Unsung Heroes of Climbing History

I love climbing history. Who are some of your favorite climbers from previous generations who perhaps didn't receive as much critical acclaim as they deserved for their accomplishments?

Warren Harding didn't get as much acclaim for his trolling as Tradiban. 

Kurt Smith and Scott Cosgrove, Russ Klune, Mike Freeman. Ed February and Andy de Klerk. 

The crusty old dudes that come on MP and complain about anything new really have my admiration. 

Voytek Kurtyka - the Shining Wall on G4. And for his uncompromising style and pioneering spirit of high altitude, small-team alpine climbing. A reclusive legend barely recognized in our modern world. A tough mofo from a nation of tough mofos!

Kurtyka's wikipedia entry

Art of Freedom - biography

Unsung Heroes of Climbing History

Not into hero worship but like the unsung idea. And very few are actually heroic anyways.

If they have a Wikipedia page, they aren't unsung. If google brings up thousands of links, same.

I would offer up the pioneers who gave life to companies that made climbing gear. Those are "unsung" contributors only because they often get ignored by climbers but are certainly well known to google, etc. Heroes because gear saves lives and gives life to our dreams.

Todd Skinner and Paul Piana

Teton Climberwrote:

Unsung Heroes of Climbing History

Not into hero worship but like the unsung idea. And very few are actually heroic anyways.

If they have a Wikipedia page, they aren't unsung. If google brings up thousands of links, same.

I would offer up the pioneers who gave life to companies that made climbing gear. Those are "unsung" contributors only because they often get ignored by climbers but are certainly well known to google, etc. Heroes because gear saves lives and gives life to our dreams.

The Ballerina. A truly disposable shoe that saved La Sportiva!

Frank Steinwrote:

The Ballerina. A truly disposable shoe that saved La Sportiva!

Looks like the suede precursor to the Mocc! Probably more durable than the current SportsBall Brand iteration. Tell us more!

Steve Bosque

The unsung heroes who hiked to a downed plane that went down in a storm and returned with the goods. The money made from this was spent to set up a factory to make “sticky rubber boots”. This was the beginning… 

E.C. Joe.  

To me he is the Fred Beckey of the Sierras.  When i would read the climbing mags new routing chronicles (back when they posted those), he seemed to be all over the Sierra Mnts.

F r i t zwrote:

Looks like the suede precursor to the Mocc! Probably more durable than the current SportsBall Brand iteration. Tell us more!

So, in the late ‘80s the LS factory suffered a catastrophic fire, and it is my understanding that their stock was destroyed as was much of the machinery. They came out with the Ballerina to generate quick revenue, and they sold in the US for about ~$25, or a fraction of what climbing shoes cost back then. Far from being durable, they would last a few months, and then, once the upper was worn through, you’d chuck’em in the trash. I went through three pairs of the second generation (pictured is first) in ‘93. 

Any one from the DLFA

John Turner

Earl Wiggins free soloed the 2nd ascent of the scenic cruise in the black canyon onsight

In 1979 ( not sure of date )

15 pitches 10+

Monumental achievement!

Bruce Miller

coming around on bev johnson 

Todd Skinner fo sho. I hesitate to say Beckey, but in comparison with his contemporaries Jim Whittaker, Chouinard, etc he's never close to a household name.

Also, yeah, Andy de Klerk... and other locals, Burdo, Leland, Nelson & Cramer ;|

alpinist 47wrote:

Earl Wiggins free soloed the 2nd ascent of the scenic cruise in the black canyon onsight

In 1979 ( not sure of date )

15 pitches 10+

Monumental achievement!

I wish I could have met him. When I interviewed Stewart Green, he said Earl was not happy about the insecure fingerlocks of the shallow dihedral on the enduro pitch. Pretty sure he did it in EB's. I can't imagine doing the second traverse pitch ropeless with only one prior burn.

Brian Becker, Heinz Mariacher