Climbing History
A selected history of climbing and mountaineering through the climbers, climbs and media.
4192 Climbers
8109 Climbs
21593 Ascents
Featured
L’Ombre du Voyageur | 8B+ Boulder problem at Le Salève
L’Ombre du Voyageur is a 15m roof crack boulder problem in a cave in Le Salève, near Geneva. The first half of the problem is the hardest section before you reach a slight rest hanging from a single handjam, and then the easier end section.
The line was first spotted by Elie Chevieux, but it had to wait until Charles Albert started working the line around 2019 until it would then see a first ascent in 2023.
Speculating on the grade, Charles acknowledged it would likely feel significantly easier with shoes and knee pads but suggested 9A would likely be appropriate for an ascent in this 'normal' style. Pietro Vidi then made the second ascent using all the tricks in the book (2 shoes, 4 kneepads (!) and 2 crack gloves) and suggested 8B+ was more appropriate. Given Pietro's ascent is closer to the 'normal' style it seems 8B+ is probably closer to the grade others will experience on this problem.
References
L’Ombre du Voyageur is a 15m roof crack boulder problem in a cave in Le Salève, near Geneva. The first half of the problem is the hardest section before you reach a slight rest hanging from a single handjam, and then the easier end section.
The line was first spotted by Elie Chevieux, but it had to wait until Charles Albert started working the line around 2019 until it would then see a first ascent in 2023.
Speculating on the grade, Charles acknowledged it would likely feel significantly easier with shoes and knee pads but suggested 9A would likely be appropriate for an ascent in this 'normal' style. Pietro Vidi then made the second ascent using all the tricks in the book (2 shoes, 4 kneepads (!) and 2 crack gloves) and suggested 8B+ was more appropriate. Given Pietro's ascent is closer to the 'normal' style it seems 8B+ is probably closer to the grade others will experience on this problem.
References
Pics + Vids
Featuring 10491 pictures and videos. Try searching for a climber, climb or summit to see pics and videos.
Kai Harada on G-Master 8C
Lilian Moretti on Titan (assis) 8C
Adam Ondra on The Dawn Wall E12
Ben Cossey on Groove Train 8c
Support
If you've enjoyed using climbing-history.org please consider supporting the project by joining the patreon. Your support helps pay for the hosting required to keep the site running. Everyone who donates gets added to the supporters page.
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 4265 podcasts. Try searching for a climber to see podcasts with them, or check out some of these podcasts:
- Ashima Shiraishi on The Careless Talk Climbing Podcast (2024)
- Alex Barrows on TrainingBeta (2015)
- James Pearson on Lattice Training (2021)
- Will Bosi on The Nugget (2024)
Library
Featuring 16104 items in the library. Try a search to see what you can find, or check out these library items:
- Performance Rock Climbing (1993) Film
- Alpine Journal 1904 Vol 22 338 Correspondence (1904) Journal
- Pembroke (1981) Guidebook
Recent updates
A founding member of the Climbers' Club and a member of it's first committee.
A founding member of the Climbers' Club and a member of it's first committee.
References
[1] http://www.theslingsbys.co.uk/willcecilarticle.htm
[2] https://footlesscrow.blogspot.com/2021/01/remembering-slingsby.html by Tony Howard (2021)
A founding member of the Climbers' Club and a member of it's first committee.
Often referred to as the Father of Rock Climbing, he was one of the earliest climbers to pursue rock climbing for it's own sake. He was a founding member of the Climbers' Club and a member of it's first committee.