Climbing History
A selected history of climbing and mountaineering through the climbers, climbs and media.
3881 Climbers
7624 Climbs
19907 Ascents
Featured
Knockin' on Heaven's Door | E8 Trad climb at Curbar Edge
One of the eight ‘last great problem’ projects listed in the Derwent Grit guide. [1]
Jerry Moffatt did all the moves, Johnny Dawes top roped it in a oner, Ron Fawcett was hovering, but it was Andy Pollitt who tied into the sharp end, jumped through the crux and wobbled through to the top – narrowly avoiding a disastrous fall when he slipped on the final sloping ledges.
The route was first climbed on the 2nd of March 1988 by Andy Pollitt and graded E9. The pre-clipped 'hand-held' peg used on the first ascent was later discovered to have actually been placed with a 'hand-held' hammer. [2]
The grade of a given ascent depends on the particular gear placements used. The first ascent and early repeats used a peg in a slot high on the left. Later repeats used a cam in a good slot at half height, though this requires a traverse to access. Some people have combined the cam and the pegs, some people have used neither!
References
[1] The others were Dharma, Gaia, End of the Affair, Kaluza Klein, Soul Doubt, The Screaming Dream and The Groove.
[2] https://www.ukclimbing.com/news/2010/10/ryan_pasquill_flashes_knockin_on_heavens_door-58563
One of the eight ‘last great problem’ projects listed in the Derwent Grit guide. [1]
Jerry Moffatt did all the moves, Johnny Dawes top roped it in a oner, Ron Fawcett was hovering, but it was Andy Pollitt who tied into the sharp end, jumped through the crux and wobbled through to the top – narrowly avoiding a disastrous fall when he slipped on the final sloping ledges.
The route was first climbed on the 2nd of March 1988 by Andy Pollitt and graded E9. The pre-clipped 'hand-held' peg used on the first ascent was later discovered to have actually been placed with a 'hand-held' hammer. [2]
The grade of a given ascent depends on the particular gear placements used. The first ascent and early repeats used a peg in a slot high on the left. Later repeats used a cam in a good slot at half height, though this requires a traverse to access. Some people have combined the cam and the pegs, some people have used neither!
References
[1] The others were Dharma, Gaia, End of the Affair, Kaluza Klein, Soul Doubt, The Screaming Dream and The Groove.
[2] https://www.ukclimbing.com/news/2010/10/ryan_pasquill_flashes_knockin_on_heavens_door-58563
Pics + Vids
Featuring 9626 pictures and videos. Try searching for a climber, climb or summit to see pics and videos.
James Pearson on Mystic River 8C
Rachel Ball on The Book of Hate E9
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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 4135 podcasts. Try searching for a climber to see podcasts with them, or check out some of these podcasts:
- Yves Gravelle on The Nugget, September 2024
- Charlie Schreiber on The Careless Talk Climbing Podcast, April 2025
- Charles Albert on CIA - Climbing Intelligence Agency, February 2025
- Sam Prior on The Careless Talk Climbing Podcast, April 2026
Library
Featuring 14853 items in the library. Try a search to see what you can find, or check out these library items:
- Mirror Wall Film
- Alpine Journal 2003 21-27 Parnell Denali (2003) Journal
- Brecon Beacon National Park Part 1 (2017) Guidebook
Recent updates
One of the first of the grade in the area. Named after the Mendip caving pioneer, famous for his ability to stabilise underground passages with cement. Similar techniques were applied to make the route climbable.