Climbers

Kim Carrigan was a leading figure in Australian rock climbing in the late 1970s and early 1980s. He has put up hundreds of new routes around Australia, particularly at Arapiles.

References

[1] Interview with Andy Pollitt for UKClimbing.com 11th August 2017 https://www.ukclimbing.com/articles/features/kim_carrigan_and_andy_pollitt-9629

Features in The Real Thing, Bleau.

https://www.facebook.com/climbing.in.the.80s/photos/a.270388289694020/446421228757391

References

[1] Interview with Lucien Martinez on the 100 7A challenge in Fontainebleau, 2024 https://www.grimper.com/news-les-100-7a-aventure-xxl-facon-bleausarde

References

[1] Interview with https://covergroundusa.com Jan 2025 https://covergroundusa.com/connorherson

[2] Interview with Sonnie Trotter, 2024 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z1MdKRXzclE

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/

Fred Rouhling was a controversial figure during the late 90s and early 2000s. With a string of hard ascents in a relatively off the beaten track location there were many people who doubted his ascents, not helped by the fact that many of his routes were unashamedly chipped (for example De L'Autre Côté du Ciel).

His route Akira was particularly contentious. When he made the first ascent he gave it the then unheard of grade of 9b at a time when 9a+ didn't exist.

A 2005 profile by Pete Ward [2] helped to dispel some of the more outlandish myths, and many of his routes have now received repeats which confirm their quality and difficulty. However, his route Akira did receive a notable downgrade to 9a after being repeated by Sébastien Bouin and Lucien Martinez.

References

[1] Interview with Relais Vertical Part 1 https://youtu.be/xqk0nQCNtpY

[2] Interview with Relais Vertical Part 2 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=enFSnkF25eI

[3] The Other Side of Fred Rouhling by Pete Ward, 15th June 2012 https://www.climbing.com/people/fred-rouhling/

[4] Interview with camptocamp.org, October 2008 https://www.camptocamp.org/articles/143240/fr/interview-de-fred-rouhling-21-10-2008-

[5] https://open.spotify.com/episode/4T8j5taHKyu11HnWMKvxWT?

[6] Interview for On The Edge Issue 102, page 40

References

[1] Interview with 8a.nu, 2018 https://www.8a.nu/news/james-litz-9b-profile

References

[1] http://www.grimporama.com/francais/bleau/itw/bl_sf-interview.htm