Climbing History
A selected history of climbing and mountaineering through the climbers, climbs and media.
4672 Climbers
8290 Climbs
22163 Ascents
Featured
Hazel Findlay
Hazel Findlay is one of the UK's most accomplished female climbers with many hard sport and trad ascents to her name.
The daughter of Steve Findlay, she started climbing at an early age and was active around the south west of the UK. In 2011 she climbed Once Upon a Time in the Southwest at Dyers Lookout and became the first British woman to climb E9, and in 2014 she climbed Fish Eye at Oliana to become the first British woman to climb 8c.
Hazel has continually expanded the limits of her climbing with a long string of impressive sport and trad climbs. Of particular note is her ascent of Magic Line E10/8c+ in 2019, a Ron Kauk route in Yosemite with a reputation born from repelling a slew of very capable aspirants. Hazel's ascent was only the third in 25 years, and the second placing the gear on lead.
In 2022 she became the second British woman (after Emma Twyford) to climb 9a with her ascent of Escalatamàsters.
Alongside her climbing she has a deep interest in the mental aspects of climbing and runs Strong Mind, a coaching company focused on mental techniques for improving your climbing.
References
[1] Interview with Soline Kentzel for grimper.com, May 2023 https://www.grimper.com/news-femmes-falaises-hazel-findlay-you-don-need-balls-to-be-bold
[2] https://open.spotify.com/episode/7ckmpivT5UIrFCU7idZqNg?
[3] Interview with Sonnie Trotter https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a07_bI4lrFI
Hazel Findlay is one of the UK's most accomplished female climbers with many hard sport and trad ascents to her name.
The daughter of Steve Findlay, she started climbing at an early age and was active around the south west of the UK. In 2011 she climbed Once Upon a Time in the Southwest at Dyers Lookout and became the first British woman to climb E9, and in 2014 she climbed Fish Eye at Oliana to become the first British woman to climb 8c.
Hazel has continually expanded the limits of her climbing with a long string of impressive sport and trad climbs. Of particular note is her ascent of Magic Line E10/8c+ in 2019, a Ron Kauk route in Yosemite with a reputation born from repelling a slew of very capable aspirants. Hazel's ascent was only the third in 25 years, and the second placing the gear on lead.
In 2022 she became the second British woman (after Emma Twyford) to climb 9a with her ascent of Escalatamàsters.
Alongside her climbing she has a deep interest in the mental aspects of climbing and runs Strong Mind, a coaching company focused on mental techniques for improving your climbing.
References
[1] Interview with Soline Kentzel for grimper.com, May 2023 https://www.grimper.com/news-femmes-falaises-hazel-findlay-you-don-need-balls-to-be-bold
[2] https://open.spotify.com/episode/7ckmpivT5UIrFCU7idZqNg?
[3] Interview with Sonnie Trotter https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a07_bI4lrFI
Pics + Vids
Featuring 10832 pictures and videos. Try searching for a climber, climb or summit to see pics and videos.
Ethan Walker on Keen Roof 8A+
Will Bosi on Marra Time Sit ~ 8C+ project
Support
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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 4346 podcasts. Try searching for a climber to see podcasts with them, or check out some of these podcasts:
- Daniel Woods on The Careless Talk Climbing Podcast (2025)
- Alex Johnson on The Nugget (2020)
- Melina Costanza on The Nugget (2023)
- Lee Hansche on First Ascent (2024)
Library
Featuring 16192 items in the library. Try a search to see what you can find, or check out these library items:
- King Lines (2007) Film
- Alpine Journal 1984 179-183 Bennett ABMSAC (1984) Journal
- Dorset (1969) Guidebook
Recent updates
A loose post-war group of young climbers from Bradford, never a formal club, who got together at West Yorkshire outcrops and made bold new routes, especially in the Lake District, in the late 1940s and early 1950s. Dennis Gray ranks them with the Creagh Dhu and the Rock and Ice as the working-class groups that dominated British climbing after the Second World War. Most had moved away by about 1956. [1] [2]
References
[1] Dennis Gray, 'Joe Brown, Look Down', Alpine Journal 2022 https://www.alpinejournal.org.uk/Contents/Contents_2022_files/AJ%202022%20Vol%20126%20127-139%20Gray%20Joe%20Brown.pdf
[2] Wikipedia: Harold Drasdo https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harold_Drasdo
References
References
Trustee [1] https://www.acat.org.nz/index%2ephp/about-us/our-trustees
D. J. 'Smiler' (Dave) Cuthbertson, a long-serving Climbers' Club officer: committee member, membership secretary, hut custodian and president 2007–10. Not to be confused with Dave ‘Cubby’ Cuthbertson. [1] [2] [3] [4]
References
[1] Climbers' Club Journal 1978 /library/7441/climbers-club-1978-journal
[2] Climbers' Club Journal 1981 /library/7462/climbers-club-1981-journal
[3] Climbers' Club Journal 2006-07 /library/7477/climbers-club-2006-07-journal
[4] Climbers' Club Journal 2008-10 /library/7442/climbers-club-2008-10-journal