Climbing History
A selected history of climbing and mountaineering through the climbers, climbs and media.
3751 Climbers
7436 Climbs
19385 Ascents
Featured
Royal Robbins
Royal Robbins was an extremely influential climber from the USA in the late 1950s and 1960s. He was part of a generation of climbers who established Yosemite as a world class climbing destination and made first ascents and repeats of many now-famous routes there.
Robbins was also very influential in terms of the climbing style and ethics he espoused. Many of the values he championed, such as minimising reliance on fixed ropes, minimising the use of bolts and climbing from the ground up remain core to what is considered good style in modern big wall climbing. After visiting the UK and using nuts and chockstones for protection Robbins, together with Yvon Chouinard, became an early proponent of 'clean climbing': the use of chocks over pitons as a means of minimising damage to the rock.
In later life Robbins struggled with arthritis in his hands which made climbing difficult. Because of this Robbins focused his energy on his business ventures and, later, on white water kayaking. He made first descents of several rivers in the US and further abroad.
References
[1] https://www.instagram.com/p/CU4qXc5J8i7/
[2] https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=6849687261751921&set=a.126453404075374
[3] Smart, D. (2023). Royal Robbins: The American Climber. United States: Mountaineers Books.
[4] Ament, P. (1998). Royal Robbins: Spirit of the Age. United States: Stackpole Books.
[5] Robbins, R. (2010). To Be Brave: My Life. United Kingdom: Pink Moment Productions.
[6] Robbins, R. (2010). Fail Falling. United States: Pink Moment Press.
[7] https://open.spotify.com/episode/3ce65n5RTjNYnXYEBJAH1A
[8] https://archive.org/details/royalrobbins
[9] Interview with John Meek https://archive.org/details/RoyalRobbinsJohnMeekInterview_52
Royal Robbins was an extremely influential climber from the USA in the late 1950s and 1960s. He was part of a generation of climbers who established Yosemite as a world class climbing destination and made first ascents and repeats of many now-famous routes there.
Robbins was also very influential in terms of the climbing style and ethics he espoused. Many of the values he championed, such as minimising reliance on fixed ropes, minimising the use of bolts and climbing from the ground up remain core to what is considered good style in modern big wall climbing. After visiting the UK and using nuts and chockstones for protection Robbins, together with Yvon Chouinard, became an early proponent of 'clean climbing': the use of chocks over pitons as a means of minimising damage to the rock.
In later life Robbins struggled with arthritis in his hands which made climbing difficult. Because of this Robbins focused his energy on his business ventures and, later, on white water kayaking. He made first descents of several rivers in the US and further abroad.
References
[1] https://www.instagram.com/p/CU4qXc5J8i7/
[2] https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=6849687261751921&set=a.126453404075374
[3] Smart, D. (2023). Royal Robbins: The American Climber. United States: Mountaineers Books.
[4] Ament, P. (1998). Royal Robbins: Spirit of the Age. United States: Stackpole Books.
[5] Robbins, R. (2010). To Be Brave: My Life. United Kingdom: Pink Moment Productions.
[6] Robbins, R. (2010). Fail Falling. United States: Pink Moment Press.
[7] https://open.spotify.com/episode/3ce65n5RTjNYnXYEBJAH1A
[8] https://archive.org/details/royalrobbins
[9] Interview with John Meek https://archive.org/details/RoyalRobbinsJohnMeekInterview_52
Pics + Vids
Featuring 9403 pictures and videos. Try searching for a climber, climb or summit to see pics and videos.
Elias Iagnemma on Ganesh 8C+
Spencer Schmick on Ra 8A+
Isabelle Faus on Shadow Walker 8B+
Matt Nunes on Uncertainty 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 4087 podcasts. Try searching for a climber to see podcasts with them, or check out some of these podcasts:
- Will Anglin on The Testpiece Podcast, January 2026
- Allison Vest on The Nugget, August 2024
- Frances Bensley on The Careless Talk Climbing Podcast, July 2022
- Steven Dimmitt on Dirtbag State of Mind, January 2023
Library
Featuring 11035 items in the library. Try a search to see what you can find, or check out these library items:
- Flashed (2025) Film
- Alpine Journal43 1931 362-381 Various Expeditions (1931) Journal
- Carneddau (1975) Guidebook