Climbing History
A selected history of climbing and mountaineering through the climbers, climbs and media.
4760 Climbers
8462 Climbs
22816 Ascents
Featured
Equilibrium | E10 Trad climb at Burbage South
The first E10 on grit, climbed by Neil Bentley in 2000, Equilibrium has held its grade and repelled all but the most dedicated – or reckless. Neil Gresham stepped up in 2002 after a sustained effort (and yoga), whilst keen youth James Pearson sketched through the no-fall zone in 2005. The route has not been repeated since.
The route features a 7C+ boulder problem from which Neil Gresham took several ground-sweeping falls, followed by a hard runout to a pocket and a welcome cam.
References
[1] https://www.geocities.ws/readza1/climbing/gritlist/grit_e9.html
The first E10 on grit, climbed by Neil Bentley in 2000, Equilibrium has held its grade and repelled all but the most dedicated – or reckless. Neil Gresham stepped up in 2002 after a sustained effort (and yoga), whilst keen youth James Pearson sketched through the no-fall zone in 2005. The route has not been repeated since.
The route features a 7C+ boulder problem from which Neil Gresham took several ground-sweeping falls, followed by a hard runout to a pocket and a welcome cam.
References
[1] https://www.geocities.ws/readza1/climbing/gritlist/grit_e9.html
On this day 14th November
2020 Jakob Schubert made the first ascent of La Force Tranquille Direct 8C at Magic Wood
Wow so psyched to add this kingline! You basically do the hardest part of the original force tranquill and then instead of matching the crimp and going out right you do another big move straight up to a pocket from there you do a rather scary top out. It’s definitely harder than the original line but I like the style a lot so personally I would say it‘s not enough to push it up a full grade. It‘s the logical exit and climbs very well so I would love to see some repititions and hear their opinion 😉
- 1963 Alain Ghersen was born
- 1994 Makoto Yamauchi was born
- 2006 Sorato Anraku was born
- 2015 Dani Andrada climbed Chilam Balam 9a+ at Villanueva del Rosario
- 2016 Jorg Verhoeven climbed Dihedral Wall E9 on El Capitan 10 years
- 2021 Zach Galla climbed Grand Illusion 8C+ at Little Cottonwood Canyon
- 2024 Jessica Pilz climbed Papichulo 9a+ at Oliana
Pics + Vids
Featuring 11187 pictures and videos. Try searching for a climber, climb or summit to see pics and videos.
Chris Sharma on Le Blond ~ 9c project
Henning Wang on Muy Verdes 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 4415 podcasts. Try searching for a climber to see podcasts with them, or check out some of these podcasts:
- John Allen on Jam Crack Podcast (2017)
- Andrew Leich on The Ground Up Podcast (2026)
- Sam Richard on That's Not Real Climbing (2026)
- Sarina Ghaffari on CIA - Climbing Intelligence Agency (2026)
Library
Featuring 16265 items in the library. Try a search to see what you can find, or check out these library items:
- Underdeveloped Film
- Alpine Journal 1870 Vol 5 111-121 Whitwell Cimon della Pala (1870) Journal
- Climbs above Troedyrhiw Guidebook
Recent updates
References
The name Flower of Sulphur is an ode to a John McCullough poem of the same name. The poem explores friendship and grief.
References
[1] A look at the holds https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FCztjlTTp1I
[2] https://forwardartsfoundation.org/poem/flower-of-sulphur/
The name "Flower of Sulphur" is an ode to a John McCullough poem of the same name. The poem explores friendship and grief.
References
[1] A look at the holds https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FCztjlTTp1I
[2] https://forwardartsfoundation.org/poem/flower-of-sulphur/
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9b after only 6 years of climbing!
References
[1] https://www.instagram.com/p/DfrcaWUEcKY/
[2] https://www.8a.nu/news/sergio-san-martin-fernandez-ticks-la-planta-de-shiva-9b