Climbing History
A selected history of climbing and mountaineering through the climbers, climbs and media.
4138 Climbers
8009 Climbs
21277 Ascents
Featured
Echo Wall | E11 Trad climb at Ben Nevis
Echo Wall is a near-mythical hard trad climb located high on Ben Nevis and established by Dave MacLeod in July 2008. It is an incredibly bold route, featuring climbing around 8c in a position where falling off could result in a 20m ground fall. Once the main difficulties are done, the route's 70m length requires the leader to untie and solo the more moderate ground to the top.
The route was ungraded by MacLeod, prompting rife speculation about its difficulties. He later said it could be around E10 [1], but second ascensionist James Pearson reckoned it was more like hard E11.
The route has a tough three-hour walk-in, with a solo up Tower Ridge (VD) necessary to access the top of the route. Its location in a high mountain environment necessitates some extreme tactics to make the most of the fleeting season. While working on the first ascent, MacLeod would hike to the top of the route and shovel massive amounts of snow off the top to minimise the meltwater runoff and maximise the number of days he could spend working it over the season.
In training for his ascent, Dave famously soloed Darwin Dixit (8b+) in Margalef, graded 8c at the time and one of the physically hardest solos in the world at that point.
References
Echo Wall is a near-mythical hard trad climb located high on Ben Nevis and established by Dave MacLeod in July 2008. It is an incredibly bold route, featuring climbing around 8c in a position where falling off could result in a 20m ground fall. Once the main difficulties are done, the route's 70m length requires the leader to untie and solo the more moderate ground to the top.
The route was ungraded by MacLeod, prompting rife speculation about its difficulties. He later said it could be around E10 [1], but second ascensionist James Pearson reckoned it was more like hard E11.
The route has a tough three-hour walk-in, with a solo up Tower Ridge (VD) necessary to access the top of the route. Its location in a high mountain environment necessitates some extreme tactics to make the most of the fleeting season. While working on the first ascent, MacLeod would hike to the top of the route and shovel massive amounts of snow off the top to minimise the meltwater runoff and maximise the number of days he could spend working it over the season.
In training for his ascent, Dave famously soloed Darwin Dixit (8b+) in Margalef, graded 8c at the time and one of the physically hardest solos in the world at that point.
References
Pics + Vids
Featuring 10318 pictures and videos. Try searching for a climber, climb or summit to see pics and videos.
Kai Whaley on Sleepwalker 8C
Conor Wellman on The Multiverse 8B+
Aidan Roberts on The Innocent Man 8B+
Katrin Lehmann on Kryptos 8C
Mirko Caballero on Lard Butt 8a+
Florian Wientjes on Oliphant's Dawn 8B+
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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 4169 podcasts. Try searching for a climber to see podcasts with them, or check out some of these podcasts:
- Justin Brown on The Nugget (2020)
- Steven Dimmitt on The Nugget (2020)
- Jared Roth, Connor Herson, Tim Kang and Ethan Pringle on The Testpiece Podcast (2022)
- Simon Lorenzi on CIA - Climbing Intelligence Agency (2023)
Library
Featuring 15311 items in the library. Try a search to see what you can find, or check out these library items:
- Drifter's Escape (2026) Film
- PPG 1862 S2 V1 259-272 High Level Route 5 Jacomb (1862) Journal
- Tremadoc Update (1956) Guidebook
Recent updates
Short boulder route with one bolt. Lucky Chance and Derek discovered the line in 2006.
James Morris was a central figure in the Basin climbing scene between 2006 and 2013. Frequently climbing alongside Zac Orme and Derek Thatcher, the trio collaborated to establish numerous hard lines throughout the area.
In addition to their completed first ascents, Morris and his partners heavily influenced the development of the Basin, discovering, cleaning, and preparing many future projects that would shape the area's progression.
Morris gained the first ascent of on of Flock Hills Finest lines Moby Dick V12.
"Some call him the Future, others call him 'Jim Bob'"[1]
References
[1] The Young Ones -The Climber, NZAC Issue 68, page 28.