Climbing History
A selected history of climbing and mountaineering through the climbers, climbs and media.
3514 Climbers
6918 Climbs
17962 Ascents
Featured
The Nose | E9 Trad climb at El Capitan
Different pitches were freed over many years before Lynn Hill's completely free ascent.
The Stoveleg Cracks were first climbed free by Jim Bridwell in 1967.
In Spring 1980 Ray Jardine spent 4 months working the route, fixing ropes, managing to climb as far as the Great Roof free but only after chipping four holds on the Jardine Traverse to avoid the King Swing pendulum. So far (2025) all subsequent free ascents have taken this traverse.
In Fall 1990, Brooke Sandahl and Scott Franklin climbed all but four pitches free, the remaining aided sections were the Great Roof, Pitch above Camp 5, Changing Corners and the final Harding bolt ladder. Working top-down, Sandhal freed the Harding bolt ladder in 1991 (5.12c/7b+) and, with Dave Schultz, freed the pitch above Camp 5 in 1992 (5.12d/7c). They prepared the route for a free ascent including bolting a variation just the left of the aid line on the Changing Corners pitch but were unable to climb this.
Lynn Hill partnered by Simon Nadin first free climbed the Great Roof on a ground-up attempt in 1993 (5.13b/8a) but they were unable to completely free the Changing Corners by either the original line or the Sandhal/Schultz variation. All bar 10 feet of the route had now been free-climbed.
Hill and Sandahl joined forces later in the summer of 1993 and began working the Changing Corners pitch top-down, Sandhal focusing on his left hand variation, Hill on the original aid line. Hill was able to climb all the moves on the latter with two falls. The completely free ascent was made from the ground with Hill leading all the hard pitches.
References
[1] https://alpinist.com/features/birds-eye-view/
[2] http://www.edhartouni.net/nose-in-a-day.html
[3] https://www.rayjardine.com/Papers/Magazine-Articles/index.php?StoryPage=7
[4] https://www.rayjardine.com/Avocations/Rock-Climbing/index.php
[5] https://climbingzine.com/brooke-sandahl-beginnings-freeing-nose/
[6] https://publications.americanalpineclub.org/articles/12199404100/El-Capitans-Nose-Climbed-Free
Different pitches were freed over many years before Lynn Hill's completely free ascent.
The Stoveleg Cracks were first climbed free by Jim Bridwell in 1967.
In Spring 1980 Ray Jardine spent 4 months working the route, fixing ropes, managing to climb as far as the Great Roof free but only after chipping four holds on the Jardine Traverse to avoid the King Swing pendulum. So far (2025) all subsequent free ascents have taken this traverse.
In Fall 1990, Brooke Sandahl and Scott Franklin climbed all but four pitches free, the remaining aided sections were the Great Roof, Pitch above Camp 5, Changing Corners and the final Harding bolt ladder. Working top-down, Sandhal freed the Harding bolt ladder in 1991 (5.12c/7b+) and, with Dave Schultz, freed the pitch above Camp 5 in 1992 (5.12d/7c). They prepared the route for a free ascent including bolting a variation just the left of the aid line on the Changing Corners pitch but were unable to climb this.
Lynn Hill partnered by Simon Nadin first free climbed the Great Roof on a ground-up attempt in 1993 (5.13b/8a) but they were unable to completely free the Changing Corners by either the original line or the Sandhal/Schultz variation. All bar 10 feet of the route had now been free-climbed.
Hill and Sandahl joined forces later in the summer of 1993 and began working the Changing Corners pitch top-down, Sandhal focusing on his left hand variation, Hill on the original aid line. Hill was able to climb all the moves on the latter with two falls. The completely free ascent was made from the ground with Hill leading all the hard pitches.
References
[1] https://alpinist.com/features/birds-eye-view/
[2] http://www.edhartouni.net/nose-in-a-day.html
[3] https://www.rayjardine.com/Papers/Magazine-Articles/index.php?StoryPage=7
[4] https://www.rayjardine.com/Avocations/Rock-Climbing/index.php
[5] https://climbingzine.com/brooke-sandahl-beginnings-freeing-nose/
[6] https://publications.americanalpineclub.org/articles/12199404100/El-Capitans-Nose-Climbed-Free
Pics + Vids
Featuring 8661 pictures and videos. Try searching for a climber, climb or summit to see pics and videos.
