Royal Robbins

Royal Robbins (born 1935) was one of the early pioneers of American rock climbing. Learning his skill at Tahquitz he moved on to put up many of the early Yosemite routes. A prolific writer, Robbins has written numerous influential magazine articles emphasizing a philosophy of minimal climbing equipment and maximum climbing skill. He authored Basic Rockcraft and Advanced Rockcraft, two very influential books, which passed on his skill and ethic, and inspired a whole new generation of climbers. A very early proponent of "clean climbing" (boltless, pitonless, use of natural features for protection) he, along with Yvon Chouinard, was instrumental in changing the climbing culture of the late 1960s and early 1970s to minimise overall human impact on the vertical wilderness. Later founded an eponymous outdoor apparel company, Royal Robbins.

One of Robbins's less-publicized accomplishments was his second ascent, with Don Lauria, of the Wall of Early Morning Light on El Capitan. This climb closely followed the first ascent by Warren J. Harding, which was done with heavy reliance on bolts: a method that offended Robbins and other clean climbing advocates. Harding had left all his bolts in the rock; Robbins and Lauria used the bolts to repeat the climb; and then chopped the heads off the bolts behind them, thus ensuring that a third ascent would never be made.

First Ascents

• 1952 Tahquitz Open Book, CA, USA. (First 5.9 in America)
• 1957 Northwest Face of Half Dome, Yosemite, CA, USA. (First grade VI climb in America)
• 1961 Salathé Wall, El Capitan, Yosemite, CA, USA. (Hardest big wall grade VI climb in world at time of 1st ascent, with improved style over previous first ascents on the Big Stone).
• 1962 American Direct, Aiguille du Dru, Mont Blanc Range, France. With Gary Hemming.
• 1963 Direct NW Face of Half Dome, Yosemite, CA, USA. With Dick McCracken.
• 1963 Robbins Route, Mount Proboscis, Logan Mountains, NWT, Canada. With Jim McCarthy, Layton Kor and Dick McCracken.
• 1964 North American Wall, El Capitan, Yosemite, CA, USA. With Tom Frost, Chuck Pratt and Yvon Chouinard.
• 1964 North Face Mount Hooker, Wind River Range, Wyoming, USA. With Dick McCracken and Charlie Raymond.
• 1964 Danse Macabre, Devils Tower, Wyoming, USA.
• 1964 Final Exam, Castle Rock, Boulder, CO, USA. With Pat Ament.
• 1964 Athlete's Feat, Castle Rock, Boulder, CO, USA.
• 1967 Nutcracker, Yosemite, CA, USA. (An early all-nut protected route, now a Yosemite easy classic)
• 1969 Tis-sa-ack, Half Dome, Yosemite, CA, USA. With Don Peterson.
• 1970 Arcturs, Half Dome, Yosemite, CA, USA. With Dick Dorworth.

Other Climbing Achievements

• 1963 Leaning Tower, Yosemite, CA, USA. Solo of a major route.
• 1968 Muir Wall, El Capitan, Yosemite, CA, USA. First Grade VI solo
• 1975 Wall of Early Morning Light, El Capitan, Yosemite, CA, USA. Second ascent.

Biographies

• Ament, Pat (1992). Royal Robbins: Spirit of the Age. Boulder, Colorado, USA.: Two Lights. ISBN 1-881663-02-7.

See also

• Warren J Harding
• Yvon Chouinard

External Links

• Royal Robbins website apparel company site