Climbing History
A selected history of climbing and mountaineering through the climbers, climbs and media.
2700 Climbers
5131 Climbs
13226 Ascents
Featured
Adam Ondra
Adam Ondra is widely considered to be the best rock climber in the world.
He has established or repeated many of the worlds 9bs, put up the first 9b+ with Change and the first 9c with Silence. He's onsighted multiple 9as and became the first person to flash 9a+ when he climbed Super Crackinette on his first try. He is also an extremely strong boulderer with multiple ascents of boulders up to 9A.
While his hardest ascents are notable what sets Adam apart from his contemporaries is his depth of experience. At the time of writing he has onsighted 64 8cs, 21 8c+s, 3 9as and climbed 188 routes graded 9a or harder. He has also won the world cup 7 times and the world championships 5 times.
References
[1] Adam's logbook https://www.adamondra.com/list-of-routes
[2] Interview with Magnus Midtbø, 2021 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8-5yuVuDFzU
[3] Profile in the New York Times, 2021 https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2021/sports/olympics/adam-ondra-climbing.html
[4] https://www.planetmountain.com/en/news/interviews/adam-ondra-the-100-x-9a-or-harder-interview.html
[5] Interview with Rob Greenwood for UKClimbing.com, May 2025 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VI95jOOBBno
Adam Ondra is widely considered to be the best rock climber in the world.
He has established or repeated many of the worlds 9bs, put up the first 9b+ with Change and the first 9c with Silence. He's onsighted multiple 9as and became the first person to flash 9a+ when he climbed Super Crackinette on his first try. He is also an extremely strong boulderer with multiple ascents of boulders up to 9A.
While his hardest ascents are notable what sets Adam apart from his contemporaries is his depth of experience. At the time of writing he has onsighted 64 8cs, 21 8c+s, 3 9as and climbed 188 routes graded 9a or harder. He has also won the world cup 7 times and the world championships 5 times.
References
[1] Adam's logbook https://www.adamondra.com/list-of-routes
[2] Interview with Magnus Midtbø, 2021 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8-5yuVuDFzU
[3] Profile in the New York Times, 2021 https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2021/sports/olympics/adam-ondra-climbing.html
[4] https://www.planetmountain.com/en/news/interviews/adam-ondra-the-100-x-9a-or-harder-interview.html
[5] Interview with Rob Greenwood for UKClimbing.com, May 2025 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VI95jOOBBno
Pics + Vids
Featuring 6651 pictures and videos. Try searching for a climber, climb or summit to see pics and videos.
Baptiste Dherbilly on Mandallaz Drive (9a)
Dave MacLeod on Mission Impossible (E9)
Oliver Tippett on Neptune (A4)
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 3232 podcasts. Try searching for a climber to see podcasts with them, or check out some of these podcasts:
- Hamish McArthur on The Careless Talk Climbing Podcast, January 2025
- Jesse Grupper on That's Not Real Climbing, September 2024
- Allison Vest on The Nugget, September 2021
- Erik Murdock on Dirtbag State of Mind, February 2022
Library
Featuring 9310 items in the library. Try a search to see what you can find, or check out these library items:
- The Players (2009) Film
- Oliver M. Smart, 1886-1967 (1967) Journal
- Llyn Interim Guide (1979) Guidebook
Recent updates
Climbed twice! On the 10th May his t shirt dabbed the pads on the first move so to put the ascent beyond doubt he went back and repeated it with his short off.
References
[1] https://www.instagram.com/reel/DJ9pKkmIgll/