Climbing History
A selected history of climbing and mountaineering through the climbers, climbs and media.
3665 Climbers
7292 Climbs
19018 Ascents
Featured
John Bachar
John Bachar was a leading figure in American rock climbing during the late 1970s and 1980s. A member of The Stonemasters, he was renowned for his solo climbing, frequently putting in long days where he would solo thousands of feet in areas such as Joshua Tree and Yosemite. In 1981, Bachar famously posted a note in Joshua Tree stating "$10,000 reward for anyone who can follow me for one full day." A challenge which no one took him up on!
Bachar was also famous for his ethical stance on climbing, where he strongly advocated an adventurous ground up ethic at a time when sport climbing was starting to become popular in the US.
Bachar was also an early proponent of specific training for climbing. He invented the eponymous Bachar ladder.
John Bachar died on 5th July 2009 while soloing at Dike Wall near Mammoth Lakes, California.
References
[1] https://www.facebook.com/climbing.in.the.80s/photos/a.270388289694020/3396050157127802
[2] https://www.facebook.com/climbing.in.the.80s/photos/a.270388289694020/866918260041017
[3] A Tribute to John Bachar by Lynn Hill https://lynnhillclimbing.com/media/essays/a-tribute-to-john-bachar/
[4] John Bachar timeline on supertopo forum http://www.supertopo.com/climbers-forum/898272/john-bachar-timeline
[5] Portrait by Dean Fidelman 1974 https://www.instagram.com/p/B7-bDk3jRbn/
[6] Obituary by Ed Douglas, 2009 https://www.theguardian.com/world/2009/jul/10/john-bacher-rock-climber
[7] Memorial thread on supertopo http://www.supertopo.com/climbing/thread.php?topic_id=896012
[8] https://gripped.com/profiles/yosemite-climbing-legends-john-bachar/
[9] https://ukbouldering.com/threads/john-bachar-1957-2009.12063/
[10] Obituary by Michael Brick, 2009 https://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/09/sports/09bachar.html
John Bachar was a leading figure in American rock climbing during the late 1970s and 1980s. A member of The Stonemasters, he was renowned for his solo climbing, frequently putting in long days where he would solo thousands of feet in areas such as Joshua Tree and Yosemite. In 1981, Bachar famously posted a note in Joshua Tree stating "$10,000 reward for anyone who can follow me for one full day." A challenge which no one took him up on!
Bachar was also famous for his ethical stance on climbing, where he strongly advocated an adventurous ground up ethic at a time when sport climbing was starting to become popular in the US.
Bachar was also an early proponent of specific training for climbing. He invented the eponymous Bachar ladder.
John Bachar died on 5th July 2009 while soloing at Dike Wall near Mammoth Lakes, California.
References
[1] https://www.facebook.com/climbing.in.the.80s/photos/a.270388289694020/3396050157127802
[2] https://www.facebook.com/climbing.in.the.80s/photos/a.270388289694020/866918260041017
[3] A Tribute to John Bachar by Lynn Hill https://lynnhillclimbing.com/media/essays/a-tribute-to-john-bachar/
[4] John Bachar timeline on supertopo forum http://www.supertopo.com/climbers-forum/898272/john-bachar-timeline
[5] Portrait by Dean Fidelman 1974 https://www.instagram.com/p/B7-bDk3jRbn/
[6] Obituary by Ed Douglas, 2009 https://www.theguardian.com/world/2009/jul/10/john-bacher-rock-climber
[7] Memorial thread on supertopo http://www.supertopo.com/climbing/thread.php?topic_id=896012
[8] https://gripped.com/profiles/yosemite-climbing-legends-john-bachar/
[9] https://ukbouldering.com/threads/john-bachar-1957-2009.12063/
[10] Obituary by Michael Brick, 2009 https://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/09/sports/09bachar.html
Pics + Vids
Featuring 9269 pictures and videos. Try searching for a climber, climb or summit to see pics and videos.
Nathan Michel on The Big Island 8C
Ben Burkhalter on The Nest 8C
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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 4055 podcasts. Try searching for a climber to see podcasts with them, or check out some of these podcasts:
- Jordan Cannon on Written in Stone, August 2025
- Tom Randall on TrainingBeta, December 2015
- Aidan Roberts on The Careless Talk Climbing Podcast, April 2026
- Alex Honnold on Jam Crack Podcast, June 2016
Library
Featuring 11027 items in the library. Try a search to see what you can find, or check out these library items:
- 56° Underground- audio out take Film
- Alpine Journal53 1941 158-169 In Memoriam (1941) Journal
- Southern Sandstone Supplement (1992) Guidebook
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References
References
It would make a really good boulder problem if it wasn’t for the awful water. [1]
References
[1] https://www.ukclimbing.com/logbook/crags/hangingstone_quarry-10304/annis-788066
It would make a really good boulder problem if it wasn’t for the awful water.