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donini
Trad climber
Ouray, Colorado
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I was a member of a 7th Special Forces "A Detachment" stationed at Fort Bragg, North Carolina in 1964. We were training with some British SAS guys who broke out a rope and set up a top rope. It was just for that day but I had so much fun I pursued climbing when I got out of the service in 1965.
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Jaybro
Social climber
Wolf City, Wyoming
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You didn't start till '65? Slacker.... ;-)
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murcy
climber
sanfrancisco
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My then 11-yo son went to a birthday party at Mission Cliffs. I think I've been there almost 1,000 times since. Originally only with him, but he's moved onto other pursuits.
Unfortunately for my climbing, his other pursuits still require my chauffeuring and such on the weekends, so actual climbing has suffered greatly. But not for long.
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utahman912
Social climber
SLC, UT
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In 1960 my Dad took me to the Yosemite. At 11 I did Reds Meadow to the Valley on the JMT with him. Spent time that same summer with my Grandfather at Joshua Tree, They did it so I did it. Nature or nurture... I don't know... but my kids do it too.
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deano
Trad climber
sonora
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age 12 near the top of Sonora Pass with my dad. we had a rope and some nuts but no second harness or belay device. my dad just held the rope in his hands (hand - one taking pictures!) when I got to the top, I just walked a circle around a small tree then had him lower me off. sap all over the rope...
didn't know there were "routes" with names and junk so I'm pretty sure it was a ground up first ascent.
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rottingjohnny
Sport climber
mammoth lakes ca
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Took a Sierra Club Course on snow climbing and self-arrest on the Baldy bowl back in 73...A Trip to joshua tree , Rubidoux and the test piece trough on tahquitz...5.0d...yee haw...RJ
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pocoloco1
Mountain climber
The Chihuahua Desert
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I found a complementary copy of the local social rag in my drive way. On the way to the trash, I scanned the cover photo. The photo caption read, “ Rob R spots Swiss Climber Tony L at Historic Hueco Tanks”.So, a few days later, I called Rob. A few weeks later,Rob showed me how to put on a harness, he tied me in to a top rope set up on Uriah’s Heap, pointed to the anchor and said,go touch that carabiner.
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Reilly
Mountain climber
The Other Monrovia- CA
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Didn't have a lot of climbing in Chicago but we made do.
It was good training for the cold which has never bothered me...
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Jaybro
Social climber
Wolf City, Wyoming
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South suburbs?
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JEleazarian
Trad climber
Fresno CA
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My family went camping for a couple of weeks in YNP every year since I was born, so it was a sort of natural progression from hiking and bouldering. I learned about pitons and carabiners in Junior Rangers in the early 1960's, and found Roper's Red climber's guide in the library in about 1966. I started roped climbing the next year, but didn't feel sufficiently competent to lead in the Valley until 1969.
John
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WBraun
climber
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If you sit in a corn field in Kansas and can watch corn grow you're climbing .....
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mooser
Trad climber
seattle
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Reilly, I love the summit shot! People and cars must have looked like little ants from there!
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Reilly
Mountain climber
The Other Monrovia- CA
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Mooser,
They did in my mind's eye! A couple of years later I read Annapurna
and the rest as they say...
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Strider
Trad climber
one of god's mountain temples.... ಠ_ಠ
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I just woke up one day and thought, "Hey, I want to do that." And I did.
And thanks for reminding me. It was 6 years ago on this day (July 4th, 2004) that I slept my first night on my first big wall, West Face of Leaning Tower. Cool.
-nick
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Norwegian
Trad climber
Placerville, California
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all horizons converge at me.
i am the nucleus of my dream.
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healyje
Trad climber
Portland, Oregon
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Parents said I was climbing before I was walking. Tipped a high-backed chair through a picture window when I was three and was off from there on. Grew up in Chitown like Jaybro and was on buildings and in trees the entire time we lived there. Should have been a second-story man, but became a climber instead.
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Brokedownclimber
Trad climber
Douglas, WY
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In Summer of 1958 at CU in Boulder, 2 of my house mates took the Rock School at the CU Mountain Recreation program from Cary Huston. They waxed so enthusiastic about how much fun they were having that I became interested and met one of their fellow students and became good friends with him, since we were both chemistry majors at the University. His name was Bob Culp, and he actually became my close friend and mentor in rock climbing. I learned how to belay, rappel, handle ropes, and drag my fat a$$ up some real climbs. Prior to that, my activity had been backpacking and some peak bagging. Now, almost 52 years later I still climb whenever possible. Bob still operates the Bob Culp Climbing School, and guides professionally, worldwide.
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ncrockclimber
climber
NC
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I started in '89 or '90. I was in school at UofA in Tucson. A friend spend the summer working in Yosemite and came back totally stoked about climbing. He had a rope and some gear, and took a bunch of us out to Mt. Lemmon. I was hooked, as were a number of my friends. We started going regularly, but really had no idea of what we were doing. Looking back, I cringe at some of the absolutely stupid stuff we did in total ignorance.
One day, while we were taking turns flailing on a 5.8 top rope problem, we notice this "old" guy sitting on a boulder. He was watching us and smiling. After a while he walks up and offers some advice about using our feet (or something similar). One of my more rude friends (or was it me?) said something to the effect of "Why don't you show us what you mean... if you are such a great climber." The "old" guy didn't ever pause. He jumped on the wall unroped and in his hiking boots. He walked up the route, then down climbed it. When he got to the bottom, he just looked at us and smiled. From that point on he was my mentor. He was a great climber and teacher.
I loved climbing from the first time I touched rock, but it was only after I met Ben (the old guy) that the world of climbing really opened up for me.
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the kid
Trad climber
fayetteville, wv
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i finished growing up in Tahoe, and back packed starting at age 12.. that led to winter camping and climbing crags and boulders while backpacking..
in those years tommy thompson (T2) and Rick Lovelace and i were all the same age/grade/school.
So we went from scrambling to Rick getting a rope and hexes and setting up our first tope ropes @ age 14/15.....1979
Ball buster rock was the my first time on a rope, we set up easy route then a 5.9. we all thrashed on it! a few years later we all soloed it!
My first climbing trip to the valley- 1980- just got my drivers license and talked my parents into letting Rick and I go down for spring break.. I took a 2 day class from Yos School so my parents would be chill. Don Reid was my instructor and took me under his wing that week. He showed me a bouldering circuit by swan slab after class and opened the door for me to follow..
that trip changed my life forever, i saw how climbing would lead to endless adventures and i wanted that more than anything...
the rest is
history,,
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bluering
Trad climber
Santa Clara, Ca.
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For me it was a need to continue on from places I went.
I was an avid backpacker/fisherman/hiker. It would take me my buddies to places where we could no longer pass without technical gear. So finally a buddy and I said, "F*#k it! We need to learn how to use ropes!!!".
And we did. That was about 10 years ago. Never had a lesson....but I don't really climb hard, I just like having fun.
First route...
First technical route, iceaxes and gear along the rock face next to the snow gulley.
How do you spell couloir???
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