Willo Welzenbach

Also known as Wilhelm.

Quick Info

From Germany 🇩🇪
Date of birth 10th Nov 1900
Date of death 12th-13th July 1934
Age 33 years old
Gender Male

One of the foremost German rock climbers and mountaineers of the interwar period. "The father of modern ice climbing" [2] who was first to use ice pitons and developed his own crampons and bivi tent. UIAA rock climbing grades were invented by Welzenbach as a I to VI scale, and it was only in the late 1960s that this was expanded to VII and harder. Welzenbach died on Nanga Parbat.

References

[1] https://www.alpinwiki.at/portal/navigation/erst-besteiger/erstbesteigerdetail.php?erstbesteiger=8877

[2] Unsworth, W (1986). Savage Snows: Story of Mont Blanc. UK, Hodder & Stoughton. pp. 133–137

[3] https://www.deutsche-biographie.de/gnd118631144.html#ndbcontent

Contributors
21 contributions since 8th September 2026.
8 contributions since 14th June 2025.

Quick Info

From Germany 🇩🇪
Date of birth 10th Nov 1900
Date of death 12th-13th July 1934
Age 33 years old
Gender Male

One of the foremost German rock climbers and mountaineers of the interwar period. "The father of modern ice climbing" [2] who was first to use ice pitons and developed his own crampons and bivi tent. UIAA rock climbing grades were invented by Welzenbach as a I to VI scale, and it was only in the late 1960s that this was expanded to VII and harder. Welzenbach died on Nanga Parbat.

References

[1] https://www.alpinwiki.at/portal/navigation/erst-besteiger/erstbesteigerdetail.php?erstbesteiger=8877

[2] Unsworth, W (1986). Savage Snows: Story of Mont Blanc. UK, Hodder & Stoughton. pp. 133–137

[3] https://www.deutsche-biographie.de/gnd118631144.html#ndbcontent

Contributors
21 contributions since 8th September 2026.
8 contributions since 14th June 2025.

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