Climbing History
A selected history of climbing and mountaineering through the climbers, climbs and media.
3737 Climbers
7397 Climbs
19296 Ascents
Featured
Lord of the Rings | 8b Sport route
Bolted by Kim Carrigan in 1982 this route was ahead of its time (Kanal im Rücken, typically considered to be the first 8b in the world, was only climbed in 1984). Carrigan came tantalisingly close to making the first ascent but it had to wait for Stefan Glowcaz to finish it off .
Carrigan:
Yeah, The Ring Route aka Serious Young Lizards really proved a bridge too far. The astounding thing was, that I'd bolted this route in 1982, long before anyone thought this would even be possible, which meant that I spent a long time learning the moves and developing the strength and fitness needed for a route like this. There was a complete lack of other routes of this difficulty from where this fitness could be gained. Despite being able to climb every move in my sleep, I could never quite bring it together. I still remember my best effort. I'd been shopping in Horsham for the weekly groceries and my fingers were already strained from carrying the shopping bags, but I thought I'll just pop up and give it a go. It had been drizzling, but because the wall was so steep, the route remained basically dry. First shot, I managed to redpoint straight to the last hold, but promptly slipped off mantling onto the wet slab above. That was it.. [1]
The route later featured in a now-famous Patagonia advert when John Sherman shot a carefully staged photo of himself seemingly soloing the route in flip flops, beer in hand!
The route got its name from the ring bolts used to protect it.
References
[1] https://www.ukclimbing.com/articles/features/kim_carrigan_and_andy_pollitt-9629
Bolted by Kim Carrigan in 1982 this route was ahead of its time (Kanal im Rücken, typically considered to be the first 8b in the world, was only climbed in 1984). Carrigan came tantalisingly close to making the first ascent but it had to wait for Stefan Glowcaz to finish it off .
Carrigan:
Yeah, The Ring Route aka Serious Young Lizards really proved a bridge too far. The astounding thing was, that I'd bolted this route in 1982, long before anyone thought this would even be possible, which meant that I spent a long time learning the moves and developing the strength and fitness needed for a route like this. There was a complete lack of other routes of this difficulty from where this fitness could be gained. Despite being able to climb every move in my sleep, I could never quite bring it together. I still remember my best effort. I'd been shopping in Horsham for the weekly groceries and my fingers were already strained from carrying the shopping bags, but I thought I'll just pop up and give it a go. It had been drizzling, but because the wall was so steep, the route remained basically dry. First shot, I managed to redpoint straight to the last hold, but promptly slipped off mantling onto the wet slab above. That was it.. [1]
The route later featured in a now-famous Patagonia advert when John Sherman shot a carefully staged photo of himself seemingly soloing the route in flip flops, beer in hand!
The route got its name from the ring bolts used to protect it.
References
[1] https://www.ukclimbing.com/articles/features/kim_carrigan_and_andy_pollitt-9629
Pics + Vids
Featuring 9361 pictures and videos. Try searching for a climber, climb or summit to see pics and videos.
Mathew Wright on Black Thistle E10
Adam Shahar on Lucid Dreaming 8C
Jordan Cannon on The Cowboy Direct ~ E8
Carlo Traversi on Mystic Stylez 8B+
Sonnie Trotter on Cobra Crack E9
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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 4073 podcasts. Try searching for a climber to see podcasts with them, or check out some of these podcasts:
- John Gill on Climbing Gold, April 2021
- Martin Keller on The Nugget, October 2023
- Jonathan Siegrist on The Enormocast, April 2013
- Charlie Torrance on Jam Crack Podcast, February 2023
Library
Featuring 11033 items in the library. Try a search to see what you can find, or check out these library items:
- Sleeping Lion (2023) Film
- Asia, Tibet, Kangri Garpo Range, Lhagu Glacier, Ski Expedition and Probable First Ascent of Pt. 5,928m (2007) Journal
- Pembroke (1985) Guidebook
Recent updates
Sieged with fixed ropes over 40 days. Made national news and Baldwin and Cooper were local celebrities for a time.
First a few people saw us, the word spread, and soon the few turned to many, until one weekend 12,000 cars jammed the highway to the little town of Squamish. We accepted the kind offers of the people of Squamish, and were sponsored with a hotel room, new boots, our choice of restaurants, and 1500 feet of very badly needed nylon rope. When seen walking back to our cars after coming off the face it was not uncommon for cars to gather, many people asking for autographs. When we were on the face, every afternoon the school bus would stop at 3:30 and the children would cheer from the highway. (Ed Cooper)
Now generally climbed mostly free at 5.11 A0.
References
[1] https://gripped.com/profiles/canadas-most-iconic-big-wall-rock-climb/
[2] https://www.mountainproject.com/route/105806397/the-grand-wall
[3] https://publications.americanalpineclub.org/articles/12196206100/The-Squamish-Chief