Climbing History

A selected history of climbing and mountaineering through the climbers, climbs and media.

3493 Climbers

6887 Climbs

17869 Ascents

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John Bachar

John Bachar was a leading figure in American rock climbing during the late 1970s and 1980s. A member of The Stonemasters, he was renowned for his solo climbing, frequently putting in long days where he would solo thousands of feet in areas such as Joshua Tree and Yosemite. In 1981, Bachar famously posted a note in Joshua Tree stating "$10,000 reward for anyone who can follow me for one full day." A challenge which no one took him up on!

Bachar was also famous for his ethical stance on climbing, where he strongly advocated an adventurous ground up ethic at a time when sport climbing was starting to become popular in the US.

Bachar was also an early proponent of specific training for climbing. He invented the eponymous Bachar ladder.

John Bachar died on 5th July 2009 while soloing at Dike Wall near Mammoth Lakes, California.

References

[1] https://www.facebook.com/climbing.in.the.80s/photos/a.270388289694020/3396050157127802

[2] https://www.facebook.com/climbing.in.the.80s/photos/a.270388289694020/866918260041017

[3] A Tribute to John Bachar by Lynn Hill https://lynnhillclimbing.com/media/essays/a-tribute-to-john-bachar/

[4] John Bachar timeline on supertopo forum http://www.supertopo.com/climbers-forum/898272/john-bachar-timeline

[5] Portrait by Dean Fidelman 1974 https://www.instagram.com/p/B7-bDk3jRbn/

[6] Obituary by Ed Douglas, 2009 https://www.theguardian.com/world/2009/jul/10/john-bacher-rock-climber

[7] Memorial thread on supertopo http://www.supertopo.com/climbing/thread.php?topic_id=896012

[8] https://gripped.com/profiles/yosemite-climbing-legends-john-bachar/

[9] https://ukbouldering.com/threads/john-bachar-1957-2009.12063/

[10] Obituary by Michael Brick, 2009 https://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/09/sports/09bachar.html

Bachar was also famous for his ethical stance on climbing, where he strongly advocated an adventurous ground up ethic at a time when sport climbing was starting to become popular in the US.

Bachar was also an early proponent of specific training for climbing. He invented the eponymous Bachar ladder.

John Bachar died on 5th July 2009 while soloing at Dike Wall near Mammoth Lakes, California.

References

[1] https://www.facebook.com/climbing.in.the.80s/photos/a.270388289694020/3396050157127802

[2] https://www.facebook.com/climbing.in.the.80s/photos/a.270388289694020/866918260041017

[3] A Tribute to John Bachar by Lynn Hill https://lynnhillclimbing.com/media/essays/a-tribute-to-john-bachar/

[4] John Bachar timeline on supertopo forum http://www.supertopo.com/climbers-forum/898272/john-bachar-timeline

[5] Portrait by Dean Fidelman 1974 https://www.instagram.com/p/B7-bDk3jRbn/

[6] Obituary by Ed Douglas, 2009 https://www.theguardian.com/world/2009/jul/10/john-bacher-rock-climber

[7] Memorial thread on supertopo http://www.supertopo.com/climbing/thread.php?topic_id=896012

[8] https://gripped.com/profiles/yosemite-climbing-legends-john-bachar/

[9] https://ukbouldering.com/threads/john-bachar-1957-2009.12063/

[10] Obituary by Michael Brick, 2009 https://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/09/sports/09bachar.html

Pics + Vids

Featuring 8608 pictures and videos. Try searching for a climber, climb or summit to see pics and videos.

Austin Hoyt on Snug As a Bug (8A+)

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Ted Kingsnorth on Progress (8c+)

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Anon Matsufuji on Kani (7C+)

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James Pearson on Inuit (8b+)

Zach Galla on Sound of Violence (8C)

Ted Kingsnorth on Cry Freedom (8c)

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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

Podcasts

Featuring 3892 podcasts. Try searching for a climber to see podcasts with them, or check out some of these podcasts:

Library

Featuring 11020 items in the library. Try a search to see what you can find, or check out these library items:

L'Etranger (2007) Film
Carmie R. Dafoe, Jr., 1920-1975 (1976) Journal
Gogarth (1990) Guidebook

Recent updates

Toni Egger

Barnburgh Cliff

Doyden Point

Media

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Media

Nicolai Užnik's ascent of Les Fleurs du Mal

References

[1] https://www.instagram.com/reel/DTbES3pjjkg/

[2] https://youtu.be/F2GV5Uc8tlk?t=246

Media

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Chris Sharma's ascent of Iron Resolution

This one meant a lot.

My mom had passed away less than a month before and I came down to Joshua Tree to find some peace and reflection. It was a lot to take in. Spending New Years in the desert was a good way to reset. A few days prior, the late legend Scott Cosgrove mentioned to me that he had seen a new boulder out by Barker Dam. It had fallen out of the cliff side a few months before. We always look for new boulder problems but this was literally a brand new, beautiful iron rock boulder that had just appeared in one of the main areas of Joshua Tree. What a gift! The arete line was big, obvious and stunning and it immediately inspired me. After scoping it on a rope (I used a bolt in the boulder from a route that it had belonged to as an anchor). I only had one pad and my good friend Sterling Keene as a spot, (he is a great friend but not the burliest guy to catch me from the sketchy crux at almost 20 ft😅.)

It was cold, windy and a little ominous. But it was New Year’s Day and one of those moments when I just wanted to move forward and not look backwards. Standing up through the upper mantle to top it out, was a liberating moment that I can still vividly remember. …Iron Resolution, a true gem of a climb. [2]