Nationality: | GB |
Date of birth: | 28th July 1980 |
Hardest Sport (Worked): | 8b |
Hardest Trad (Worked): | E9 |
Hardest Trad (Onsight): | E7 |
Notable Partnerships | |
Adam Hocking | |
Tim Emmett | |
Social Media |
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Leo Houlding is a british climber, mountaineer and adventurer. Initially known for his hard trad climbing in the UK, particularly in North Wales and the Peak District, he quickly moved on to climbing big walls in Yosemite with very impressive ascents such as his near-onsight of El Niño. He then moved on to more remote big walls from Greenland to Antarctica.
[1] Houlding, L. (2022). Closer to the Edge: Climbing to the Ends of the Earth. United Kingdom: Headline.
[2] Top Gear segment, 2005 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xKLsBk5CijQ
15 recorded ascents.
Year | Climb | Grade | FA | Ascent Date |
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1991 | Leo's Line | E5 (Lead) | ✓ | After 1st January 1991 |
Leo's first new route. |
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1992 | ||||
1993 | Downhill Racer | E4 (Solo Ground up) | Between 28th Jul. 1993 and 28th Jul. 1994 | |
1994 | ||||
1995 | King of Rumpy | E6 (Solo Onsight) | Between 1st Jun. 1995 and 1st Sep. 1995 | |
Rimsky Korsakov | E5 (Solo Onsight) | Between 1st Jun. 1995 and 1st Sep. 1995 | ||
A harrowing experience that put Leo off soloing.
References[1] Houlding, L. (2022). Closer to the Edge: Climbing to the Ends of the Earth. United Kingdom: Headline. |
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Slab and Crack | E8 (Lead) | Between 28th Jul. 1995 and 28th Jul. 1996 | ||
Aged 15. |
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1996 | A Midsummer Night's Dream | E6 (Lead Onsight) | Between 1st Jun. 1996 and 1st Sep. 1996 | |
In shoes 2 sizes too big for him! Leo climbed this on the same day as Master's Wall. |
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Master's Wall | E7 (Lead Onsight) | Between 1st Jun. 1996 and 1st Sep. 1996 | ||
An incredibly audacious ascent from a young Leo who was aged just 16 at the time. Being young and poor his shoes had a big hole worn in them and the only other shoes he could get hold of were 2 sizes too large.
References[1] Houlding, L. (2022). Closer to the Edge: Climbing to the Ends of the Earth. United Kingdom: Headline. |
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1997 | Rare Lichen | E9 (Lead) | ✓ | August 1997 |
1998 | Lord of the Flies | E6 (Lead Repeat) | 1998 | |
An ascent by headtorch. Having seconded Tim Emmett up Right Wall Leo felt he needed to up the ante. Unfortunately his headtorch died half way through the crux sequence, forcing him to down climb to a rest where he could pull up a friend's torch before completing the route. |
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El Niño | 8a+ (Lead) | 1998 | ||
Second ascent. An incredible ascent as Leo was extremely close to onsighting the entire route at a time when any free ascent on El Cap was notable. However, on the first pitch he grabbed a quickdraw at the end of a runout section on his first attempt before lowering back to the start of the pitch and reclimbing it. He also pulled on the first bolt of the second pitch to clean and inspect the holds on the hard section off the belay before then climbing it clean on his first attempt.
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1999 | Passage to Freedom | 8b (Lead Did not finish) | 1999 | |
Leo climbed the first 11 pitches, attempting to establish a new free line ground up, but couldn't find a way forward from El Cap Tower. |
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Savage Horse | E9 (Lead) | ✓ | 1st January 1999 | |
Trauma | E9 (Lead) | ✓ | 1999 | |
On an earlier attempt Leo took a nasty fall on to the slab at the start of the route when a dodgy russian peg he was resting on popped out. |
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Deathwatch | E7 (Lead Onsight) | 1999 | ||
References[1] A record of ground-up and on-sight climbing on Peak, Yorkshire and Lancashire gritstone https://www.thebmc.co.uk/Download.aspx?id=139 |
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2000 | ||||
2001 | ||||
2002 | ||||
2003 | ||||
2004 | ||||
2005 | ||||
2006 | ||||
2007 | ||||
2008 | ||||
2009 | ||||
2010 | The Prophet | 8b (Lead) | ✓ | Between 22nd Oct. 2010 and 27th Oct. 2010 |
Belayed by Jason Pickles who seconded most of the route except the crux A1 beauty pitch and the Devil's Dyno.
