Climbing History
A selected history of climbing and mountaineering through the climbers, climbs and media.
4687 Climbers
8314 Climbs
22234 Ascents
Featured
Divided Years | E9 Trad climb at Buzzard's Roost
One of the most compelling single pitch lines out there, Divided Years tackles a 55m prow at Buzzard's Roost in the Mournes. It was the first route to be given E10 in the world in 1994, and was said to feature 8c climbing. It now rates E9, with climbing around 8a+.
James McHaffie and Ryan Pasquill made ground-up ascents with minimal beta and prep in 2015. Robbie Phillips made a well-prepared flash of the route in 2026.
Jack Geldard, UKC:
The route is one of the most inspirational lines in the UK, tackling a huge overhanging bastion of rock in a beautiful and remote setting.
Dave MacLeod describes it as: "This is one of the best single pitch routes I've ever seen or done"
The sport grade would weigh in at around F8a+ (possibly F8b) and the route is known to be well protected. Both John Dunne and Dave Birkett are thought to have had a few pre-placed runners on the most difficult section, whereas Dave MacLeod and Ricky Bell placed all gear on lead. Ricky took some 30ft falls on to hand-placed bird beak runners during his ascent.
One of the most compelling single pitch lines out there, Divided Years tackles a 55m prow at Buzzard's Roost in the Mournes. It was the first route to be given E10 in the world in 1994, and was said to feature 8c climbing. It now rates E9, with climbing around 8a+.
James McHaffie and Ryan Pasquill made ground-up ascents with minimal beta and prep in 2015. Robbie Phillips made a well-prepared flash of the route in 2026.
Jack Geldard, UKC:
The route is one of the most inspirational lines in the UK, tackling a huge overhanging bastion of rock in a beautiful and remote setting.
Dave MacLeod describes it as: "This is one of the best single pitch routes I've ever seen or done"
The sport grade would weigh in at around F8a+ (possibly F8b) and the route is known to be well protected. Both John Dunne and Dave Birkett are thought to have had a few pre-placed runners on the most difficult section, whereas Dave MacLeod and Ricky Bell placed all gear on lead. Ricky took some 30ft falls on to hand-placed bird beak runners during his ascent.
Pics + Vids
Featuring 10863 pictures and videos. Try searching for a climber, climb or summit to see pics and videos.
Siara Fabbri on The Arch 8B
Drew Ruana on Bloody Sunday SDS 8C+
Łukasz Dudek on Project Fear 8c
Oriane Bertone on Golden Shadow 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 4358 podcasts. Try searching for a climber to see podcasts with them, or check out some of these podcasts:
- Craig DeMartino on The Nugget (2021)
- Jim Morrison on The Duffel Shuffle Podcast (2024)
- Lucien Martinez on BlokCast (2026)
- Ben Burkhalter on The Testpiece Podcast (2026)
Library
Featuring 16204 items in the library. Try a search to see what you can find, or check out these library items:
- The Warrior Path (2012) Film
- Alpine Journal 1870 Vol 5 23-34 Hall Lyskamm (1870) Journal
- Snail-Shell Crag Draft Guidebook
Recent updates
Murray Judge is a prominent New Zealand climber and pioneer who played a key role in advancing the country's mountaineering and sport climbing scenes starting in the early 1970s. Recognised for his technical prowess, he established major alpine lines—including landmark first ascents on the North Face of Mount Marian and the Northwest Face of Sabre Peak alongside climbing partner Phil Herron—and contributed significantly to early rock climbing routes across the South Island, earning the moniker "the Southern Raider".
Arriving from the UK in the mid-1980s, Paul Rogers became a central figure in Fiordland and Darran Mountains climbing for over 35 years, establishing numerous first ascents and notable repeats—most significantly developing routes on the Chasm, Bowen Falls, and Moir’s Mate walls.[1]
References
References
Megan Turnbull worked on it at Easter, sent two weeks later.[1]
References
[1] NZ Climber Magazine Issue 24, page 9.