Climbing History
A selected history of climbing and mountaineering through the climbers, climbs and media.
3632 Climbers
7224 Climbs
18835 Ascents
Featured
Will Bosi
Will Bosi is a climber from Edinburgh in Scotland. He first came to prominence as a competition climber, but has since become one of the leading climbers across both sport climbing and bouldering. In 2020 he became only the second Brit to climb 9b with La Capella, and in 2025 he made the second ascent of Excalibur (9b+), becoming the first British climber to climb the grade.
Much of Will's most notable climbing since 2022 has been in bouldering. In 2022 he made the first ascent of Honey Badger (8C+) at Badger Cove, and later that year climbed Alphane (9A). He has since added Burden of Dreams (9A), Return of the Sleepwalker (9A) and Spots of Time (9A). In 2025 Will made the first ascent of Realm of Tor'ment (9A), making him the first person to climb five 9A boulders.
Will continues to push himself on projects such as Silence (9c), Terranova (8C+) and the Dumby Project.
References
[1] My Climbing Journey April 2023, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZmmMbpCsSuA
[2] Interview with Lattice Training https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cn1dJNPfAfc
[3] https://www.climbing.com/people/interview-will-bosi-spots-of-time/
[4] Interview with Emil Abrahamsson Jan 2026 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OygaAqejUTg
Will Bosi is a climber from Edinburgh in Scotland. He first came to prominence as a competition climber, but has since become one of the leading climbers across both sport climbing and bouldering. In 2020 he became only the second Brit to climb 9b with La Capella, and in 2025 he made the second ascent of Excalibur (9b+), becoming the first British climber to climb the grade.
Much of Will's most notable climbing since 2022 has been in bouldering. In 2022 he made the first ascent of Honey Badger (8C+) at Badger Cove, and later that year climbed Alphane (9A). He has since added Burden of Dreams (9A), Return of the Sleepwalker (9A) and Spots of Time (9A). In 2025 Will made the first ascent of Realm of Tor'ment (9A), making him the first person to climb five 9A boulders.
Will continues to push himself on projects such as Silence (9c), Terranova (8C+) and the Dumby Project.
References
[1] My Climbing Journey April 2023, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZmmMbpCsSuA
[2] Interview with Lattice Training https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cn1dJNPfAfc
[3] https://www.climbing.com/people/interview-will-bosi-spots-of-time/
[4] Interview with Emil Abrahamsson Jan 2026 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OygaAqejUTg
Pics + Vids
Featuring 9151 pictures and videos. Try searching for a climber, climb or summit to see pics and videos.
Shauna Coxsey on Hydro 8B
Holly Toothill on Ben's Groove SDS 7C+
Support
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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 4033 podcasts. Try searching for a climber to see podcasts with them, or check out some of these podcasts:
- Lor Sabourin on Strong Mind, May 2023
- Cedar Wright on The Enormocast, June 2012
- Arthur Le Bris on BlokCast, April 2026
- Allegra Maguire on Climb in Flow, February 2025
Library
Featuring 11023 items in the library. Try a search to see what you can find, or check out these library items:
- Aventure à Bleau (1980) Film
- Allen Carpe, 1894-1932 (1932) Journal
- Plymouth Bouldering (2025) Guidebook
Recent updates
First black person to free El Cap.
First Ascent
First female ascent
A lot of history associated with this climb. From Kevin Jorgeson's blog "It is a well known fact that the Buttermilks of Bishop, CA are known for their highballs. It only takes one visit, or one glance at a photograph, to realize how big the granite boulders are and how unique the geology is. However, had it not been for the events of the mid to late 1980's, and a climb called Transporter Room, the Buttermilks may be known for the country's shortest sport climbs instead."
First put up by Helmut Kiene on toprope in the late 70s. FA Dale Bard, late 70s. Dale Bard put five bolts in the face so that his girlfriend at the time, Bobbi Bensman, could lead it. Tommy Herbert came and chopped the bolts a few days later. Because of this, Tom decided against putting bolts in his neighbouring toprope project, Ambrosia, and so Bishop became the highball capital of the US it is know as today.
References
References
[2] Blog Post: https://nalle-hukkataival.blogspot.com/2009/12/ninja-skills_21.html?m=1
[3] Pre-send Blog: https://nalle-hukkataival.blogspot.com/2009/12/ninja-skills.html?m=1