Calling something "unclimable," will lead any self respecting climber to wonder whether that statement is accurate.

In the 1800's, half dome was deemed unclimbable...and these days more than 50,000 people make it to the summit every year. Words are powerful. Put in front of the right audience, they get people to find ways to achieve the impossible.

Today we look at the history of an entire mountain range whose face's were called unclimbable. Located in the far Canadian North (and I mean really, really far north!), the Ragged Range in the Northwest Territories has been beckoning climbers for nearly 70 years. And I don't mean just anyone - the biggest names in Climbing's history have made their way there, like Royal Robbins, Todd Skinner,Tommy Caldwell, and Innes Papert. How did this place become so popular, despite the monumental effort it takes to get there?

Maybe its the name...

This is "The Cirque of the Unclimbables"

SOURCES

Bell, George: "The Forgotten Yosemite" Climbing Magazine, April/May 1992, #131

Goodman, Pat: "RECON: The cirque of the Unclimbables." American Alpine Journal, 2017.

Rowell, Galen: "The Great Canadian Knife - Logan Mountains." American Alpine Journal, 1993.

Provost, Hannah: "Prophecies Foretold" American Alpine Journal, 2023.

Parks Canada Website: "Climbing in the Cirque of the Unclimbables."

VIDEOS (youtube.com)

"Lotus Flower Tower: Multipitch Climbing in Canada" Petzl Sport, 2010. 

MUSIC CREDIT:

Track: "Back In Your Town"

Music provided by https://Slip.stream 

Track: "Roll Through"

Music provided by https://Slip.stream 

Track: "Celluloid Visions"

Music provided by https://Slip.stream 

Track: "Just For Kicks"

Music provided by https://Slip.stream 

Track: “Fun Time Party”

Music provided by https://Slip.stream

Track: "European Idol"
Music provided by https://Slip.stream

It's fair to say that for the majority of the history of rock climbing, men have hogged the spotlight. Climbing has a particular "macho" bend to it, and women throughout the past hundreds of years have faced sexism and discrimination in almost every way possible while trying to participate on the rock.

Despite this unfortunate truth, many women have continually defied convention and worked incredibly hard to not only get a seat at the table, but also to push the sport into new realms of possibility.

So...here's a list of "Women of Firsts" in climbing - noting the first time that a woman achieved a given historical feat.

I have 10 women to cover - they aren't the only firsts, nor would I say that they are all the "best;" however - I can guarantee that they are all amazing and inspiring stories.

This is "10 Incredible "Women of Firsts" in Climbing."

SOURCES

Remembering Bev Johnson – One of America’s Greatest Climbers/Adventurers (https://rockriprollgirl.com/)

Hill, Lynn: "Climbing Free: My Life in the Vertical World" 2002.

List of Grade Milestones in Rock Climbing - Wikipedia. 

Bereziartu, Josune: "The First Woman to Send 5.14b, 5.14c, and 5.14d/15a No Longer Feels the Need to Climb" 2021. (Climbing Magazine)

"Katie Brown Interview" 2001 (Planet Mountain)

"First Woman to Boulder V14 - Tomoko Ogawa" 2012. (Climbing Magazine).

Ament, Pat: "Wizards of Rock: A History of Free Climbing in America" 1999.

Chambre, David: "The 9th Grade: 150 Years of Free Climbing" 2016.

VIDEOS (youtube.com)

"An Excerpt from "Brave New Wild." The First All-Female Ascent of El Capitan" (Outside Magazine Youtube)

"Lynn Hill on Today" (Lynn Hill Youtube)

"Janja Garnbret IFSC Boulder World Cup 2019 Season Sweep" (IFSC Youtube)

"Catharsis V14 8B+ in Shiobara Japan カタルシス 五段 塩原" (尾川先生のスポーツクライミング解説チャンネル Youtube)

MUSIC CREDIT:

Track: "Back In Your Town"

Music provided by https://Slip.stream 

Track: "Roll Through"

Music provided by https://Slip.stream 

Track: "Celluloid Visions"

Music provided by https://Slip.stream 

Track: "Just For Kicks"

Music provided by https://Slip.stream 

Track: “Fun Time Party”

Music provided by https://Slip.stream

Track: "La Belle"
Music provided by https://Slip.stream

Track: "Habanera"
Music provided by https://Slip.stream

Track: "European Idol"
Music provided by https://Slip.stream

Track: "Great Expectations"
Music provided by https://Slip.stream

The early 80's was a time of immense change in the climbing world. Sport climbing and bolting on rappel had just started to spread from Europe to America, and the ethics that had ruled the previous decades started to be questioned.

John Bachar - arguably the greatest climber in the world at the time - hated the idea of these new ethics changing the sport. In July of  1981, after attending an international climbing meetup in Germany where sport climbing was the hot topic of the day, he returned to Yosemite with plans to make a statement against the way that climbing was evolving.

The statement was a bold and dangerous new route - the Bachar-Yerian 5.11 R/X.

In this episode, we continue the story of the route, look deeper into the controversy surrounding it, and investigate some of the historical repeats (and attempts!).

SOURCES

Ament, Pat - "Climbing Free: A History of Free Climbing in America." 1999.

Chambre, David - "The 9th Grade: 150 Years of Free Climbing." 2016.

Bachar, John - "Bachar-Yerian" Alpinist #26.

Yerian, Dave - "Close But No Cigar" - Rock and Ice.

Various, extremely long SuperTopo threads...

