Malcolm Smith

Also known as Malc Smith.

Quick Info

From United Kingdom 🇬🇧
Gender Male
Climbing
Hardest Boulder (Worked) 8B+
Hardest Sport (Worked) 9a
Hardest Sport (Flash) 8a+
Hardest Trad (Worked) E9
World Cups
🥇 1
🥉 1
Appearances 13
Notable Partnerships
Jerry Moffatt
Ben Moon

Malcolm Smith is a Scottish boulderer and sport climber who was primarily active between 1990 and 2010. As an early adherent of training, and specifically training boards, he put his strength to excellent use putting up many of the hardest boulder problems in the UK. He burst onto the scene with his quick second ascent of Hubble in 1992 aged just 18, at the time one of the hardest routes in the world.

Dave "Cubby" Cuthbertson:

He had the strength of character to turn his back on the tradition of climbing, the summit and the romance, and do his own thing. As he says, he's always got time for more training. [1]

He went on to climb some the last great problems in the UK such as Monk Life (8B+) and Pilgrimage (8B+). His traverses Lothlorian (8c+) and Leviathan (9a) remain unrepeated.

Alongside his hard bouldering, he repeated many of the hardest sport routes of the time including making the second ascent of Evolution at Raven Tor, the second ascent of Progress at Kilnsey as well as early repeats of Bat Route and Cry Freedom at Malham Cove. In 2010 he established Scotland's first 9a with his ascent of Hunger at The Anvil.

As dedicated to training as to climbing outdoors, his testpieces on School Room 50° Board remain benchmarks of raw power and went unrepeated for years.

References

[1] Dave Cuthbertson interview with Niall Grimes on The Jam Crack Podcast Jan 2023. 1hr13mins. https://open.spotify.com/episode/2cj6Zduv5LRmqwotmqg5Nd?

[2] Splinter, a short portrait by Ben Pritchard

[3] Stone Love

[4] Interview with Neil Mann, 2017 https://www.theprojectmagazine.com/features/2017/2/14/interview-malcolm-smith

Contributors
210 contributions since 7th January 2021.
31 contributions since 20th December 2024.
TdG
25 contributions since 4th September 2025.
1 contribution since 7th July 2025.

Quick Info

From United Kingdom 🇬🇧
Gender Male
Climbing
Hardest Boulder (Worked) 8B+
Hardest Sport (Worked) 9a
Hardest Sport (Flash) 8a+
Hardest Trad (Worked) E9
World Cups
🥇 1
🥉 1
Appearances 13
Notable Partnerships
Jerry Moffatt
Ben Moon

Malcolm Smith is a Scottish boulderer and sport climber who was primarily active between 1990 and 2010. As an early adherent of training, and specifically training boards, he put his strength to excellent use putting up many of the hardest boulder problems in the UK. He burst onto the scene with his quick second ascent of Hubble in 1992 aged just 18, at the time one of the hardest routes in the world.

Dave "Cubby" Cuthbertson:

He had the strength of character to turn his back on the tradition of climbing, the summit and the romance, and do his own thing. As he says, he's always got time for more training. [1]

He went on to climb some the last great problems in the UK such as Monk Life (8B+) and Pilgrimage (8B+). His traverses Lothlorian (8c+) and Leviathan (9a) remain unrepeated.

Alongside his hard bouldering, he repeated many of the hardest sport routes of the time including making the second ascent of Evolution at Raven Tor, the second ascent of Progress at Kilnsey as well as early repeats of Bat Route and Cry Freedom at Malham Cove. In 2010 he established Scotland's first 9a with his ascent of Hunger at The Anvil.

As dedicated to training as to climbing outdoors, his testpieces on School Room 50° Board remain benchmarks of raw power and went unrepeated for years.

References

[1] Dave Cuthbertson interview with Niall Grimes on The Jam Crack Podcast Jan 2023. 1hr13mins. https://open.spotify.com/episode/2cj6Zduv5LRmqwotmqg5Nd?

[2] Splinter, a short portrait by Ben Pritchard

[3] Stone Love

[4] Interview with Neil Mann, 2017 https://www.theprojectmagazine.com/features/2017/2/14/interview-malcolm-smith

Contributors
210 contributions since 7th January 2021.
31 contributions since 20th December 2024.
TdG
25 contributions since 4th September 2025.
1 contribution since 7th July 2025.

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