Royal Robbins
Encyclopedia
Royal Robbins is one of the pioneers of American rock climbing
. After learning to climb at Tahquitz
he went on to make first ascents of many big wall
routes in Yosemite. As an early proponent of boltless, pitonless clean climbing
, he, along with Yvon Chouinard
, was instrumental in changing the climbing culture of the late 1960s and early 1970s by encouraging the use and preservation of the natural features of the rock. He went on to become a well-known kayaker
.
Following his success as a climber, Robbins founded an eponymous outdoor apparel company with his wife Liz Robbins. He now lives in Modesto, California
.
, with the (controversial) intention of erasing the route as they climbed it.
Their ascent closely followed the 1970 first ascent by Warren Harding and Dean Caldwell, completed with a heavy-handed 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 Robbins then chopped the heads off the bolts behind them. After two pitches, Robbins stopped chopping the bolts because (according to Lauria) "the quality of the aid climbing
was much higher than he had ever expected of Harding or Caldwell and, of course, it was also taking us an awful long time to chop all those goddam bolts."
, which prevented serious climbing. He took up adventure kayaking
instead, completing first descents of challenging rivers from high mountain elevations. His early kayaking partners included Doug Tompkins
and Reg Lake. In 1980, the three descended the San Joaquin River Gorge
from Devil's Postpile to the Mammoth Pool Reservoir, 5000 feet lower and 32 miles away. In 1981, they carried their kayaks over Mount Whitney Pass at 13,777 foot elevation, into Sequoia National Park
and descended 55 miles down the Kern Trench
. In 1982, joined by Neusom Holmes, they descended the Middle Fork of the Kings River
in Kings Canyon National Park
, the largest and steepest of these three High Sierra descents. In 1983, Robbins descended the Tuolumne River
in Yosemite National Park
from Tuolumne Meadows
to Hetch Hetchy Reservoir
. He was accompanied by Reg Lake, Chuck Stanley, Lars Holbek, John Armstrong and Richard Montgomery.
He then developed an interest in descending smaller mountain creeks by kayak during their flood stage following heavy rains. His first such project in May, 1984 was the descent of Sespe Creek
, which runs through the Los Padres National Forest
. He was accompanied by Yvon Chouinard
, Reg Lake, John Wasserman and Jackson Frischman. Robbins called this type of trip "flash boating", and later used the technique on the Fresno River
, the Chowchilla River
and the middle fork of the Mokelumne River
.
Rock climbing
Rock climbing also lightly called 'The Gravity Game', is a sport in which participants climb up, down or across natural rock formations or artificial rock walls. The goal is to reach the summit of a formation or the endpoint of a pre-defined route without falling...
. After learning to climb at Tahquitz
Tahquitz
Tahquitz is a granite rock formation located on the high western slope of the San Jacinto mountain range in Riverside County, Southern California, United States, above the mountain town of Idyllwild...
he went on to make first ascents of many big wall
Big wall climbing
Big wall climbing is a type of rock climbing in which a long multi-pitch route, so sustained that an ascent normally requires more than a single day, is climbed. Big wall routes require the climbing team to live on the route often using portaledges and hauling equipment...
routes in Yosemite. As an early proponent of boltless, pitonless clean climbing
Clean climbing
Clean climbing is a rock climbing term that describes techniques and equipment which climbers use in order to avoid damage to the rock. These techniques date at least in part from the 1920s and earlier in England, but the term itself may have emerged in about 1970 during the widespread and rapid...
, he, along with Yvon Chouinard
Yvon Chouinard
Yvon Chouinard is a rock climber, environmentalist and outdoor industry businessman, noted for his contributions to climbing, climbing equipment and the outdoor gear business. His second company, Patagonia is known for its environmental focus...
