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marks
Aug 18, 2002, 9:00 PM
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i personally think wolfgang guillich is the greatest.he took things a step further.also johnny dawes for the bold bold routes of the mid 1980's
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biggernhell
Aug 19, 2002, 4:36 PM
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Gotta be Rhienhold Messner.
Before Messner no one even thought that it was possible to climb to 8000 meters without oxygen. It was seen as beyond the capability the of the human body. Now its the prefered way to go.
He also ushered in an idea of self sufficiency in all situations that is the very definition of what a "good" climber is today.
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ergophobe
Sep 11, 2002, 5:59 PM
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Wow, that's a tough one. Messner certainly changed the Himalayan game. However, I think there are some other potential choices
- Chouinard (with the help of Frost). More than anyone, they are responsible for the fact that we don't free climb with pins anymore. Also made the first curved-pick ice axes which opened up huge amounts of new terrain. He did the first alpine style ascent (no fixed ropes) of an El Cap big wall (the Muir). Lots more and in many different areas.
- Ray Jardine - created Friends, made "hangdogging"... er I guess the modern term is "working" routes acceptable, pushed the standards, envisioned freeing the Nose and... black mark on his soul, chopped the holds that made it possible for Lynn Hill to free the Nose.
My darkhorse choice:
-James Sunday. Never heard of him? Well he may have done more to change climbing for regular Americans than anyone else in history. He is the guy who had a few drinks, went skiing, hit a bush and then sued for 5 million dollars in the mid-1970s. This set off a wave of recreational lawsuits that have profoundly affected us all, impacting access to many climbing areas, putting Chouinard and some others out of the climbing gear business, forcing us to sign waivers everywhere we go and creating rule-nazis in the gyms. All bad changes, but possibly the ones I feel the most.
addendum:
I just noticed that in the thread on the Chouinard lawsuit someone quotes a source that says:
Quote:
Product liability suits multiplied 400% from 1976 to 1986
Note that 1976 is the year of the James Sunday case
Tom
[ This Message was edited by: ergophobe on 2002-09-11 11:07 ]
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brianinslc
Sep 13, 2002, 9:02 PM
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Oscar Eckenstein. For takin' us from ice creepers to crampons.
David Brower. For placing and making acceptable use of bolts.
Edward Whymper. For a titallating tale read by many about the day the rope broke.
Annie S. Peck. For bringing mainstream climbing to the female in the US. Honorable mention to Fanny Bullock Workman.
John Menlove Edwards. Father of modern rock climbing? Also a tie to the SF bay area climber...har har...
Don Whillans and Joe Brown. Non Victorian, blue collar rock climbers.
Messner. Read 7th Grade. Way ahead of his time.
Brian in SLC
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jhump
Sep 13, 2002, 9:44 PM
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George Lowe- Invented a ton of gear, invented hard ice climbing, did routes in the seventies that are unrepeated and currently repel top climbers.
Herman Buhl- Messner's inspiration, he did the only solo first ascent of an 8000 meter peak (Nanga Parbat).
Warren Harding- This guy did his own thing, never bowing to the traditionalists. In his day, most couldn't even conceive of climbing on El Cap when Harding was blasting his way up with horrific gear (i.e. rope that broke under body weight)
Chris Sharma- He can pull as hard or harder than anyone who has ever lived. To the sport weenie/boulderer, he is GOD.
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ubangie
Sep 13, 2002, 9:59 PM
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Rhienhold Messner or Mark Twight. nuff said
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climbjs
Sep 13, 2002, 10:33 PM
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John Gill, without a doubt. When climbing was defined by unclimbed summits and big expeditions, John condensed climbing to its essences- movement, bouldering, problem solving. There have been so many people who influenced climbing, but Gill was one of the pioneers of chalk use in climbing and climbing shoes. When everyone else was looking high, John looked around. He saw climbing in rock that was never considered to be climbing. And essentially redefined the way at which we view climbing nowadays. I have an immense appreciation for attitude twoards climbing- link the moves, solve the problem, his physical feats that were unparalleled, and the boulder problems/solos that he did. All for the sake of climbing.
[ This Message was edited by: climbjs on 2002-09-13 15:37 ]
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bbevans039
Sep 14, 2002, 3:12 AM
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So many climbers contribute to so many different mediums of climbing...for trad , this questions has several answers... Lynn Hill for her style and grace.. Sharma for his power, Synnot , he is awesome so many tradders...
in the world of Alpine guys like Lowe, Messner, Anker , Twight and almost all pioneers get my vote. Viesturs will soon enough be on top of the list as well.. good question ...
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iclimbtoo
Sep 14, 2002, 4:57 AM
Post #9 of 49
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Lynn Hill, hands down. Not only is she AMAZINGLY well acomplished (and yes, she has experience with both alpinism and aiding!), but she has been a pioneer in opening up the climbing world to some of those hot chicks we now get to gawk at on the crags.
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mountainhardon
Sep 14, 2002, 5:29 AM
Post #10 of 49
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ergophobe, Lynn Hill did not utilize Jardine's enhances holds. He did those for a link up route, NOT for the nose route that Hill climbed.
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ergophobe
Sep 15, 2002, 9:19 PM
Post #11 of 49
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mountainhardon,
I just read her biography a few days ago. She said that she thinks the Nose *would* have been possible without Jardine's holds, but she doesn't know because she did not get a chance to try the route in its pristine state.
I'm moving and the book is already packed up, but I think it should be easy to find.
Tom
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jaricaurte
Sep 16, 2002, 2:10 AM
Post #12 of 49
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The equipment. Without the development of last the ten years, we would be doing 5.6.
