Climbing History
A selected history of climbing and mountaineering through the climbers, climbs and media.
3769 Climbers
7489 Climbs
19509 Ascents
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Action Directe | 9a Sport route at Waldkopf
Action Directe is a sport route in the Waldkopf area of the Frankenjura in Germany. It was first climbed by Wolfgang Güllich in 1991 who suggested a grade UIAA grade of XI which equates to roughly 8c+/9a. It has since settled at 9a making it one of the first of the grade in the world.
The route is famous for its brutal, uncompromising climbing on one- and two-finger pockets. While training for the first ascent Wolfgang famously made use of the first campus board in the world (the board was erected in the Campus Centre gym in Nürnberg, hence the name).
After an easier initial section leading to a ledge and hands-off rest the route consists of around 20 hand moves, a pure power-endurance testpiece.
The route is named after the French far-left militant group.
References
[1] Written in Stone, Nov 2023 https://open.spotify.com/episode/3XjUWgzU7IMJgEWPzequbq?
[2] Written in Stone interview with Ben Cossey, Nov 2023 https://open.spotify.com/episode/0jLxfy5CRlOTykTmtG7MZe?
[3] Written in Stone interview with Alex Megos, Nov 2023 https://open.spotify.com/episode/5nhDlvoMlXj4jvCROnwSh6?
Action Directe is a sport route in the Waldkopf area of the Frankenjura in Germany. It was first climbed by Wolfgang Güllich in 1991 who suggested a grade UIAA grade of XI which equates to roughly 8c+/9a. It has since settled at 9a making it one of the first of the grade in the world.
The route is famous for its brutal, uncompromising climbing on one- and two-finger pockets. While training for the first ascent Wolfgang famously made use of the first campus board in the world (the board was erected in the Campus Centre gym in Nürnberg, hence the name).
After an easier initial section leading to a ledge and hands-off rest the route consists of around 20 hand moves, a pure power-endurance testpiece.
The route is named after the French far-left militant group.
References
[1] Written in Stone, Nov 2023 https://open.spotify.com/episode/3XjUWgzU7IMJgEWPzequbq?
[2] Written in Stone interview with Ben Cossey, Nov 2023 https://open.spotify.com/episode/0jLxfy5CRlOTykTmtG7MZe?
[3] Written in Stone interview with Alex Megos, Nov 2023 https://open.spotify.com/episode/5nhDlvoMlXj4jvCROnwSh6?
Pics + Vids
Featuring 9456 pictures and videos. Try searching for a climber, climb or summit to see pics and videos.
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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 4097 podcasts. Try searching for a climber to see podcasts with them, or check out some of these podcasts:
- Chris Glastonbury on The Layback Podcast, February 2020
- Ashima Shiraishi on The Careless Talk Climbing Podcast, April 2024
- Emil Abrahamsson on That's Not Real Climbing, April 2026
- Jimmy Webb on CIA - Climbing Intelligence Agency, April 2022
Library
Featuring 11037 items in the library. Try a search to see what you can find, or check out these library items:
- Winter Sessions Extras Film
- Alpine Journal 1925 Vol 37 317-327 Yellowhead Thorington (1925) Journal
- Southern Sandstone (1989) Guidebook
Recent updates
First climbed as an aid route in the 90s
His hardest insight at the time