References[1] https://www.instagram.com/p/CGpcyocjh5l/ [3] https://www.ukclimbing.com/news/2010/10/leo_houlding_frees_the_prophet_-_el_capitan-58588 |
Climb | Grade | FA | Ascent Date | Suggested Grade |
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The Prophet | 8b (Lead) | ✓ | Between 22nd Oct. 2010 and 27th Oct. 2010 | |
Belayed by Jason Pickles who seconded most of the route except the crux A1 beauty pitch and the Devil's Dyno.
References[1] https://www.instagram.com/p/CGpcyocjh5l/ [3] https://www.ukclimbing.com/news/2010/10/leo_houlding_frees_the_prophet_-_el_capitan-58588 |
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Passage to Freedom | 8b (Lead Did not finish) | 1999 | ||
Leo climbed the first 11 pitches, attempting to establish a new free line ground up, but couldn't find a way forward from El Cap Tower. |
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El Niño | 8a+ (Lead) | 1998 | ||
Second ascent. An incredible ascent as Leo was extremely close to onsighting the entire route at a time when any free ascent on El Cap was notable. However, on the first pitch he grabbed a quickdraw at the end of a runout section on his first attempt before lowering back to the start of the pitch and reclimbing it. He also pulled on the first bolt of the second pitch to clean and inspect the holds on the hard section off the belay before then climbing it clean on his first attempt.
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Climb | Grade | FA | Ascent Date | Suggested Grade |
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Climb | Grade | FA | Ascent Date | Suggested Grade |
---|---|---|---|---|
Rare Lichen | E9 (Lead) | ✓ | August 1997 | |
Trauma | E9 (Lead) | ✓ | 1999 | E9 |
On an earlier attempt Leo took a nasty fall on to the slab at the start of the route when a dodgy russian peg he was resting on popped out. |
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Savage Horse | E9 (Lead) | ✓ | 1st January 1999 | |
Slab and Crack | E8 (Lead) | Between 28th Jul. 1995 and 28th Jul. 1996 | ||
Aged 15. |
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Master's Wall | E7 (Lead Onsight) | Between 1st Jun. 1996 and 1st Sep. 1996 | ||
An incredibly audacious ascent from a young Leo who was aged just 16 at the time. Being young and poor his shoes had a big hole worn in them and the only other shoes he could get hold of were 2 sizes too large.
References[1] Houlding, L. (2022). Closer to the Edge: Climbing to the Ends of the Earth. United Kingdom: Headline. |
||||
Deathwatch | E7 (Lead Onsight) | 1999 | ||
References[1] A record of ground-up and on-sight climbing on Peak, Yorkshire and Lancashire gritstone https://www.thebmc.co.uk/Download.aspx?id=139 |
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King of Rumpy | E6 (Solo Onsight) | Between 1st Jun. 1995 and 1st Sep. 1995 | ||
A Midsummer Night's Dream | E6 (Lead Onsight) | Between 1st Jun. 1996 and 1st Sep. 1996 | ||
In shoes 2 sizes too big for him! Leo climbed this on the same day as Master's Wall. |
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Lord of the Flies | E6 (Lead Repeat) | 1998 | ||
An ascent by headtorch. Having seconded Tim Emmett up Right Wall Leo felt he needed to up the ante. Unfortunately his headtorch died half way through the crux sequence, forcing him to down climb to a rest where he could pull up a friend's torch before completing the route. |
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Leo's Line | E5 (Lead) | ✓ | After 1st January 1991 | |
Leo's first new route. |
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Rimsky Korsakov | E5 (Solo Onsight) | Between 1st Jun. 1995 and 1st Sep. 1995 | ||
A harrowing experience that put Leo off soloing.
References[1] Houlding, L. (2022). Closer to the Edge: Climbing to the Ends of the Earth. United Kingdom: Headline. |
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Downhill Racer | E4 (Solo Ground up) | Between 28th Jul. 1993 and 28th Jul. 1994 |
Climb | Grade | FA | Ascent Date | Suggested Grade |
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