History of Climbing in America

I've been climbing for a while now and to my embarrassment I don't know nearly enough about the history of our sport. I'm looking for some book or movie suggestions; specifically in the area of Aid and Free Climbing in America in the last century. I'm not looking for Mountaineering history but if you want to recommend something it's a free forum.

Thanks, Matt

Steve "Crusher" Barnett wrote "Desert Towers" this year, a very good book on early 1900's to modern day tower climbing in (mostly) Western Colorado, Utah and New Mexico. Add "Mountaineering, Freedom of the Hills" for alpinism and technique and any Royal Robbins books for early Yosemite climbs. Lynn Hill's book is also good for the Stonemasters era of Yosemite free-climbing. Hope this helps without being too exhaustive.

I second the Lynn Hill autobiography.

John Sherman, "Stone Crusade"
Pat Ament, "Spirit of the Age," and "Master of Rock," which are bios of Royal Robbins and John Gill, respectively.
There's also a history of climbing in Colorado by Jeff Achey called "Climb!" I think.

Get some Chris Jones .

amazon.com/Climbing-North-A…

Review sez "mountaineering" but it's pretty exhaustive on rock as well

The original 1977 "Climb! A history of climbing in Colorado" by Bob Godfrey and Dudley Chelton is quite good too.

Galen Rowel's Golden Age of Yosemite. Great stuff on the early aid climbing days. As well as the first outings in the Valley and Salathe's introduction of hard steel pitons.

It's been years since I read it but it was very inspirational at the time.

I think you mean Ordeal by Piton: Writings from the Golden Age of Yosemite Climbing, edited by Steve Roper. His Camp 4: Recollections of a Yosemite Rockclimber is also good.

I'm a librarian. People never remember the exact title. Or author.

Larry wrote:I think you mean Ordeal by Piton: Writings from the Golden Age of Yosemite Climbing, edited by Steve Roper. His Camp 4: Recollections of a Yosemite Rockclimber is also good. I'm a librarian. People never remember the exact title. Or author.

Actually this is what I meant chesslerbooks.com/item/8669…

Though I probably read the Roper book as well. Though it's been about 25 years since I read them so my memory is a bit fuzzy.

A couple of Ed Webster guides to NH, Mountain Magazine, Clint Cummnins home page at Stanford,

'Camp 4' is essential

To add and repeat.

Wizards of Rock, a history of free climbing - Pat Ament
Climb!! - Either first ($$) or second edition
Spirit of the age and master of Rock - Pat Ament

My personal favorite that is HUGE in the sports beginnings. REALLY recommend!!
Yankee Rock and Ice - Guy Waterman

and how could ya'll forget? Good luck finding a cheap copy, but there's actually 7 below $300 on amazon. It took me a few years to find a copy below $350 I could afford.
Beyond the vertical - Layton Kor

The movie Vertical Frontier is pretty cool.

verticalfrontier.org/

is what you are looking for.

I'm reading The Life and Climbs of Henry Barber right now. It isn't all that well written but worth reading for sure.

here is a free pdf for a good read. it is the national register of historic places nomination for Camp 4 in Yosemite. It has a history of climbing in Yosemite. pretty interesting.

pdfhost.focus.nps.gov/docs/…

+1 for "Camp 4"

wow.

Ya, that was my reaction. John, that seems kinda rough, eh?

In my opinion the history of climbing is written entirely in the routes. From the early 1900's local climbers, european transplants and the obsessed of the day established routes all over the country in crags from obscure to grand. The climbs themselves express the history and nature of climbing at the time of the first ascent. There are the famous climbs established by Weissner, Durrance, Salathe, Robbins...up to Sharma and beyond. These famous routes tell stories of fears and boldness than simply can't be written. There are the obscure routes in every crag established in the infancy of climbing by local unknowns with vision and talent. The routes that don't make it to the written histories are these local ones, only understood in their context by climbing them.

There is a lot of translation involved since the original ascents were done with equipment and protection more primitive than ours, into an environment unknown at the time, but I would argue the translation from the FA to our physical experience on the climb gets you a lot closer to understanding than the translation from a written page.

Now we need a list of climbs tthat express the history.

wait, what about vertical limit and cliff hanger??