Climbing History
A selected history of climbing and mountaineering through the climbers, climbs and media.
4218 Climbers
8150 Climbs
21731 Ascents
Featured
Silence | 9c Sport route in the Flatanger Cave
Silence was established by Adam Ondra in 2017. It was the first route to be graded 9c and is still a contender for the hardest sport climb in the world. Bolted by Ondra and originally dubbed Project Hard, it features a notoriously strange boulder problem crux with feet-first jamming through a slopey crack. Ondra rated this section alone 8C, whilst Will Bosi and Stefano Ghisolfi thought 8C+ was more appropriate.
Bosi and Stefano Ghisolfi have put serious time into trying to repeat the route, with both climbers linking the crux section.
Silence was established by Adam Ondra in 2017. It was the first route to be graded 9c and is still a contender for the hardest sport climb in the world. Bolted by Ondra and originally dubbed Project Hard, it features a notoriously strange boulder problem crux with feet-first jamming through a slopey crack. Ondra rated this section alone 8C, whilst Will Bosi and Stefano Ghisolfi thought 8C+ was more appropriate.
Bosi and Stefano Ghisolfi have put serious time into trying to repeat the route, with both climbers linking the crux section.
Pics + Vids
Featuring 10550 pictures and videos. Try searching for a climber, climb or summit to see pics and videos.
Spencer Schmick on The Zone ~ 8B+
Sangwon Son on Pinch Traverse 8B+
Nico Januel on Le Sens de la Fête 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 4285 podcasts. Try searching for a climber to see podcasts with them, or check out some of these podcasts:
- Aidan Roberts on The Careless Talk Climbing Podcast (2022)
- Ravioli Biceps on The Careless Talk Climbing Podcast (2023)
- Kaya Lindasy on The Enormocast (2022)
- Clément Lechaptois on BlokCast (2023)
Library
Featuring 16125 items in the library. Try a search to see what you can find, or check out these library items:
- Frequent Flyers (2001) Film
- A.A.C., Sierra Nevada Section (1996) Journal
- Bosigran & the North Coast (1991) Guidebook
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References
References
References
[1] https://www.mountainproject.com/route/108121905/loose-canon
From Mountain Project: Grayson Highlands State Park is the crown jewel of bouldering in the state of VA, and arguably the best summer bouldering in the southeast. Grayson Highlands State Park (GHSP) is best known however, for being the best of the best for all things scenic, hiking related, and basically for every facet of outdoor mountainous recreation in the state of Virginia. As a state park, GHSP is home to 4,822 acres of pristine recreational opportunities and mountain solitude. GHSP is attached to the wonderful, 200,000 acre Mount Rogers National Recreation Area. You have plenty of wilderness to experience!
There are over 1000 listed boulder problems ranging from easygoing to advanced (VB-V12/13). The rock type found here is Rhyolite and a unique, varying conglomerate or metasandstone (elsewhere in the park). Rhyolite is a volcanic rock derived from melted continental crust that is a darker color, and if you look close, you'll find it is often polka dotted with bright pink inclusions which are phenocrysts of feldspar. The metamorphic sandstone elsewhere in the park is a sharp geometric stone, so you can be sure to find ultra steep, powerful faces on many of the boulders, blades, and fins protruding from the ground. On them will be crimpy rails, flakes, edges, pinches, and picturesque angular features.
GHSP's boulder fields have the highest altitudes in the southeast with the majority of the bouldering found in the 4,500' - 4,900' range and the Highlands Area reaching past 5,000' (the lookout at Grandmother Mountain in Boone is 4063').
The main boulder fields in GHSP are the Listening Rock Trail Loop (LRT), the Boneyard areas, and the Highlands Bouldering Area. For many visitors, the LRT has the best bouldering in the park. It has hundreds of problems, amazing lines, a very short approach, and the trail meanders through most of the main boulders. The Highlands Area is without a doubt the poster child of the park and is the most beautiful bouldering area in VA (if not the southeast). Vast landscape settings with near endless views, a cool breeze in the warm months, and little wild ponies running around.
References
[1] https://www.mountainproject.com/area/106477419/grayson-highlands-state-park
[2] https://www.dcr.virginia.gov/state-parks/grayson-highlands