Climbing History
A selected history of climbing and mountaineering through the climbers, climbs and media.
3619 Climbers
7200 Climbs
18773 Ascents
Featured
Hubble | 9a Sport route at Raven Tor
Hubble is a route at Raven Tor in the UK's Peak District. Ben Moon made the first ascent of the full line in 1990 suggesting a grade of 8c+, making it the hardest route in the world at the time. It is now considered closer to 9a, making it both the first 8c+ and the first 9a!
The route is unusually bouldery and powerful with the meat of the difficulty being a short section on undercuts at the start of the route that is around 8B/+ as a boulder problem. The top of the route is roughly a 7c sport route so shouldn't present any issues for a climber capable of getting through the bottom, though Ben Moon famously fell off the top the first time he managed to climb through the boulder problem.
A kneebar on the crux undercut match move was first discovered around 2014 which apparently makes this move slightly easier. It was first successfully used by Mathew Wright on his ascent in 2020. This method has now been used on several successful ascents. So far, ascentionists using the kneebar method have suggested it doesn't significantly alter the overall difficulty with leg length being a crucial factor.
References
Hubble is a route at Raven Tor in the UK's Peak District. Ben Moon made the first ascent of the full line in 1990 suggesting a grade of 8c+, making it the hardest route in the world at the time. It is now considered closer to 9a, making it both the first 8c+ and the first 9a!
The route is unusually bouldery and powerful with the meat of the difficulty being a short section on undercuts at the start of the route that is around 8B/+ as a boulder problem. The top of the route is roughly a 7c sport route so shouldn't present any issues for a climber capable of getting through the bottom, though Ben Moon famously fell off the top the first time he managed to climb through the boulder problem.
A kneebar on the crux undercut match move was first discovered around 2014 which apparently makes this move slightly easier. It was first successfully used by Mathew Wright on his ascent in 2020. This method has now been used on several successful ascents. So far, ascentionists using the kneebar method have suggested it doesn't significantly alter the overall difficulty with leg length being a crucial factor.
References
Pics + Vids
Featuring 9117 pictures and videos. Try searching for a climber, climb or summit to see pics and videos.
Jesse Grupper on Starstruck 8B+
Mari Augusta Salvesen on Duel 8A
Adam Ondra on The Pura Pura E10
David Fitzgerald on Bügeleisen 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 4026 podcasts. Try searching for a climber to see podcasts with them, or check out some of these podcasts:
- Randy Leavitt on The Enormocast, September 2012
- Hazel Findlay on Strong Mind, July 2025
- Allison Vest on The Testpiece Podcast, April 2024
- Alex Honnold on The Struggle Climbing Show, May 2023
Library
Featuring 11023 items in the library. Try a search to see what you can find, or check out these library items:
- Dave Macleod - Breathless Film
- Alpine Journal 1975 100-104 Bere Yeti (1975) Journal
- Meirionnyd (2002) Guidebook
Recent updates
Leicestershire climber and guidebook author, founder of Cordee.
Iain McKenzie:
A number of people have contacted me at the wall asking if the rumours were true. It is with great regret that I must report they are true, Ken Vickers died on Tuesday.
I personally only knew Ken through my contact with the Midlands BMC and I had the upmost respect and admiration for the man. He was somewhat of an inspiration and flew the flag for Climbing in Leicestershire and further a field for many years with most of his activity taking place in the 1960’s.
It was Ken’s pressure at a BMC meeting some 18 months ago that lead to me staring to look into the prospect of producing a Leicestershire Guide Book and from the meeting with some 30+ people on Monday night, I can only say he was right, there is interest in a new guide book.
I am sure we will have many opportunities in the coming days, months and years to remember Ken, if on the end of a rope cleaning one of his routes or stood trembling on one of his classics like Sailaway in the Brand or Virago at Craig Buddon, remembering him for all that he meant to us, a community of climbers in Leicestershire.
It cannot be overstated or captured in words alone. But for the moment, the finest tribute we can give is to continue to do the work he loved so much and inspired us to do in the writing of the Leicestershire Guide Book and dedicate the book to Ken to make sure his enthusiasm and dedication to local climbing is remembered and not forgotten.
Richard Robinson, director of Cordee said, "It is with great sadness that we learned of the death of Ken Vickers earlier this week."
"Ken was an active Leicestershire climber and was a member of several local and national guidebook committees."
"It was Ken’s involvement with climbing guidebook production which is perhaps his most enduring legacy and he should be remembered as one of the main reasons why climbing guidebooks are available today."
"He also lives on through Cordee – the Leicester based book distributor which he founded over 30 years ago. We knew Ken locally through the Bowline Climbing Club and he was helping with a forthcoming new edition of his guidebook Leicestershire Climbs in conjunction with the BMC."
"Ken leaves a family he can be proud of and our thoughts are with them, in particular June and his two sons James and Simon."
Ken was the guiding light for the early Leicestershire Climbing Activists and leaves a legacy which will continues to inspire. [1]
References
[1] https://www.ukclimbing.com/forums/rock_talk/ken_vickers-244169
References
[1] Interview with Björn Pohl (2011) https://www.ukclimbing.com/news/2011/09/thomas_willenberg_exclusive_interview-64154