, was instrumental in changing the climbing culture of the late 1960s and early 1970s by encouraging the use and preservation of the natural features of the rock. He went on to become a well-known kayaker
Kayaking
Kayaking is the use of a kayak for moving across water. Kayaking and canoeing are also known as paddling. Kayaking is distinguished from canoeing by the sitting position of the paddler and the number of blades on the paddle...
.
Following his success as a climber, Robbins founded an eponymous outdoor apparel company with his wife Liz Robbins. He now lives in Modesto, California
Modesto, California
Modesto is a city in, and is the county seat of, Stanislaus County, California. With a population of approximately 201,165 at the 2010 census, Modesto ranks as the 18th largest city in the state of California....
.
Notable Ascents
- 1957 Northwest FaceRegular Northwest Face of Half DomeThe Regular Northwest Face of Half Dome was the first Grade VI climb in the United States. It was first climbed in 1957 by a team consisting of Royal Robbins, Mike Sherrick, and Jerry Gallwas. Its current rating is VI 5.9 A1 or 5.12 for the free variation...
of Half DomeHalf DomeHalf Dome is a granite dome in Yosemite National Park, located in northeastern Mariposa County, California, at the eastern end of Yosemite Valley — possibly Yosemite's most familiar rock formation. The granite crest rises more than above the valley floor....
, Yosemite, CA, USA. First grade VI climb in America. With Mike Sherrick and Jerry Gallwas. - 1961 Salathé Wall, El CapitanEl CapitanEl Capitan is a vertical rock formation in Yosemite National Park, located on the north side of Yosemite Valley, near its western end. The granite monolith extends about from base to summit along its tallest face, and is one of the world's favorite challenges for rock climbers.The formation was...
, Yosemite, CA, USA. Hardest big wall grade VI climb in world at time of first ascent. With Tom FrostTom FrostTom Frost is a rock climber from California, best known for big wall climbing first ascents in Yosemite Valley. He is also a photographer and climbing equipment manufacturer.-Rock climbing and mountaineering:...
and Chuck PrattChuck PrattCharles Marshall Pratt was an American rock climber from California, best known for big wall climbing first ascents in Yosemite Valley...
. - 1962 American Direct, Aiguille du DruAiguille du DruThe Aiguille du Dru is a mountain in the Mont Blanc massif in the French Alps, lying to the east of the village of Les Praz in the Chamonix valley.The mountain has two summits:...
, Mont Blanc Range, France. With Gary HemmingGary HemmingGary Hemming was a noted American mountaineer. Together with Royal Robbins he made the first ascent of the American Direct route on the Aiguille du Dru in Chamonix in 1962, and was widely known in France for his role as a rescuer of a party on the same mountain in 1966.Hemming was also part of the...
. - 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 KorLayton KorLayton Kor is an American rock climber active in the 1960s, whose first ascents and drive for climbing are well known in the climbing world. His routes include many climbs in Eldorado Canyon, near Boulder, Colorado, The Diamond on Longs Peak, towers in the desert southwest, and Yosemite National...
and Dick McCracken. - 1964 North America Wall, El Capitan, Yosemite, CA, USA. With Tom FrostTom FrostTom Frost is a rock climber from California, best known for big wall climbing first ascents in Yosemite Valley. He is also a photographer and climbing equipment manufacturer.-Rock climbing and mountaineering:...
, Chuck PrattChuck PrattCharles Marshall Pratt was an American rock climber from California, best known for big wall climbing first ascents in Yosemite Valley...
and Yvon ChouinardYvon ChouinardYvon Chouinard is a rock climber, environmentalist and outdoor industry businessman, noted for his contributions to climbing, climbing equipment and the outdoor gear business. His second company, Patagonia is known for its environmental focus...
. - 1964 North Face, Mount Hooker, Wind River RangeWind River RangeThe Wind River Range , is a mountain range of the Rocky Mountains in western Wyoming in the United States. The range runs roughly NW-SE for approximately 100 miles . The Continental Divide follows the crest of the range and includes Gannett Peak, which at 13,804 feet , is the highest peak...
