Climbing History
A selected history of climbing and mountaineering through the climbers, climbs and media.
4241 Climbers
8192 Climbs
21873 Ascents
Featured
Le Carnage | 7B+ Boulder problem at Bas Cuvier
The first 7B in Fontainebleau. Climbed in 1977, key holds were manufactured by Jérôme Jean-Charles, who believed that the possibilities for hard climbing on natural rock had been exhausted and the only way to progress would be to add holds to 'unclimbable' rock.
Topo Bleau summarises the paradox:
But Cuvier is also the massif of all the wrong turns, given how much the rock has been altered. Nowhere else are there so many manufactured holds, so many holds patched with cement. In a way, that was the price of progress.
But let’s not throw our hammers at the heads of those who came before. In the spirit of the time, they weren’t violating any ethical principle, because it hadn’t yet been recognised that chipping actually limits the standard. In other words, it unconsciously avoided engaging with the rock itself. It took 17 years to go from 7a to 7b, and only 7 years from 7b to 8a. [1]
In 2001 the problem was vandalised by a disgruntled local climber, who attempted to chip off the starting hold, making the problem harder. (2)
Despite its manufactured nature, the problem is one of the most popular in Fontainebleau and a milestone for any aspiring Bleausard.
References
[2] On The Edge issue 110, page 10
The first 7B in Fontainebleau. Climbed in 1977, key holds were manufactured by Jérôme Jean-Charles, who believed that the possibilities for hard climbing on natural rock had been exhausted and the only way to progress would be to add holds to 'unclimbable' rock.
Topo Bleau summarises the paradox:
But Cuvier is also the massif of all the wrong turns, given how much the rock has been altered. Nowhere else are there so many manufactured holds, so many holds patched with cement. In a way, that was the price of progress.
But let’s not throw our hammers at the heads of those who came before. In the spirit of the time, they weren’t violating any ethical principle, because it hadn’t yet been recognised that chipping actually limits the standard. In other words, it unconsciously avoided engaging with the rock itself. It took 17 years to go from 7a to 7b, and only 7 years from 7b to 8a. [1]
In 2001 the problem was vandalised by a disgruntled local climber, who attempted to chip off the starting hold, making the problem harder. (2)
Despite its manufactured nature, the problem is one of the most popular in Fontainebleau and a milestone for any aspiring Bleausard.
References
[2] On The Edge issue 110, page 10
Pics + Vids
Featuring 10632 pictures and videos. Try searching for a climber, climb or summit to see pics and videos.
Quinn Mason on Spirit Quest 9a
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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 4300 podcasts. Try searching for a climber to see podcasts with them, or check out some of these podcasts:
- Tom O'Halloran on TrainingBeta (2019)
- Jeannie Wall on The Nugget (2023)
- Siebe Vanhee on CIA - Climbing Intelligence Agency (2023)
- Chris Deuto on The RunOut Podcast (2025)
Library
Featuring 16142 items in the library. Try a search to see what you can find, or check out these library items:
- The Lappnor Project (2017) Film
- Idaho Section (2014) Journal
- N Wales Limestone Supplement (1983) Guidebook
Recent updates
Satchmo, short for satchel mouth, was jazz trumpeter Louis Armstrong’s nickname. [1]
References
Satchmo, short for satchel mouth was jazz trumpeter Louis Armstrong’s nickname. [1]