Climbing History
A selected history of climbing and mountaineering through the climbers, climbs and media.
3555 Climbers
7053 Climbs
18278 Ascents
Featured
Fred Rouhling
Fred Rouhling was a controversial figure during the late 90s and early 2000s. With a string of hard ascents in a relatively off the beaten track location there were many people who doubted his ascents, not helped by the fact that many of his routes were unashamedly chipped (for example De L'Autre Côté du Ciel).
His route Akira was particularly contentious. When he made the first ascent he gave it the then unheard of grade of 9b at a time when 9a+ didn't exist.
A 2005 profile by Pete Ward [2] helped to dispel some of the more outlandish myths, and many of his routes have now received repeats which confirm their quality and difficulty. However, his route Akira did receive a notable downgrade to 9a after being repeated by Sébastien Bouin and Lucien Martinez.
References
[1] Interview with Relais Vertical Part 1 https://youtu.be/xqk0nQCNtpY
[2] Interview with Relais Vertical Part 2 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=enFSnkF25eI
[3] The Other Side of Fred Rouhling by Pete Ward, 15th June 2012 https://www.climbing.com/people/fred-rouhling/
[4] Interview with camptocamp.org, October 2008 https://www.camptocamp.org/articles/143240/fr/interview-de-fred-rouhling-21-10-2008-
[5] https://open.spotify.com/episode/4T8j5taHKyu11HnWMKvxWT?
[6] Interview for On The Edge Issue 102, page 40
Fred Rouhling was a controversial figure during the late 90s and early 2000s. With a string of hard ascents in a relatively off the beaten track location there were many people who doubted his ascents, not helped by the fact that many of his routes were unashamedly chipped (for example De L'Autre Côté du Ciel).
His route Akira was particularly contentious. When he made the first ascent he gave it the then unheard of grade of 9b at a time when 9a+ didn't exist.
A 2005 profile by Pete Ward [2] helped to dispel some of the more outlandish myths, and many of his routes have now received repeats which confirm their quality and difficulty. However, his route Akira did receive a notable downgrade to 9a after being repeated by Sébastien Bouin and Lucien Martinez.
References
[1] Interview with Relais Vertical Part 1 https://youtu.be/xqk0nQCNtpY
[2] Interview with Relais Vertical Part 2 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=enFSnkF25eI
[3] The Other Side of Fred Rouhling by Pete Ward, 15th June 2012 https://www.climbing.com/people/fred-rouhling/
[4] Interview with camptocamp.org, October 2008 https://www.camptocamp.org/articles/143240/fr/interview-de-fred-rouhling-21-10-2008-
[5] https://open.spotify.com/episode/4T8j5taHKyu11HnWMKvxWT?
[6] Interview for On The Edge Issue 102, page 40
Pics + Vids
Featuring 8840 pictures and videos. Try searching for a climber, climb or summit to see pics and videos.
Dave Thomas on Breakaway (~E6)
Ethan Pringle on An Inconvenient Roof (8b)
Daniel Woods on Adrenaline (8C+)
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 3946 podcasts. Try searching for a climber to see podcasts with them, or check out some of these podcasts:
- Katie Lamb on The Nugget, September 2023
- Clément Lechaptois on BlokCast, September 2023
- Stian Christophersen on The Struggle Climbing Show, March 2025
- Nina Caprez on The Curious Climber, July 2022
Library
Featuring 11021 items in the library. Try a search to see what you can find, or check out these library items:
- Free Solo (2018) Film
- Alpine Journal 1881 Vol 10 332-345 Conway Saas Grat (1881) Journal
- Gogarth (1981) Guidebook
Recent updates
Paul initially suggested 8C but later changed his mind to 8C+. [2]
References
Paul initially suggested 8C but later changed his mind to 8C+.
References
Celestite has never been on my mind as a candidate for a flash try. I mean, looking at a video of the absolute kneebar master and wizard himself, Dave Graham, who put up the first ascent of this incredible boulder, it doesn't look flashable at all. I was there with Pietro Vidi and Giuliano Cameroni, who showed me all the beta and I set off for my flash try, with nobody, including me, really expecting that I would get very far on this boulder. But somehow, I felt all the body positions really well, my kneepads were sticking and even though my biceps were about to give in, all of a sudden I was on the lip, not really knowing what to do and with my hands being really sweaty. Luckily, I kept together and made it to the top. Regarding the grade, we agreed with Pietro, who did it a few days before me, that the boulder is 8C. Dave's beta was slightly harder. [3]
References
[1] https://www.youtube.com/shorts/5LKo50oA37s
[2] https://www.instagram.com/p/DVi7bJmjNhO/
[3] https://www.adamondra.com/celestite-8c-flash-and-lion-s-share-8c-flash/
[4] https://www.planetmountain.com/en/news/interviews/adam-ondra-flashes-another-two-8c-boulders.html
Celestite has never been on my mind as a candidate for a flash try. I mean, looking at a video of the absolute kneebar master and wizard himself, Dave Graham, who put up the first ascent of this incredible boulder, it doesn't look flashable at all. I was there with Pietro Vidi and Giuliano Cameroni, who showed me all the beta and I set off for my flash try, with nobody, including me, really expecting that I would get very far on this boulder. But somehow, I felt all the body positions really well, my kneepads were sticking and even though my biceps were about to give in, all of a sudden I was on the lip, not really knowing what to do and with my hands being really sweaty. Luckily, I kept together and made it to the top. Regarding the grade, we agreed with Pietro, who did it a few days before me, that the boulder is 8C. Dave's beta was slightly harder. [3]
References
[1] https://www.youtube.com/shorts/5LKo50oA37s
[2] https://www.instagram.com/p/DVi7bJmjNhO/
[3] https://www.adamondra.com/celestite-8c-flash-and-lion-s-share-8c-flash/
Sam had a good flash go. [2]
References
[1] https://www.instagram.com/reel/DTqEwJ7jFsy/
[3] https://www.adamondra.com/celestite-8c-flash-and-lion-s-share-8c-flash/