Will Bosi on La Ley Indignata (9a)
Andreas Hofherr on Into the Sun (E10)
Michaela Kiersch on The Quintessential (8B)
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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 3908 podcasts. Try searching for a climber to see podcasts with them, or check out some of these podcasts:
- Jonny Kydd on Lattice Training, September 2021
- Jorg Verhoeven on TrainingBeta, March 2016
- Justin Salas on First Ascent, January 2025
- Allison Vest on TrainingBeta, July 2022
Library
Featuring 11020 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 1905 Vol 22 457-458 In Memoriam (1905) Journal
- Pembroke Supplement (1982) Guidebook
Recent updates
The 'Mona Lisa of bouldering', according to Niccolò Ceria, this stunning arête is one of the quintessential problems of Fontainebleau.
Jacky Godoffe and Marc le Menestrel vied for the first ascent:
Who, Jacky or Marc, conquered the boulder first? In a spirit of brotherhood, both climbers blur the lines, each valuing the other’s effort. That day, they decided to share the first ascent, thus linking their names to the story of the boulder they would together call ‘Partage’. [1]
References
Suggested as a potential 8C+:
For me Memento is maybe 8c+ (V16). It’s by far harder than anything I tried or climbed yet… The key to success lies in only two very difficult single movements; therefore it is almost impossible to stamp it with a number. But for me this is bouldering. It can’t be compared to those 60-foot monsters. [3]
References
[1] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Fb1Lhk4Asw
[2] https://www.instagram.com/p/BlIE1w1D4-4/
[3] https://www.climbing.com/news/zangerlrsquos-hardest-problem-yet/
References
On the grade:
Wow !! I don’t know. When you work hard on a boulder, sometimes it looks impossible but when you send it, you can feel so easy. So I don’t know what to think about it. I rely on Mauro, who is really strong in that style of climbing. I‘ve never done any 8c, so I can’t tell you if it is harder or not. But it looks like Tonino 78 is really harder than Dreamtime : Mauro says that it is a different sport! Then is it a bit harder or very much harder? And this is where the difference lies between 8c and 8c+. But in any case the grade can’t be below 8c! This boulder has been such a fight for me that I cannot easily give you a judgment. I will have to climb in that boulder again without pressure… [1]
References
[1] http://www.zebloc.com/rubriques/julien-nadiras-and-tonino-78/
On the grade:
Wow !! I don’t know. When you work hard on a boulder, sometimes it looks impossible but when you send it, you can feel so easy. So I don’t know what to think about it. I rely on Mauro, who is really strong in that style of climbing. I‘ve never done any 8c, so I can’t tell you if it is harder or not. But it looks like Tonino 78 is really harder than Dreamtime : Mauro says that it is a different sport! Then is it a bit harder or very much harder? And this is where the difference lies between 8c and 8c+. But in any case the grade can’t be below 8c! This boulder has been such a fight for me that I cannot easily give you a judgment. I will have to climb in that boulder again without pressure… [1]
References
[1] http://www.zebloc.com/rubriques/julien-nadiras-and-tonino-78/
On the grade:
Wow !! I don’t know. When you work hard on a boulder, sometimes it looks impossible but when you send it, you can feel so easy. So I don’t know what to think about it. I rely on Mauro, who is really strong in that style of climbing. I‘ve never done any 8c, so I can’t tell you if it is harder or not. But it looks like Tonino 78 is really harder than Dreamtime : Mauro says that it is a different sport! Then is it a bit harder or very much harder? And this is where the difference lies between 8c and 8c+. But in any case the grade can’t be below 8c! This boulder has been such a fight for me that I cannot easily give you a judgment. I will have to climb in that boulder again without pressure…
References
[1] http://www.zebloc.com/rubriques/julien-nadiras-and-tonino-78/
Although he initially suggested 8C+, Mauro now lists the boulder as 8C/+ on his website [2]
References
[1] https://www.climbing.com/news/a-v16-boulder-problem/
[2] https://www.e9planet.com/blogs/e9-journal/mauro-calibani
Although he initially suggested 8C, Mauro now lists the boulder as 8C/+ on his website [2]
References
[1] https://www.climbing.com/news/a-v16-boulder-problem/
[2] https://www.e9planet.com/blogs/e9-journal/mauro-calibani
The name is the result of a mix-up during the editorial process.