme
[3] Interview for the film Stone Monkey, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QdeaV_vfp5Q
Pics + Vids
Featuring 4464 pictures and videos. Try searching for a climber, climb or summit to see pics and videos.
Didier Berthod on Cobra Crack (E9)
Nalle Hukkataival on Kintsugi (8B+)
Pete Whittaker on French Duke (E9)
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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 2352 podcasts. Try searching for a climber to see podcasts with them, or check out some of these podcasts:
- Neil Monteith on The Layback Podcast, February 2019
- Kyra Condie on American Alpine Club Podcast, February 2024
- Jared Roth on The Testpiece Podcast, May 2023
- Boone Speed on The Nugget, August 2021
Recent updates
I first saw this line when I was 15. Sean Myles had bolted it and he, Jerry Moffatt, Garth, Nick Sutter, Zac Vertrees and Fred Nicole had all had a play. I have a memory of sitting staring at it as we drove home when I was 15, the sun rising over it and thinking to myself “I’m gonna do that route”…Time goes by and life happens but this line was still there unclimbed in the forefront of my mind. It’s a connies dependent route, which bakes in the sun all day and is 1,000kms from home which added to the trickiness of getting it done. It’s in the most beautiful place on earth overlooking the Wimmera and Punks in the Gym, up where the wind whispers “Wolfgang”. I feel super proud to have done the FA of a line that typifies the Arapilisian style. Climbing, and the process of climbing a project doesn’t get better 💘 Grade-wise, I feel 34 best reflects the difficulties of the line, which’d make it the first at Arapiles, personally I think that is pretty cool. [1]
References
References
References
Trice I’ve heard called several things over the years. Chris Jones started calling it Another Holloway Route or AHR, and someone else started calling it another “Hell” route. I just called it Trice. When we first took notice to that line we were bouldering up there, his name was… he had a friend called the big D — David something — he had the strongest fingers and I remember him putting his hands on the beginning undercling holds of the problem, and I remember saying, “Now pull up”, thinking no one could ever lift off these hold. But he did! I got inspired and started working on the thing from that start. I remember you start under the bulge on an undercling, made a big move to a three-finger pocket with the right hand, bring the left up to a small hold and jump for the lip. There are no footholds. Again I had an open-handed technique down, and you can’t crimp on the pocket, so it suited me well. [1]
References
[1] https://www.climbing.com/news/the-complete-jim-holloway-interview/
References
[1] Interview with Climbing.com, July 2007 https://www.climbing.com/news/the-complete-jim-holloway-interview/
In Font, many times I saw Charles Albert do things so out of this world I would have called them impossible without having been a witness. Like flash FAs or in a handful of runs of 8A on a move that no one else can get anywhere near, or 7B slabs in trainers by simply annihilating miserable grains of sand with his nails… [1]
References
[2] Reel Rock 16: Barefoot Charles https://www.redbull.com/int-en/episodes/reel-rock-s8-e2
References
FRCC Scawfell Guide 1924:
The most arduous ascent in the Lake District; unexampled exposure; combined tactics and rope engineering essential at one point; not less than three climbers. Rubbers…The difficulties met with are so great that the expedition ranks amongst the world’s hardest. [1]
References
[1] https://www.thebmc.co.uk/100-years-of-central-buttress-scafell
When Herford and I in an inquisitive spirit, climbed up a grassy scoop leading out of Moss Gill onto the Central Buttress, we did not seriously believe that we should find a new climb on this rock face, for it appears to be singularly unbroken and almost vertical for over two-hundred feet. The Great Flake looked quite hopeless as a means of ascent and we dismissed the idea at once.
However, consideration of other climbs which lead up apparently impossible but actually feasible rocks, impressed on us the necessity of not judging by appearances, and we accordingly assured one another that there was still a chance. The Central Buttress climb as a whole is extremely interesting and the situation is absolutely unique. The Flake Crack excessively severe, the traverse and ascents on the upper wall are extraordinarily exposed, but the climbing is exceedingly enjoyable. [1]
References
[1] https://www.thebmc.co.uk/100-years-of-central-buttress-scafell
The most arduous ascent in the Lake District; unexampled exposure; combined tactics and rope engineering essential at one point; not less than three climbers. Rubbers…The difficulties met with are so great that the expedition ranks amongst the world’s hardest. [1]
References
[1] FRCC Scawfell Guide 1924
[2] https://www.thebmc.co.uk/100-years-of-central-buttress-scafell