Climbing History
A selected history of climbing and mountaineering through the climbers, climbs and media.
4265 Climbers
8267 Climbs
22077 Ascents
Featured
Action Directe | 9a Sport route at Waldkopf
Action Directe is a legendary sport route in the Waldkopf area of the Frankenjura in Germany. It was first climbed by Wolfgang Güllich in 1991 who suggested a UIAA grade of XI (roughly 8c+/9a). It has since settled at 9a making it one of the first climbs at the grade in the world.
The route is infamous for its brutal, uncompromising climbing on one and two-finger pockets. While training for the first ascent, Wolfgang famously made use of the first campus board in the world (the board was erected in the Campus Centre gym in Nuremberg, hence the name.).
After an easier initial section leading to a ledge and hands-off rest, a wild jump to a pocket marks the beginning of around 20 hand moves – a pure power-endurance testpiece.
The route is named after the French far-left militant group.
References
[1] Written in Stone, Nov 2023 https://open.spotify.com/episode/3XjUWgzU7IMJgEWPzequbq?
[2] Written in Stone interview with Ben Cossey, Nov 2023 https://open.spotify.com/episode/0jLxfy5CRlOTykTmtG7MZe?
[3] Written in Stone interview with Alex Megos, Nov 2023 https://open.spotify.com/episode/5nhDlvoMlXj4jvCROnwSh6?
Action Directe is a legendary sport route in the Waldkopf area of the Frankenjura in Germany. It was first climbed by Wolfgang Güllich in 1991 who suggested a UIAA grade of XI (roughly 8c+/9a). It has since settled at 9a making it one of the first climbs at the grade in the world.
The route is infamous for its brutal, uncompromising climbing on one and two-finger pockets. While training for the first ascent, Wolfgang famously made use of the first campus board in the world (the board was erected in the Campus Centre gym in Nuremberg, hence the name.).
After an easier initial section leading to a ledge and hands-off rest, a wild jump to a pocket marks the beginning of around 20 hand moves – a pure power-endurance testpiece.
The route is named after the French far-left militant group.
References
[1] Written in Stone, Nov 2023 https://open.spotify.com/episode/3XjUWgzU7IMJgEWPzequbq?
[2] Written in Stone interview with Ben Cossey, Nov 2023 https://open.spotify.com/episode/0jLxfy5CRlOTykTmtG7MZe?
[3] Written in Stone interview with Alex Megos, Nov 2023 https://open.spotify.com/episode/5nhDlvoMlXj4jvCROnwSh6?
Pics + Vids
Featuring 10755 pictures and videos. Try searching for a climber, climb or summit to see pics and videos.
Support
If you've enjoyed using climbing-history.org please consider supporting the project by joining the patreon. Your support helps pay for the hosting required to keep the site running. Everyone who donates gets added to the supporters page.
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 4329 podcasts. Try searching for a climber to see podcasts with them, or check out some of these podcasts:
- Chris Schulte on Jam Crack Podcast (2019)
- Ed Drummond on Jam Crack Podcast (2021)
- Hannes Van Duysen on CIA - Climbing Intelligence Agency (2024)
- Russ Clune on The RunOut Podcast (2023)
Library
Featuring 16174 items in the library. Try a search to see what you can find, or check out these library items:
- Permanent Midnight (Low Start) (2025) Film
- Alpine Journal 1962 130-149 Bullock Everest 1921 (1962) Journal
- Gogarth (1977) Guidebook
Recent updates
References
Not sure when he did it. But he did get the 3rd ascent after Simone Tentori