Climbing History
A selected history of climbing and mountaineering through the climbers, climbs and media.
4678 Climbers
8299 Climbs
22200 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, such as the Salathé Wall (A2).
Robbins was also instrumental in defining an ethical approach to climbing that minimised reliance on fixed ropes, was sparing in the use of bolts, and championed climbing from the ground up. These values 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 whitewater kayaking. He made first descents of several rivers in the US and further afield.
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, such as the Salathé Wall (A2).
Robbins was also instrumental in defining an ethical approach to climbing that minimised reliance on fixed ropes, was sparing in the use of bolts, and championed climbing from the ground up. These values 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 whitewater kayaking. He made first descents of several rivers in the US and further afield.
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 10855 pictures and videos. Try searching for a climber, climb or summit to see pics and videos.
Aidan Roberts on Vecchio Leone SDS 8C+
Tom O'Halloran on Hump of Trouble 9a+
Charles Albert on La Source 8C
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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 4354 podcasts. Try searching for a climber to see podcasts with them, or check out some of these podcasts:
- Steve Maisch on TrainingBeta (2015)
- Jordan Cannon, Matt Segal and Jesse Huey on The Enormocast (2023)
- Simon Lorenzi on The Testpiece Podcast (2025)
- Chris Schulte on Jam Crack Podcast (2025)
Library
Featuring 16200 items in the library. Try a search to see what you can find, or check out these library items:
- Valley Uprising (2014) Film
- Alpine Journal 1908 Vol 24 96-100 Accident (1908) Journal
- Great Gable and Borrowdale (1926) Guidebook