Climbing History
A selected history of climbing and mountaineering through the climbers, climbs and media.
4671 Climbers
8289 Climbs
22156 Ascents
Featured
Fred Nicole
Fred Nicole is a legend of modern bouldering having established one of the first 8Bs with La Danse des Balrogs, the first 8B+ with Radja and many of the earliest 8Cs. He is also notable for some hard sport routes, in particular he established Bain de Sang in 1993 which gets 9a.
He is also notable for developing many now-famous bouldering areas around the world, including Hueco Tanks, Rocklands and many more.
References
[1] Interview with Nicholas Hobley for planetmountain.com, 13th August 2012 https://www.planetmountain.com/en/news/interviews/fred-nicole-the-bouldering-interview.html
[2] Profile with Black Diamond https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_X_oq3ZdnmU
[3] Tour de Bloc by Udo Neumann, 2006 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=exAhhD0n8QU
[4] Rocklands Origins, 1996 https://vimeo.com/80004515
[5] Interview with PlanetMountain.com, May 2018 https://www.planetmountain.com/en/news/interviews/fred-nicole-bouldering-at-cresciano-and-melloblocco-in-tour-2018.html
[6] Fred Nicole, On The Edge Issue 105 page 42
[7] Interview with Kyle Dunsire, 2000 https://www.australianbouldering.com/interviews/fred.html
Fred Nicole is a legend of modern bouldering having established one of the first 8Bs with La Danse des Balrogs, the first 8B+ with Radja and many of the earliest 8Cs. He is also notable for some hard sport routes, in particular he established Bain de Sang in 1993 which gets 9a.
He is also notable for developing many now-famous bouldering areas around the world, including Hueco Tanks, Rocklands and many more.
References
[1] Interview with Nicholas Hobley for planetmountain.com, 13th August 2012 https://www.planetmountain.com/en/news/interviews/fred-nicole-the-bouldering-interview.html
[2] Profile with Black Diamond https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_X_oq3ZdnmU
[3] Tour de Bloc by Udo Neumann, 2006 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=exAhhD0n8QU
[4] Rocklands Origins, 1996 https://vimeo.com/80004515
[5] Interview with PlanetMountain.com, May 2018 https://www.planetmountain.com/en/news/interviews/fred-nicole-bouldering-at-cresciano-and-melloblocco-in-tour-2018.html
[6] Fred Nicole, On The Edge Issue 105 page 42
[7] Interview with Kyle Dunsire, 2000 https://www.australianbouldering.com/interviews/fred.html
Pics + Vids
Featuring 10826 pictures and videos. Try searching for a climber, climb or summit to see pics and videos.
Andreas Hofherr on Into the Sun E10
Gaetan Simian on Bain de Sang 9a
Sean Bailey on Ace of Spades 9a+
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 4345 podcasts. Try searching for a climber to see podcasts with them, or check out some of these podcasts:
- Jordan Cannon on The Struggle Climbing Show (2022)
- Robbie Phillips on The Nugget (2022)
- Marco Derrien on BlokCast (2024)
- Adrian Ballinger on The Struggle Climbing Show (2025)
Library
Featuring 16191 items in the library. Try a search to see what you can find, or check out these library items:
- Out of Obsession Film
- Alpine Journal 2006 109-114 Yates Alverstone (2006) Journal
- Chair Ladder & the South Coast (1992) Guidebook
Recent updates
References
James Gunn is a New Zealand climber, community leader, and the chairperson of the Aotearoa Climbing Access Trust (ACAT).
A highly successful youth competition climber in his earlier years and National Champion in 2003[3] , 2005[2] . Gunn has climbed 32 (8b+) sport routes and flashed V10 at Flock Hill.[1] Alongside his personal climbing background, he remains an influential figure in national climbing governance and advocacy, serving as Chairperson of ACAT.
References
James Gunn is a New Zealand climber, community leader, and the chairperson of the Aotearoa Climbing Access Trust (ACAT).
A highly successful youth competition climber in his earlier years and National Champion in 2005[2] . Gunn has climbed 32 (8b+) sport routes and flashed V10 at Flock Hill.[1] Alongside his personal climbing background, he remains an influential figure in national climbing governance and advocacy, serving as Chairperson of ACAT.
References
James Gunn is a New Zealand climber, community leader, and the chairperson of the Aotearoa Climbing Access Trust (ACAT).
A highly successful youth competition climber in his earlier years and National Champion in 2005, climbing 32 (8b+) routes and flashing V10 at Flock Hill.[1] Alongside his personal climbing background, he remains an influential figure in national climbing governance and advocacy, serving as Chairperson of ACAT.
References
James Gunn is a New Zealand climber, community leader, and the chairperson of the Aotearoa Climbing Access Trust (ACAT).
A highly successful youth competition climber in his earlier years, climbing 32 (8b+) routes and flashing V10 at Flock Hill.[1] Alongside his personal climbing background, he remains an influential figure in national climbing governance and advocacy, serving as Chairperson of ACAT.
References
Current Board Member [1]
References
[1] https://alpineclub.org.nz/club-news/2025-board-election-results#erin-stewart
Presidents List NZAC. [1] Made a life member in 2023. [2]
References
[1] Presidents List https://alpineclub.org.nz/new-zealand-alpine-club-president-list
[2] https://alpineclub.org.nz/club-news/life-and-honorary-members-2023