, Wyoming, USA. With Dick McCracken and Charlie Raymond. - 1964 Danse Macabre, Devils TowerDevils Tower National MonumentDevils Tower is an igneous intrusion or laccolith located in the Black Hills near Hulett and Sundance in Crook County, northeastern Wyoming, above the Belle Fourche River...
, Wyoming, USA. - 1964 Final Exam, Castle Rock, Boulder, CO, USA. With Pat AmentPat AmentPat Ament is an American rock climber, musician, and artist who lives in Fruita, Colorado. Noted for first ascents in the 1960s and 1970s, he is the author of many articles and books....
. - 1964 Athlete's Feat, Castle Rock, Boulder, CO, USA.
- 1965 American Direttissima, Aiguille du DruAiguille du DruThe Aiguille du Dru is a mountain in the Mont Blanc massif in the French Alps, lying to the east of the village of Les Praz in the Chamonix valley.The mountain has two summits:...
, Mont Blanc Range, France. With John Harlin. - 1967 Nutcracker, Yosemite, CA, USA. An early all-nut protected route, now a Yosemite classic.
- 1967 West Face, El Capitan, Yosemite Valley - First ascent with TM Herbert.
- 1967 North Face, VI 5.9 A3, Mount Geikie, Canadian RockiesCanadian RockiesThe Canadian Rockies comprise the Canadian segment of the North American Rocky Mountains range. They are the eastern part of the Canadian Cordillera, extending from the Interior Plains of Alberta to the Rocky Mountain Trench of British Columbia. The southern end borders Idaho and Montana of the USA...
, first ascent with John Hudson. - 1967 North Face, Mount Edith CavellMount Edith CavellMount Edith Cavell is a mountain located in the Athabasca River and Astoria River valleys of Jasper National Park, Canada. The mountain was named in 1916 for Edith Cavell, an English nurse and spy executed by the Germans during World War I for having helped allied soldiers escape from occupied...
, Canadian RockiesCanadian RockiesThe Canadian Rockies comprise the Canadian segment of the North American Rocky Mountains range. They are the eastern part of the Canadian Cordillera, extending from the Interior Plains of Alberta to the Rocky Mountain Trench of British Columbia. The southern end borders Idaho and Montana of the USA...
- First solo ascent. - 1969 Mount Jeffers, Cathedral Spires, Kichatna Mountains, Alaska, USA. FA of peak with Fitschen and Raymond.
- 1969 The Prow, Washington Column, Yosemite, CA, USA. With Glenn Denny.
- 1969 Tis-sa-ack, Half Dome, Yosemite, CA, USA. With Don Peterson.
- 1970 Arcturus, Half Dome, Yosemite, CA, USA. With Dick Dorworth.
Wall of Early Morning Light
In 1971, Robbins completed the second ascent, with Don Lauria, of the Wall of Early Morning Light on El CapitanEl Capitan
El Capitan is a vertical rock formation in Yosemite National Park, located on the north side of Yosemite Valley, near its western end. The granite monolith extends about from base to summit along its tallest face, and is one of the world's favorite challenges for rock climbers.The formation was...
, with the (controversial) intention of erasing the route as they climbed it.
Their ascent closely followed the 1970 first ascent by Warren Harding and Dean Caldwell, completed with a heavy-handed 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 Robbins then chopped the heads off the bolts behind them. After two pitches, Robbins stopped chopping the bolts because (according to Lauria) "the quality of the aid climbing
Aid climbing
Aid climbing is a style of climbing in which standing on or pulling oneself up via devices attached to fixed or placed protection is used to make upward progress....
was much higher than he had ever expected of Harding or Caldwell and, of course, it was also taking us an awful long time to chop all those goddam bolts."
Other climbing achievements
- 1952 Open BookOpen Book (Tahquitz)Open Book is a technical rock climbing route at Tahquitz, CA. Since the Yosemite Decimal System was developed at Tahquitz it's no coincidence that the first climb to be rated 5.9, Open Book, is also located at Tahquitz. In 1952, when Royal Robbins climbed it free, it was one of the most difficult...