"Bachars Last Interview" (Oakley Louise Youtube)

"John Bachar Interview by Dave Gill Russian Subtitles" (Dymtro Zhyvov Youtube)

Tom Higgins - "Tricksters and Traditionalists" 1984 (found on tomhiggins.net)

Hayden Kennedy on the Bachar/Yerian (5.11c R/X) (Found on Dailymotion)

MUSIC CREDIT:

Track: "Back In Your Town"

Music provided by https://Slip.stream 

Track: "Roll Through"

Music provided by https://Slip.stream 

Track: "Celluloid Visions"

Music provided by https://Slip.stream 

Track: "Just For Kicks"

Music provided by https://Slip.stream 

Track: “Gnarly Man”

Music provided by https://Slip.stream

Track: “Fun Time Party”

Music provided by https://Slip.stream

The early 80's was a time of immense change in the climbing world. Sport climbing and bolting on rappel had just started to spread from Europe to America, and the ethics that had ruled the previous decades started to be questioned.

John Bachar - arguably the greatest climber in the world at the time - hated the idea of these new ethics changing the sport. In July of  1981, after attending an international climbing meetup in Germany where sport climbing was the hot topic of the day, he returned to Yosemite with plans to make a statement against the way that climbing was evolving.

The statement was a bold and dangerous new route - the Bachar-Yerian 5.11 R/X.

In this episode, let's learn about the series of events that lead to this infamous route being created, and how Bachar and his partner, Dave Yerian, pulled it off.

Stay tuned for the next episode where I will finish the story of their ascent, look into the reaction from the climbing community, and share details from historical repeats of the route (including another climbing legend taking a 100ft whipper and never getting on it again).

SOURCES

Ament, Pat - "Climbing Free: A History of Free Climbing in America." 1999.

Chambre, David - "The 9th Grade: 150 Years of Free Climbing." 2016.

Bachar, John - "Bachar-Yerian" Alpinist #26.

Yerian, Dave - "Close But No Cigar" - Rock and Ice.

Various, extremely long SuperTopo threads...

"Bachars Last Interview" (Oakley Louise Youtube)

"John Bachar Interview by Dave Gill Russian Subtitles" (Dymtro Zhyvov Youtube)

MUSIC CREDIT:

Track: "Back In Your Town"

Music provided by https://Slip.stream 

Track: "Roll Through"

Music provided by https://Slip.stream 

Track: "Celluloid Visions"

Music provided by https://Slip.stream 

Track: "Just For Kicks"

Music provided by https://Slip.stream 

Track: “Gnarly Man”

Music provided by https://Slip.stream

Track: “Fun Time Party”

Music provided by https://Slip.stream

Today, dynamic climbing - lunging, dyno's, deadpoint's etc. - is considered a mainstream climbing style.

But that hasn't always been the case. On today's episode we trace to the origin on dynamic climbing to an exact time, place, and even a specific route.

From there we look at how this style of climbing spread from its early origins.

SOURCES

Ament, Pat - "John Gill: Master of Stone" 1979.

Sherman, John - "Stone Crusade: A Historical Guide to Bouldering In America." 1994.

Ament, Pat - "Climbing Free: A History of Free Climbing in America." 1999.

John Gill's website - johngill.net

Lynn Hill Chris Sharma Conversation about Technique (Lynn Hill Youtube)

John Gill explains his early philosophy of bouldering (Brave New Wild - Oakley Louise Youtube)

MUSIC CREDIT:

Track: "Back In Your Town"

Music provided by https://Slip.stream 

Track: "Roll Through"

Music provided by https://Slip.stream 

Track: "Celluloid Visions"

Music provided by https://Slip.stream 

Track: "Just For Kicks"

Music provided by https://Slip.stream 

Track: “Gnarly Man”

Music provided by https://Slip.stream

Track: “Fun Time Party”

Music provided by https://Slip.stream

In the 1980’s the small town of Buoux in Southern France suddenly became the centre of the hard sport climbing universe. Climbing on bolts was still in its infancy, and Buoux saw grades explode, new moves like the “Figure 4” invented, and controversies brew.

Everyone in the climbing world wanted to go to Buoux to try the hardest routes in the world.

Then, just as quickly as Buoux became the hottest crag in the world, it slipped into obscurity.

Today let’s learn about what happened at Buoux during the 80’s. Why did it get popular? Who Was there? How did it fade from the scene? And why does it matter?

SOURCES

(Intro Audio) “80’s Birth of Extreme Part Two” Alan Hughes. (Youtube)

“La Vie au Bout Des Doits” Climbing Film (youtube)

Chambre, David. The 9th Grade. 2015.

Moffat, Jerry. Revelations. 2009

Thornburg, Jim. Buoux: Revisiting France's Crag of the 1980s. 2010

Planet Mountain. Chouca and Buoux, yesterday, today and tomorrow.

MUSIC CREDIT:

Track: "Back In Your Town"

Music provided by https://Slip.stream 

Track: "Blockbuster Night", Johnny Moore

Music provided by https://Slip.stream 

Track: "Barren Places"

Music provided by https://Slip.stream 

Track: "Roll Through"

Music provided by https://Slip.stream 

Track: "Unsecure Transmission"

Music provided by https://Slip.stream 

Track: "Just For Kicks"

Music provided by https://Slip.stream 

Track: “Gnarly Man”

Music provided by https://Slip.stream

Coming soon - The Brief History of Climb Podcast!

Plus, a short story about the origin of the sit-start.

Music by Slip.stream - "Gnarly Man" / "Back In your Town"