Climbing History
A selected history of climbing and mountaineering through the climbers, climbs and media.
4161 Climbers
8054 Climbs
21442 Ascents
Featured
Meshuga | E9 Trad climb at Black Rocks
The prow at Black Rocks is one of the most impressive and uncompromising features on gritstone and for decades was regarded as a Last Great Problem. Attention in the late ‘80s and early ‘90s focused on the prow’s left arête, with climbing said to be around 8b.
Whilst top-roping Seb Grieve on the line, Quentin Fisher suggested trying to link to a line of better holds on the right arête. With a bit of beta refinement from Dave Jones, the line of Meshuga was unlocked and Seb made his ascent in 1997. It was perhaps the boldest route on gritstone at the time, comprising unpredictable 7c climbing, a long way above a terrible landing. The name comes from the Yiddish word for Insane. [1]
Despite its boldness, it has become one of the most repeated E9s.
The left arête remains unclimbed.
Not much gear until all the hard climbing is completed (though initial pocket may take a F1.5). Instead, protection would appear to take the form of several futon mattresses and a wandering clutch of Frenchmen lashed down to prevent them from running off. The landing is possibly the worst on gritstone although Neil Gresham miraculously only got concussion when he fell off the crux slap. One other thing to think about to savour the full atmosphere is that The Promontory is a historically popular suicide spot. [2]
References
[1] ‘Peak Rock’, Vertebrate Publishing, 2013.
[2] https://www.geocities.ws/readza1/climbing/gritlist/grit_e9.html
The prow at Black Rocks is one of the most impressive and uncompromising features on gritstone and for decades was regarded as a Last Great Problem. Attention in the late ‘80s and early ‘90s focused on the prow’s left arête, with climbing said to be around 8b.
Whilst top-roping Seb Grieve on the line, Quentin Fisher suggested trying to link to a line of better holds on the right arête. With a bit of beta refinement from Dave Jones, the line of Meshuga was unlocked and Seb made his ascent in 1997. It was perhaps the boldest route on gritstone at the time, comprising unpredictable 7c climbing, a long way above a terrible landing. The name comes from the Yiddish word for Insane. [1]
Despite its boldness, it has become one of the most repeated E9s.
The left arête remains unclimbed.
Not much gear until all the hard climbing is completed (though initial pocket may take a F1.5). Instead, protection would appear to take the form of several futon mattresses and a wandering clutch of Frenchmen lashed down to prevent them from running off. The landing is possibly the worst on gritstone although Neil Gresham miraculously only got concussion when he fell off the crux slap. One other thing to think about to savour the full atmosphere is that The Promontory is a historically popular suicide spot. [2]
References
[1] ‘Peak Rock’, Vertebrate Publishing, 2013.
[2] https://www.geocities.ws/readza1/climbing/gritlist/grit_e9.html
Pics + Vids
Featuring 10426 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 4245 podcasts. Try searching for a climber to see podcasts with them, or check out some of these podcasts:
- Sébastien Berthe on The Careless Talk Climbing Podcast (2024)
- Jordan Cannon on The Enormocast (2018)
- Alex Johnson on The Nugget (2020)
- Nina Caprez on The Nugget (2022)
Library
Featuring 15388 items in the library. Try a search to see what you can find, or check out these library items:
- Life on Hold (2012) Film
- Alpine Journal61 1956 54-59 Gregory Merseyside Exped (1956) Journal
- Toll Road Climbs Guidebook
Recent updates
Will Bosi spent two summers working the project but made minimal progress. He has since abandoned the project after moving from Sheffield back to Edinburgh.
References
References
Named after first ascenionist John Hart's children, Rosie and Peter. [1]
References
[1] Peak Limestone North, First Ascents Supplement /file/bc3fd0e4-a3ee-a736-1cbf-d68af9f0910e/peak_lime_north_first_ascents.pdf
References
[1] https://www.8a.nu/news/amelie-kaegi-15-does-the-witch-8b
Silence was established by Adam Ondra in 2017. It was the first route to be graded 9c and is still a contender for the hardest sport climb in the world. Bolted by Ondra and originally dubbed Project Hard, it features a notoriously strange boulder problem crux with feet-first jamming through a slopey crack. Ondra rated this section alone 8C, whilst Will Bosi and Stefano Ghisolfi thought 8C+ was more appropriate.
Bosi and Stefano Ghisolfi have put serious time into trying to repeat the route, with both climbers linking the crux section.
References
[1] Podcast with Alex Megos https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_7DLZ0wAhwU
[2] 5 video YouTube playlist of his process (2022): https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLfD18zMI-Pk8iXcqbVtq2S1YPc9BvLJe-
[3] Progress update (2024) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NCmfytvG6n8