Climbers

Bleausard bouldering pioneer. Chipped and climbed the first 7B in the forest Le Carnage in 1977.

Yet, although a new milestone had been reached, the driving force of the practice at that time remained the spirit of play. Serious training for specific routes was out of the question. Climbers were above all technicians, and physical power was not among their priorities. Jérôme Jean-Charles, for example, was obsessed with finding difficult moves involving clever body positioning and delicate balance rather than sheer strength. He preferred to see bouldering as “a succession of resting positions, so that this activity would never become the domain of gymnasts.” [1, Translation by ChatGPT]

In the 1980s, he climbed the entire Cuvier white circuit wearing trainers.

References

[1] Godoffe, J. 'Blocs en Stock: Le Cuvier', 1993

Very strong female boulderer from the South East of the US. Climbs mainly in NC and on the moonboard. Currently has climbed up to 8A boulders.

Yosemite climber of the 1960s. Died attempting to rescue Chuck Pratt and Chris Fredricks from the Dihedral Wall during a storm. The first fatal accident of a climber in Yosemite

References

[1] https://publications.americanalpineclub.org/articles/12196949602/James-Thomas-Madsen-1947-1968

[2] https://publications.americanalpineclub.org/articles/13196901702

Jim Perrin is a well established author of climbing related works. As well as publishing many books he has also written extensively on climbing for mainstream news sources such as The Guardian newspaper.

References

[1] Free Will: The Climbing Life of Jim Sandford by David Smart, Gripped 2021 https://gripped.com/profiles/free-will-the-climbing-life-of-jim-sandford/