, TahquitzTahquitzTahquitz is a granite rock formation located on the high western slope of the San Jacinto mountain range in Riverside County, Southern California, United States, above the mountain town of Idyllwild...
, CA, USA. First free ascent. - 1960 The NoseThe Nose (El Capitan)The Nose is one of the original technical climbing routes up El Capitan. Once considered impossible to climb, El Capitan is now the standard for big-wall climbing...
, El Capitan, Yosemite, CA, USA. Second ascent. - 1963 West Face, Leaning Tower, YosemiteLeaning Tower, YosemiteThe Leaning Tower in Yosemite National Park is a popular destination for rock climbers. It is located west of, and adjacent to Bridalveil Fall, on the south side of the Merced River in Yosemite Valley. The rock is considered to be a strenuous climb, requiring approximately three days to climb to...
, CA, USA. Second ascent and Yosemite's first Wall done Solo (Grade V). - 1968 Muir Wall, El Capitan, Yosemite, CA, USA. First Grade VI solo (and therefore the first solo of El Capitan).
Climbing philosophy in Advanced Rockcraft
Robbins authored two seminal books, Basic Rockcraft and Advanced Rockcraft, which emphasized free-climbing skills and a clean-climbing ethic. In a section of Advanced Rockcraft called Values, he described his climbing philosophy. He believes that "a first ascent is a creation in the same sense as is a painting or a song", and that choosing a climbing line may well be "an act of brilliant creativity". Another creative aspect of a first ascent involves the aids that the leader of the climb rejects. With modern technology of aid climbing available, a first ascent is more artistic if it consciously rejects the use of certain climbing aids that are not essential to the success of the climb. He places emphasis on using equipment which is non-destructive to the mountain environment. He opposes climbs done outside the accepted mores of a given climbing center, or the prevailing style of an area. He favors what he calls "upward variations", or completing a climb using more stringent standards than used on the first ascent. In Robbins' view, the decision to place a single piton is a matter of "enormous importance" because "like a single word in a poem, it can affect the entire composition".Kayaking
In 1978, Robbins developed psoriatic arthritisPsoriatic arthritis
Psoriatic arthritis is a type of inflammatory arthritis that, according to the National Psoriasis Foundation, will develop in up to 30 percent of people who have the chronic skin condition psoriasis...
, which prevented serious climbing. He took up adventure kayaking
Kayaking
Kayaking is the use of a kayak for moving across water. Kayaking and canoeing are also known as paddling. Kayaking is distinguished from canoeing by the sitting position of the paddler and the number of blades on the paddle...
instead, completing first descents of challenging rivers from high mountain elevations. His early kayaking partners included Doug Tompkins
Douglas Tompkins
Douglas Tompkins is an American environmentalist, conservationist and a former businessman.Tompkins co-founded and ran two clothing companies: the outdoor clothing company The North Face; and with his then-wife Susie, the ESPRIT clothing company. Since leaving the business world in 1989, Tompkins...
and Reg Lake. In 1980, the three descended the San Joaquin River Gorge
San Joaquin River
The San Joaquin River is the largest river of Central California in the United States. At over long, the river starts in the high Sierra Nevada, and flows through a rich agricultural region known as the San Joaquin Valley before reaching Suisun Bay, San Francisco Bay, and the Pacific Ocean...
from Devil's Postpile to the Mammoth Pool Reservoir, 5000 feet lower and 32 miles away. In 1981, they carried their kayaks over Mount Whitney Pass at 13,777 foot elevation, into Sequoia National Park
Sequoia National Park
Sequoia National Park is a national park in the southern Sierra Nevada east of Visalia, California, in the United States. It was established on September 25, 1890. The park spans . Encompassing a vertical relief of nearly , the park contains among its natural resources the highest point in the...
and descended 55 miles down the Kern Trench
Kern River
The Kern River is a river in the U.S. state of California, approximately long. It drains an area of the southern Sierra Nevada mountains northeast of Bakersfield. Fed by snowmelt near Mount Whitney, the river passes through scenic canyons in the mountains and is a popular destination for...
