History of Climbing

A story about the first ascent of a desert tower that I climbed with the legendary rock climber Layton Kor, Everest climbing hero Ed Webster, and British climber Dennis Jump in the Arizona desert.

The Titan, the tallest freestanding sandstone tower in the United States, was first climbed in May 1962 by Layton Kor, Huntley Ingalls, and George Hurley. Read the dramatic story of their landmark ascent of one of America's great classic climbs in the canyon country east of Moab, Utah.

The landmark first ascent of the Northwest Face of Half Dome in Yosemite Valley in 1957 was the biggest wall yet climbed in the United States as well as the first Grade VI route.

A short article and photo essay on the historic 1911 first ascent of Independence Monument in Colorado National Monument by John Otto.

Castleton Tower, one of the Utah canyon country's most famous sandstone towers, was used in a 1964 black-and-white television commercial for Chevrolet. Read the crazy story behind this commercial and view the commercial before you go climb Castleton.

Enjoy this gallery of historic rock climbing photographs by Ed Webster of his many landmark first ascents in the Utah canyon country.

The Bradford Washburn American Mountaineering Museum in Golden, Colorado, explores the history of American climbing and climbers.

In 1858 Julia Archibald Holmes became the first woman to climb Pikes Peak, one of Colorado's most famous Fourteeners. Read all about Holme's landmark ascent here.

Read this excerpt on National Geographic about Reinhold Messner's tragic ascent of the Rupal Face on Nanga Parbet.

Join John Gill, the father of modern bouldering, for an entertaining history of Early British Boulderers.

Zion National Park, one of America's major rock climbing areas, has a long and colorful climbing history. Learn more about Zion's climbing history from 1920 until 1970, the start of Zion's "Golden Age," in the first part of Zion Rock Climbing History.

Zion National Park, one of America's major rock climbing areas, has a long and colorful climbing history. Learn more about Zion's climbing history from 1920 until 1970, the start of Zion's "Golden Age," in the first part of Zion Rock Climbing History.

So you want to climb fast? Read about speed climbing up The Nose of El Capitan in Yosemite Valley and the current record by Hans Florine and Yuji Hirayama.

John Bachar (1957-2009) was an iconic American climber who died in a fall free-soloing in California. Bachar, from southern California, was perhaps the best climber of his generation with numerous landmark ascents in Yosemite Valley, Joshua Tree, Colorado and other climbing areas. Read more about John Bachar and a timeline of his life and times.

In 1916 pioneer climbers Albert Ellingwood, Eleanor Davis, and two others made the first ascents of Crestone Peak and Crestone Needle, the last two of Colorado's 54 Fourteeners or 14,000-foot peaks to be climbed. Read about the landmark ascent and two great American climbers.

In 1924, pioneer climbers Albert Ellingwood, Eleanor Davis, Stephen Hart, and Marion Warner made the first ascent of one of Colorado's classic and most beautiful alpine routes up a prow on the North Face of Crestone Needle. Read about their landmark first ascent, creating perhaps America's hardest long climbing route at the time.