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ergophobe
Sep 16, 2002, 4:46 PM
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Quote:
The equipment. Without the development of last the ten years, we would be doing 5.6.
Say again? The first 5.6s that are still in guidebooks were done over 100 years ago. The first ones ever done are probably prehistoric.
Also, Jim Erikson has onsight free-soloed first ascents of 5.9 and perhaps 5.10 barefoot and with no chalk.
As a generaly principal, though, I agree, which is why I voted for Chouinard and Jardine.
Tom
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rck_climber
Sep 16, 2002, 5:14 PM
Post #14 of 49
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I'm with climbjs.
John Gill was, in my humble opinion, the greatest single influence on climbing. His ability to strip climbing down to the basics of it and then re-define the sport with specialized shoes, chalk and dynamic moves was paramount in the progression of modern climbing.
Mick
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rockfax
Sep 16, 2002, 6:30 PM
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You are all wrong.....Dawes, Hill, Gill, Gullich, Messner are all fantastic climbers and all have made great climbing achievements but no-one has explained actually "how" they have changed climbing..........
Here's what they did...
Dawes: dynamic climbing, bold headpointing style
Gill: dynamic climbing, bouldering as an end to itself, introduced chalk
Messner: ascents of high peaks without bottled oxygen
Gullich: intense training for specific routes, travelled the world repeating the hardest free climbs
Hill: Multi-discplinary free climber......hard bolted free climbs, hard multi-pitch free climbs, a role model for all climbers but especially women
They all contributed to certain changes but where not the sole proponent of the changes.
In my opinion two things have radically changed climbing in the last 20 years.
1. The global use and acceptance of the bolt in free climbing
2. The development of the panel and bolt-on hold system that is used at most climbing gyms and in climbing competitions
These two developments have changed climbing for the good and for the bad.
Anyone care to hazard a guess at the good and the bad?
Mick
www.rockfax.com
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jaricaurte
Sep 16, 2002, 11:23 PM
Post #16 of 49
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Mesnner or any other super climber are just fenomenos.In all the history of the humanity great men have existed, but not all had tools than today. I insist, the equipment and the training is the determining factor.
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dune
Sep 17, 2002, 6:04 PM
Post #17 of 49
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Sharma??? You gotta love the kid and he's a strong bro, but he's only pushed the ratings once, by only one notch. Gill and Gullich did the equivalence of 4 times that each. Tony Yaniro did more too when he put up Grand Illusion (first route rated 5.13, now is 13c). And Ray Jardine not only invented the SLCD (that alone is huge) he did the worlds first 5.13 (Phoenix). And Fred Nichole has done more to push ratings lately than anyone (including Sharma). So I guess Sharma hasn't done much to change the way we climb, but his reluctance to rate his boulder problems does present an enigma (only time will tell).
I agree with many of the rest, but I'd like to add John Salathe. He deserves to be on the top list.
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brianinslc
Sep 19, 2002, 9:42 PM
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Mick, the question was "who", not what. Pay attention (har har). Nice bio's though.
Salathe, yep, hard iron pins. Rumor has that Coonyard got the "diamond C" idea from Salathe. Mini trivia: what was Salathe's symbol and what did it stand for?
Jardine invented the SLCD? Nah, ever see a Lowe cam? How 'bout one from Russia by Abalakov?
Speakin' o' which, I'll go ahead and nominate Vitali Mikhailovich Abalakov. Hans Dulfer and Emilio Comici too.
Bill Forest and Raffi Bedayn.
Ghastly Rubberfat.
And on and on...
Brian in SLC
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moeman
Nov 3, 2002, 10:08 PM
Post #19 of 49
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John Gill. He invented a whole new aspect t clinbing-- technical, more focused on how you summi than i you summit.
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bighigaz
Nov 3, 2002, 10:25 PM
Post #20 of 49
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Alex Lowe-
(All around good guy, and excellent climber)
Ed Viesturs-
(Alpine god)
Hans Florine-
(Speed Genius)
Chris Sharma-
(Nothing is impossible)
Charles P. Ginsburg-
(Invented the modern video camera!)
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moeman
Nov 14, 2002, 12:45 AM
Post #21 of 49
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Gill, hands down.
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pbjosh
Nov 14, 2002, 1:03 AM
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I'd go with Chouinard/Frost/Salathe and Messner/Buhl/Comici/Bonatti for the pushers into the next level of gear and alpinism. Probably Gill/Hill/Gullich are the best examples for free climbing that I can think of.
And Lynn Hill definitely used Jardine's chipped holds on the Nose, not to mention a handful of pin scars...
josh
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phil_nev
Nov 14, 2002, 2:06 AM
Post #23 of 49
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For me because i'm an aussie the people who have changed climbing here a slightly different.
'Hot' Henry Barber eliminated aid from a swag of old testpeices and introduced the grade of 23, .11 c to australia.
Malcolm Matheson (HB)-probably the most prolific australian climber he has done it all, hard sport, trad and not to mention the WORLDS LONGEST FREE ROOF (50m)
The new wave consisting of tempest, lindorf, lockwood, peisker, sheperds (all of them) and many more....
Finaly wolfgang gulichm, klem loskot and fred nicole, they changed modern climbing and extreeme bouldering in australia for ever.
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johnny_g
Dec 4, 2002, 8:20 AM
Post #24 of 49
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I thin there are some names here Like GULLICH
,Alex&Thomas Huber ,Chris Sharma ,Yuji Hirayama ...All of this top class climbers done something new in climbing
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mainline
Dec 5, 2002, 6:48 AM
Post #25 of 49
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Don't forget Jeff Lowe who ushered in the mixed climbing revolution with his first ascent of octopussy.
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