Royal Robbins

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Quick Info

From: USA 🇺🇸
Date of birth: 3rd February 1935
Age: 82 years old
Date of death: 14th March 2017
Gender: Male
Hardest Trad (Onsight): E1
Notable Partnerships
Yvon Chouinard
Tom Frost
Chuck Pratt
Joe Fitschen
Liz Robbins
TM Herbert

Royal Robbins was an extremely influential climber from the USA in the late 1950s and 1960s. He was part of a generation of climbers who established Yosemite as a world class climbing destination and made first ascents and repeats of many now-famous routes there.

Robbins was also very influential in terms of the climbing style and ethics he espoused. Many of the values he championed, such as minimising reliance on fixed ropes, minimising the use of bolts and climbing from the ground up remain core to what is considered good style in modern big wall climbing. After visiting the UK and using nuts and chockstones for protection Robbins, together with Yvon Chouinard, Robbins became an early proponent of 'clean climbing': the use of chocks over pitons as a means of minimising damage to the rock.

In later life Robbins struggled with arthritis in his hands which made climbing difficult. Because of this Robbins focused his energy on his business ventures and, later, on white water kayaking. He made first descents of several rivers in the US and further abroad.

References

[1] https://www.instagram.com/p/CU4qXc5J8i7/

[2] https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=6849687261751921&set=a.126453404075374

[3] Smart, D. (2023). Royal Robbins: The American Climber. United States: Mountaineers Books.

[4] Ament, P. (1998). Royal Robbins: Spirit of the Age. United States: Stackpole Books.

[5] Robbins, R. (2010). To Be Brave: My Life. United Kingdom: Pink Moment Productions.

[6] Robbins, R. (2010). Fail Falling. United States: Pink Moment Press.

[7] https://open.spotify.com/episode/3ce65n5RTjNYnXYEBJAH1A?

Contributors
114 contributions since 8th October 2025.
52 contributions since 3rd June 2021.

Quick Info

From: USA 🇺🇸
Date of birth: 3rd February 1935
Date of death: 14th March 2017
Age: 82 years old
Gender: Male
Hardest Trad (Onsight): E1
Notable Partnerships
Yvon Chouinard
Tom Frost
Chuck Pratt
Joe Fitschen
Liz Robbins
TM Herbert

Royal Robbins was an extremely influential climber from the USA in the late 1950s and 1960s. He was part of a generation of climbers who established Yosemite as a world class climbing destination and made first ascents and repeats of many now-famous routes there.

Robbins was also very influential in terms of the climbing style and ethics he espoused. Many of the values he championed, such as minimising reliance on fixed ropes, minimising the use of bolts and climbing from the ground up remain core to what is considered good style in modern big wall climbing. After visiting the UK and using nuts and chockstones for protection Robbins, together with Yvon Chouinard, Robbins became an early proponent of 'clean climbing': the use of chocks over pitons as a means of minimising damage to the rock.

In later life Robbins struggled with arthritis in his hands which made climbing difficult. Because of this Robbins focused his energy on his business ventures and, later, on white water kayaking. He made first descents of several rivers in the US and further abroad.

References

[1] https://www.instagram.com/p/CU4qXc5J8i7/

[2] https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=6849687261751921&set=a.126453404075374

[3] Smart, D. (2023). Royal Robbins: The American Climber. United States: Mountaineers Books.

[4] Ament, P. (1998). Royal Robbins: Spirit of the Age. United States: Stackpole Books.

[5] Robbins, R. (2010). To Be Brave: My Life. United Kingdom: Pink Moment Productions.

[6] Robbins, R. (2010). Fail Falling. United States: Pink Moment Press.

[7] https://open.spotify.com/episode/3ce65n5RTjNYnXYEBJAH1A?

Contributors
114 contributions since 8th October 2025.
52 contributions since 3rd June 2021.

Podcasts

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Ascents

15 recorded ascents.

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

I considered my greatest failure to be my efforts on the thimble. I could see that even if I worked on it forever I would never achieve it.
Climb Grade Style Ascent Date Suggested Grade
Climb Grade Style Ascent Date Suggested Grade
Salathé Wall First ascent. With Tom Frost and Chuck Pratt. E8 Aid | worked 1961
West Face First ascent. E5 Aid | ground up Between 3rd Jun 1967 and 7th Jun 1967

Second ascent, over two days.

References

[1] Roper, S (1994). Camp 4: Recollections of a Yosemite Rockclimber. USA: The Mountaineers

In 3 hours 14 minutes. An early example of speed climbing in Yosemite, Robbins' response to a fast ascent by Frank Sacherer.

References

[1] Jones, C (1976). Climbing in North America. USA: University of California Press for the American Alpine Club p350.
Open Book First ascent. E1 Lead | onsight 1952
Human Fright First ascent. E1 Lead Jun 1952

The first grade VI climb in North America.
Nutcracker Suite First ascent. With Liz Robbins. HVS Lead | onsight 1967
Climb Grade Style Ascent Date Suggested Grade

First solo of an El Capitan route, over ten days.

References

[1] https://publications.americanalpineclub.org/articles/12196931900/Alone-on-the-John-Muir-Wall-El-Capitan

References

[1] https://publications.americanalpineclub.org/articles/12196533100/The-North-America-Wall
Tis-sa-ack First ascent. A3 Aid | worked Oct 1969

Robbins started the route with the aim of erasing it by chopping the bolts and rivets, considering the 330 holes drilled by the first ascent party to be excessive. After two pitches, Robbins stopped chopping the bolts and rivets because (according to Lauria):

the quality of the aid climbing was much higher than he had ever expected of Harding or Caldwell and, of course, it was also taking us an awful long time to chop all those goddam bolts. [1]

TM Herbert's view of the ascent:

What was this most important event I witnessed in February? It was not a climb which raised American climbing standards, but rather it was the elimination of a climb which had lowered the standards. This winter Royal Robbins and Don Lauria chopped the first 300 feet of bolts out of the bolt-ladder route on El Capitan, while completing the second ascent in five-and-a-half days [2].

References

[1] Harding, Warren (1990). Downward Bound: a Mad! guide to Rock Climbing. Birmingham, Alabama: Menasha Ridge Press. pp. 165–167.

[2] https://climbing-history.org/library/8192/comment-on-the-two-ascents-of-the-wall-of-morning-light

The second ascent, and first continuous ascent over 7 days.

Robbins rope-soloed 700' of the route before retreating. His last major climb attempted in Yosemite.

References

[1] McNamara, C and Van Leuven, C (2011). Yosemite Big Walls (3rd Ed.). USA: SuperTopo