. In 1982, joined by Neusom Holmes, they descended the Middle Fork of the Kings River
Kings River (California)
The Kings River is a major river of south-central California. About long, it drains an area of the high western Sierra Nevada and the Central Valley. A large alluvial fan has formed where the river's gradient decreases in the Central Valley so the river divides into distributaries...
in Kings Canyon National Park
Kings Canyon National Park
Kings Canyon National Park is a National Park in the southern Sierra Nevada, east of Fresno, California. The park was established in 1940 and covers...
, the largest and steepest of these three High Sierra descents. In 1983, Robbins descended the Tuolumne River
Tuolumne River
The Tuolumne River is a California river that flows nearly from the central Sierra Nevada to the San Joaquin River in the Central Valley...
in Yosemite National Park
Yosemite National Park
Yosemite National Park is a United States National Park spanning eastern portions of Tuolumne, Mariposa and Madera counties in east central California, United States. The park covers an area of and reaches across the western slopes of the Sierra Nevada mountain chain...
from Tuolumne Meadows
Tuolumne Meadows
Tuolumne Meadows is a gentle, dome-studded sub-alpine meadowy section of the Tuolumne River, in the eastern section of Yosemite National Park. Its approximate location is . Its approximate elevation is 8619 feet .-Natural History:...
to Hetch Hetchy Reservoir
Hetch Hetchy Reservoir
Hetch Hetchy Reservoir is a reservoir in Yosemite National Park, about northeast from the city of Merced, California. The reservoir has a capacity of and is formed by the concrete gravity O'Shaughnessy Dam in Hetch Hetchy Valley on the Tuolumne River...
. He was accompanied by Reg Lake, Chuck Stanley, Lars Holbek, John Armstrong and Richard Montgomery.
He then developed an interest in descending smaller mountain creeks by kayak during their flood stage following heavy rains. His first such project in May, 1984 was the descent of Sespe Creek
Sespe Creek
Sespe Creek is a stream, some long, in Ventura County, California, in the United States. The creek starts at Potrero Seco in the Sierra Madre Mountains, and is formed by more than thirty tributary streams before it empties into the Santa Clara River in Fillmore. Thirty-one miles of Sespe Creek are...
, which runs through the Los Padres National Forest
Los Padres National Forest
Los Padres National Forest is a forest located in southern and central California, which includes most of the mountainous land along the California coast from Ventura to Monterey, extending inland...
. He was accompanied by Yvon Chouinard
Yvon Chouinard
Yvon Chouinard is a rock climber, environmentalist and outdoor industry businessman, noted for his contributions to climbing, climbing equipment and the outdoor gear business. His second company, Patagonia is known for its environmental focus...
, Reg Lake, John Wasserman and Jackson Frischman. Robbins called this type of trip "flash boating", and later used the technique on the Fresno River
Fresno River
The Fresno River is a river in Central California and a major tributary of the San Joaquin River. It runs approximately from the Sierra Nevada Range to the San Joaquin River.-Course:...
, the Chowchilla River
Chowchilla River
The Chowchilla River is a river in central California and a minor tributary of the San Joaquin River. It flows for from the western side of the Sierra Nevada Range to the San Joaquin River system...
and the middle fork of the Mokelumne River
Mokelumne River
The Mokelumne River is a river in Northern California. The Upper Mokelumne River originates in the Sierra Nevada mountain range and flows into Pardee Reservoir and then Camanche Reservoir in the Sierra foothills. The Lower Mokelumne River refers to the portion of the river below Camanche Dam...
.
External links
- Royal Robbins website apparel company site