Climbing History
A selected history of climbing and mountaineering through the climbers, climbs and media.
4255 Climbers
8220 Climbs
21947 Ascents
Featured
Steve McClure
Steve McClure is a British climber who was at the forefront of sport climbing from the late 1990s to until late 2010s, and in more recent years has applied his considerable talents to establishing and repeating some of the hardest trad climbs in the UK.
In 1998 he established Mutation at Raven Tor, suggesting 9a – that being the top grade in the world at the time – but it proved even harder. A repeat took until 2021 to materialise, and along with it an upgrade to 9a+, making it one of the first of the grade in the world. He then went on to further cement himself as Britain's leading sport climber of the time by climbing Ben Moon's Kilnsey project to produce Northern Lights.
Over the following decades Steve continued to almost single-handedly push hard sport climbing in the UK with routes like Rainshadow, Overshadow and his 127-day magnum opus Rainman (9b), as well as many other notable contributions to Malham Cove, Kilnsey and the Peak District.
Steve is also a very capable trad climber and has repeated and established some of the UKs hardest trad climbs. For example his onsight of Nightmayer on Dinas Cromlech is one of the most impressive ascents in this style in the UK.
The first time I came to Malham it looked like the easiest crag in the world...
References
[1] https://www.ukclimbing.com/articles/features/steve_mcclure_climbs_1000th_8a_-_the_magic_grade-15509
[2] Interview with Keith Sharples On The Edge Issue 103, page 42
[3] Video with Magnus Midtbø, Jan 2026 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FAmM46vFn1Y
[4] Interview with Mat Wright (August 2026) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q776EHIhNUo
Steve McClure is a British climber who was at the forefront of sport climbing from the late 1990s to until late 2010s, and in more recent years has applied his considerable talents to establishing and repeating some of the hardest trad climbs in the UK.
In 1998 he established Mutation at Raven Tor, suggesting 9a – that being the top grade in the world at the time – but it proved even harder. A repeat took until 2021 to materialise, and along with it an upgrade to 9a+, making it one of the first of the grade in the world. He then went on to further cement himself as Britain's leading sport climber of the time by climbing Ben Moon's Kilnsey project to produce Northern Lights.
Over the following decades Steve continued to almost single-handedly push hard sport climbing in the UK with routes like Rainshadow, Overshadow and his 127-day magnum opus Rainman (9b), as well as many other notable contributions to Malham Cove, Kilnsey and the Peak District.
Steve is also a very capable trad climber and has repeated and established some of the UKs hardest trad climbs. For example his onsight of Nightmayer on Dinas Cromlech is one of the most impressive ascents in this style in the UK.
The first time I came to Malham it looked like the easiest crag in the world...
References
[1] https://www.ukclimbing.com/articles/features/steve_mcclure_climbs_1000th_8a_-_the_magic_grade-15509
[2] Interview with Keith Sharples On The Edge Issue 103, page 42
[3] Video with Magnus Midtbø, Jan 2026 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FAmM46vFn1Y
[4] Interview with Mat Wright (August 2026) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q776EHIhNUo
Pics + Vids
Featuring 10668 pictures and videos. Try searching for a climber, climb or summit to see pics and videos.
Aidan Roberts on Isles of Wonder SDS 8C+
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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 4310 podcasts. Try searching for a climber to see podcasts with them, or check out some of these podcasts:
- Alex Honnold on Climbing Gold (2022)
- Jim Pope and John Menlove Edwards on Jam Crack Podcast (2024)
- Rick Accomazzo and Tobin Sorenson on Jam Crack Podcast (2024)
- Waldo Etherington on Off Grid (2026)
Library
Featuring 16155 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 1922 Vol 34 476-480 New Expeditions (1922) Journal
- Torquay Bouldering (2024) Guidebook
Recent updates
References
After 8 years of attempts, Charles dislocated his shoulder on the move to the lip, leaving him unable to make the easy finishing mantle.
Charles didn't offer a grade when he made his successful ascent, but had previously discussed the boulder being around 9A.
References
[1] https://www.redbull.com/int-en/episodes/reel-rock-s8-e2
[2] https://open.spotify.com/episode/5ddM0YDlUz2cC0MaOWkuo9
[3] The try Charles dislocated his shoulder: https://www.instagram.com/reel/DFIq7X8NAIi/
[4] Send post: https://www.instagram.com/p/DWehdjziOMe/