| From | USA 🇺🇸 |
| Date of birth | 30th Jan 1920 |
| Date of death | 12th Mar 1991 |
| Age | 71 years old |
| Gender | Male |
| Groups | |
| Sierra Club Rock Climbing Section |
President 1945 President 1948 Member from 1942 |
Californian climber most active in the 1940s and 1950s.
Wilts started exploring the Sierras with his family and progressed to rock climbing whilst a student at Caltech. He made numerous first ascents at Tahquitz and edited several editions of its guidebook. He made some initial forays on what became the Lost Arrow Chimney (E3) in the 1940s, extremely intimidating terrain for the time.
Wilts, with Royal Robbins and Don Wilson, developed the Yosemite Grading System for free climbs, initially used at Tahquitz and called the Wilts-Sierra system. Wilts did not approve of this title and after the system's more widespread adoption it became known by it's present name.
Wilts became an eminent Caltech professor of electrical and electronic engineering.
[1] Sierra Club Angeles Chapter: RCS history and who's who https://www.sierraclub.org/angeles/blog/2011/05/angeles-chapter-rock-climbing-section-gone-not-forgotten
[2] https://aac-publications.s3.amazonaws.com/documents/aaj/1992/PDF/AAJ_1992_34_66_295.pdf
[3] https://www.karabinclimbingmuseum.com/chuck-wilts-pitons.html
| From | USA 🇺🇸 |
| Date of birth | 30th Jan 1920 |
| Date of death | 12th Mar 1991 |
| Age | 71 years old |
| Gender | Male |
| Groups | |
| Sierra Club Rock Climbing Section |
President 1945 President 1948 Member from 1942 |
Californian climber most active in the 1940s and 1950s.
Wilts started exploring the Sierras with his family and progressed to rock climbing whilst a student at Caltech. He made numerous first ascents at Tahquitz and edited several editions of its guidebook. He made some initial forays on what became the Lost Arrow Chimney (E3) in the 1940s, extremely intimidating terrain for the time.
Wilts, with Royal Robbins and Don Wilson, developed the Yosemite Grading System for free climbs, initially used at Tahquitz and called the Wilts-Sierra system. Wilts did not approve of this title and after the system's more widespread adoption it became known by it's present name.
Wilts became an eminent Caltech professor of electrical and electronic engineering.
[1] Sierra Club Angeles Chapter: RCS history and who's who https://www.sierraclub.org/angeles/blog/2011/05/angeles-chapter-rock-climbing-section-gone-not-forgotten
[2] https://aac-publications.s3.amazonaws.com/documents/aaj/1992/PDF/AAJ_1992_34_66_295.pdf
[3] https://www.karabinclimbingmuseum.com/chuck-wilts-pitons.html