Dave Pegg

8a.nu | ifsc.results.info

Quick Info

From: United Kingdom 🇬🇧
Gender: Male
Hardest Sport (Worked): 8b+
Hardest Trad (Worked): E8

Dave sadly took his own life in 2014.

I remember laughing like a drain hearing about him smearing Vaseline on the holds of a project at Kilnsey to stop a French superstar stealing it. [1]

Dave was a lovely guy. I first met him up in Newcastle when I was just starting my climbing career, and kept in touch when he moved to Sheffield. He had lots of time and patience for a shy kid. I was once coming down to sheffield for a competition and Dave offered for me to stay in his room for the weekend. He was going away but, with typical kindness, told me to help myself to anything in his food cupboard. After he left I went to the kitchen to make myself some dinner and opened the cupboard to find six bottles of fat burner pills and a mouldy potato. [2]

References

[1] https://ukbouldering.com/board/index.php/topic,25009.msg465272.html#msg465272

[2] https://ukbouldering.com/board/index.php/topic,25009.msg465387.html#msg465387

[3] Features in The Width of Life

[4] https://www.dailycamera.com/2014/11/18/chris-weidner-a-lost-goodbye-to-colorado-climber-dave-pegg/

[5] https://rockandice.com/lates-news/dave-pegg-king-of-rifle-has-died/

[6] https://rockandice.com/lates-news/living-with-a-very-serious-climber/

Contributors
90 contributions since 26th January 2021.
TdG
4 contributions since 14th August 2025.

Quick Info

From: United Kingdom 🇬🇧
Gender: Male
Hardest Sport (Worked): 8b+
Hardest Trad (Worked): E8

Dave sadly took his own life in 2014.

I remember laughing like a drain hearing about him smearing Vaseline on the holds of a project at Kilnsey to stop a French superstar stealing it. [1]

Dave was a lovely guy. I first met him up in Newcastle when I was just starting my climbing career, and kept in touch when he moved to Sheffield. He had lots of time and patience for a shy kid. I was once coming down to sheffield for a competition and Dave offered for me to stay in his room for the weekend. He was going away but, with typical kindness, told me to help myself to anything in his food cupboard. After he left I went to the kitchen to make myself some dinner and opened the cupboard to find six bottles of fat burner pills and a mouldy potato. [2]

References

[1] https://ukbouldering.com/board/index.php/topic,25009.msg465272.html#msg465272

[2] https://ukbouldering.com/board/index.php/topic,25009.msg465387.html#msg465387

[3] Features in The Width of Life

[4] https://www.dailycamera.com/2014/11/18/chris-weidner-a-lost-goodbye-to-colorado-climber-dave-pegg/

[5] https://rockandice.com/lates-news/dave-pegg-king-of-rifle-has-died/

[6] https://rockandice.com/lates-news/living-with-a-very-serious-climber/

Contributors
90 contributions since 26th January 2021.
TdG
4 contributions since 14th August 2025.

Library

Pics + Vids

No pics or vids yet.

Ascents

21 recorded ascents.

This timeline is missing some ascents where the date of the ascent is unknown.
Sort
Climb Grade Style Ascent Date Suggested Grade
First ascent.

Some years prior to making the first ascent Dave resorted to removing the hangers and smearing vaseline on the top holds to fend off any attempts by a visiting frenchman!

Martin Berzins, commenting in 1991:

The route remains unclimbed, and and neither Pegg nor Tribout comes out of the affair with honour.

While Tribout should perhaps have respected Pegg's attempts, it is also the case that the term ‘project' has grown to mean (though not in this case), "a route I've bolted up and will probably only be able to do in two years time." The farcical situation has been reached of people who are able to do the first ascent jumping off just below the lower off point so that the person who bolted the route can eventually claim the first ascent! Perhaps the truth is that no one owns a piece of rock and what is not owned cannot be stolen. [1]

References

[1] Mountain Issue 141 (1991), page 15 https://climbing-history.org/library/11320/mountain-141
First ascent.

References

[1] The Power of Climbing (1991) by David Jones, page 192

[2] Mountain Issue 131 (1990), page 16 /library/11316/mountain-131

References

[1] The Power of Climbing (1991) by David Jones, page 192

References

[1] The Power of Climbing (1991) by David Jones, page 192
100 Proof 8a+ Lead | worked 15th Jun 2013
First ascent.
Climb Grade Style Ascent Date Suggested Grade
Climb Grade Style Ascent Date Suggested Grade
First ascent.

References

[1] Mountain Issue 131 (1990), page 16 /library/11316/mountain-131

References

[1] Mountain Issue 135 (1990), page 15 /library/11120/mountain-135
Gigantic E8 Lead | worked 1990
First ascent.
MaDMAn E8 Solo | worked Jun 1994
First ascent.
Mind Bomb E7 Lead | worked 17th Aug 1989
First ascent.
The Bottom Line E7 Lead | worked 26th Nov 1989
First ascent.
First ascent. With Matt Smith.

References

[1] Mountain Issue 134 (1990), page 10 /library/11317/mountain-134
First ascent.

References

[1] Mountain Issue 135 (1990), page 13 /library/11120/mountain-135
First ascent.

References

[1] Mountain Issue 141 (1991), page 10 https://climbing-history.org/library/11320/mountain-141
Dick Van Dyke Goes Ballistic E7 Lead | worked 2nd Feb 1994
First ascent.
Three Blind Mice E7 Lead | worked 3rd Sep 1994
First ascent.
Breathless E6 Lead | worked 21st May 1987
First ascent.
First ascent. With Dave Thomas.

Thomas was heard to sell his sould as he pulled off a hold and pendulemmed out in to the stratosphere.

References

[1] Paul Harrison. Lundy. United Kingdom: Climbers' Club, 2008.
First ascent.

References

[1] Mountain Issue 131 (1990), page 16 /library/11316/mountain-131
First ascent. With John Gaskins.

References

[1] Mountain Issue 134 (1990), page 10 /library/11317/mountain-134

Dave Thomas recalls:

He'd made the trip out to Burbage before the rest of us, and when we arrived, we all waved back to Dave, who was waving to us from the edge. We dived into the quarry to muck about for a while. When we came out and started walking up to the edge, Dave was still waving and yelling, hugging the chockstone on Goliath, having tried to solo it. We found it very funny! [1]

References

[1] https://ukbouldering.com/board/index.php/topic,31629.msg649948.html#msg649948
Climb Grade Style Ascent Date Suggested Grade