How often have you done a route, not realizing it was a 1st ascent?

I have perhaps done several, none of them that serious.  We didn't claim them as first ascents, but those who came years later did.

Here are some examples. We actually climbed these in 1991, but the MP pages say the first ascents were in 2002 and 2003. Years later I could identify those ones specifically, but we did a lot more climbs than that on the wall.

https://www.mountainproject.com/route/106644485/secret-knowledge-overkill

https://www.mountainproject.com/route/106495628/sport-rappelling-is-neither

Now if you rephrase the question to “not realizing it was a F.F.A.!  There is a definite distinction there. One I’ve done unbeknownst to me at the time on more than several occasions. 

Once, with two dudes I met in the parking lot. We were hoping to climb a classic route, and got to the base in the dark (so we thought). Not only were we not on the right route, we weren’t on the right mountain! Bailed after a few pitches.

WF WF51 wrote:

Once. 

+1

Mathematically correct answer. 

The Senior Onsight still evades math, though.

Back when young, 1970's, probably did several FAs, but we never bothered to tell anyone, so they never got recorded........

Cosmic Hotdog wrote:

I don't think this post is intended as a humble brag at all but it made me laugh. 

For me - literally never. I can't imagine any scenario where I wouldn't be aware that I was doing a FA. I would have to roll up to some area blindly, having done no research via MP or using a guidebook, and pick something with no indication that it'd be climbed before and then climb it. To me, a FA is very intentional. An unintentional FA feels like a mega oxymoron. 

You've never said "that looks like a nice crack, let's go climb it"?

Collin H wrote:

Once, with two dudes I met in the parking lot. We were hoping to climb a classic route, and got to the base in the dark (so we thought). Not only were we not on the right route, we weren’t on the right mountain! Bailed after a few pitches.

Years ago I was climbing two friends. One was a guide and guidebook author. The other a well known climbing photographer. They shall remain nameless. We decided to climb a well known classic route. On the approach, in the dark it started snowing, not much but enough to initially dissuade us. We futzed around and once it was light it stopped snowing and the sun came out so we decided to go for it. Had a great time on the route. When we got back I realized not only were we on the wrong route, but the wrong peak, and in the wrong valley. One partner initially didn't believe me cause he didn't think there could be two rock peaks which such similar tower like features. 

Allen! I suspect we aren't the only mountaineers to climb the wrong mountain after going astray on the dark approach.

In one case, instead of nabbing an FA? I found an ancient rusty sardine tin with Glen Dawson's FA record still intact from the 1930s. I was alone and I howled to the gods from that summit!

Allen Sanderson wrote:

Years ago I was climbing two friends. One was a guide and guidebook author. The other a well known climbing photographer. They shall remain nameless. We decided to climb a well known classic route. On the approach, in the dark it started snowing, not much but enough to initially dissuade us. We futzed around and once it was light it stopped snowing and the sun came out so we decided to go for it. Had a great time on the route. When we got back I realized not only were we on the wrong route, but wrong peak, and in the wrong valley. One partner initially didn't believe me cause he didn't think there could be two rock peaks which such similar tower like features. 

Haha that’s very similar to what happened to us (except there was not a guide or guidebook author to be found in our party). And the peak we were going for was so incredibly distinctive and obvious from our camp that it didn’t seem possible to mess it up. The mistake seemed so difficult to make that we didn’t entertain it as a serious possibility, even when we knew we were off route. And we had a clear view of the correct mountain from the moment it got light and throughout our climb. I was joking about the “look-alike mountain” right next to us by the time we got to the top of the first pitch, wondering if anyone had ever climbed it by mistake…

By the top of the second pitch I half-jokingly asked “wouldn’t that be hilarious if that was the real mountain, and this was just some random rock?” One of the other guys laughed and then said “I’m confident we’re on the right mountain.” It ended up being my favorite climbing story, but one that was too embarrassing to tell for a while!

https://www.mountainproject.com/route/stats/105849373/southeast-corner

Maybe this, but routes on The Saber are poorly defined and folks seem to link variations regularly. It seemed likely at the time that no one has climbed sections of this but who knows. I would have named it The Accidental Tourist had I seriously considered it an FA as we had intended to do the Kor. 

stephen arsenault wrote:

Found it:   Bloody Sunday, 5.8   Fall, 1971  Just left of Southern Cave Slab.    I found the Facebook post  .  Apparently it is on the Main Face, next to Deception, but maybe not listed in the latest guidebook..  Not much of a route.

I think it is a very good route. Fingery climbing, subtle wire stopper protection, thoughtful. It is a long, steep face climb to the left of the southern cave slab/ Sunday bulge route. Good route I’d say!

Scott Patterson wrote:

I have perhaps done several, none of them that serious.  We didn't claim them as first ascents, but those who came years later did.

Here are some examples. We actually climbed these in 1991, but the MP pages say the first ascents were in 2002 and 2003. Years later I could identify those ones specifically, but we did a lot more climbs than that on the wall.

https://www.mountainproject.com/route/106644485/secret-knowledge-overkill

https://www.mountainproject.com/route/106495628/sport-rappelling-is-neither

I think what you describe happens a lot more than the opposite. I know of a fair number of routes that were climbed prior to their FA's.

Kristian Solem wrote:

I think what you describe happens a lot more than the opposite. I know of a fair number of routes that were climbed prior to their FA's.

This was the case in Joshua Tree back in the 70s.  I know of a few routes that the first ascensionists did not get credit for the route but someone a year or three later did.