Tom Higgins (rock climber)
Encyclopedia
Thomas John Higgins (born 1944) is a California
rock climber with many first and first free ascents primarily in the western United States. He is noted for pushing standards using a purist, free-climbing style.
near Los Angeles. He soon teamed up with life-long climbing partner Bob Kamps
. Together they did the 1963 first free ascent
of Blanketty Blank at Tahquitz
Rock (5.10c) in Southern California. On this and other routes to follow, they employed ground up climbing without previewing or rehearsing the route or resting on the rope. They also placed protection (including bolts) on lead, all elements of a climbing style now termed Traditional climbing
in contrast to Sport climbing
. Another notable first ascent at Tahquitz was 1964's Jonah with Mike Cohen and Roy Coats. Near Tahquitz at Joshua Tree, he did the first free ascent of Left Ski Track on Intersection Rock. Done in 1968, the climb is significant for its difficulty rating of 5.11, unusual for the time.
. With Kamps, he did the first free ascent of the NE Buttress of Middle Cathedral Rock. With Chris Jones, he did the first free of Serenity Crack and other first ascents (Punch Bowl, The Peanut, Owl Roof, The Void among others). He developed his Yosemite crack climbing skills by building and practicing on a wooden, adjustable crack machine.
In Tuolumne Meadows
above Yosemite Valley, Higgins teamed with Kamps, Vern Clevenger, Pat Ament, Chris Vandiver, Tom Gerughty and other partners to create new routes. He and others of the period stood on small edges and undulations, hammered with Rawl Drive drills to place quarter-inch bolts where necessary. Resulting now popular routes include Lucky Streaks, Nerve Wrack Point, The Vision, Fairest of All, Curve Like Her, Thy Will Be Done and Piece de Resistance. Higgins authored an introduction to Don Reid's 1983 Rock Climbs of Tuolumne Meadows guidebook ("A Climbing Commentary") on Tuolumne new route development and changing climbing styles. Outside the Meadows during the same period, Higgins climbed Hair Raiser Buttress with Clevenger at Granite Basin and first free of The Line with Frank Sarnquist at Lover's Leap, California.
As the 70s closed, climbing styles in Tuolumne and elsewhere changed. Climbers began placing protection from hooks and rappel. Rope rests and hangs for progress came into play. Higgins wrote a critique on changing climbing styles, "Tricksters and Traditionalists" for the Sierra Club publication, Ascent. The article was selected for a compilation, The Best of Ascent, Twenty-five Years of Mountaineering Experience The term traditional climbing
coined in the article describes the prevailing style up to the mid 70s and now denotes a camp and philosophy of climbing – "Traditional climbing" as opposed to "Sport climbing
."
In the 1980’s, Higgins created first ascents and first free ascents at Pinnacles National Monument
and in the Southern High Sierra mountains, California. On the Balconies at Pinnacles National Monument, Higgins climbed Shake and Bake with Chris Vandiver, and did the first free ascent of the Sacherer, Bradley & Roper route. With Frank Sarnquist, he did the first free ascent of Resurrection Wall. In the Southern Sierra with Ruprecht Von Kammerlander, Higgins did new routes on Fresno Dome; with Kamps, new routes in The Balls. On crackless Chiquito Dome, he did Elegance and Sahib with Chris Vandiver.
Higgins maintains a web site of articles and pictures about climb histories, as well as a collection of fiction, climber obituaries and style commentaries. Higgins is vice president and co-owner of the transportation consulting company K.T. Analytics, Inc. founded in 1984.
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
rock climber with many first and first free ascents primarily in the western United States. He is noted for pushing standards using a purist, free-climbing style.
Early climbs, Tahquitz Rock
He began climbing in the early 1960s with partners Bud (later Ivan) Couch and Russ McLean on the sandstone boulders and short cliffs of Stony PointStony Point
Stony Point may refer to:in Australia*Stony Point railway line, Melbourne**Stony Point railway station*Stony Point, New South Wales, Australiain the United Statesor it may refer to:* Stony Point, California, former name of Lakeport, California...
near Los Angeles. He soon teamed up with life-long climbing partner Bob Kamps
Bob Kamps
Bob Kamps was an American rock climber whose climbing career spanned five decades. Born in Wisconsin, he began climbing in California in 1955, and was a member of that cadre of Yosemite pioneers who first ascended many of its great walls in the 1950s and 1960s...
. Together they did the 1963 first free ascent
First ascent
In climbing, a first ascent is the first successful, documented attainment of the top of a mountain, or the first to follow a particular climbing route...
of Blanketty Blank 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...
Rock (5.10c) in Southern California. On this and other routes to follow, they employed ground up climbing without previewing or rehearsing the route or resting on the rope. They also placed protection (including bolts) on lead, all elements of a climbing style now termed Traditional climbing
Traditional climbing
Traditional climbing, or trad climbing, is a style of rock climbing in which a climber or group of climbers places all gear required to protect against falls , and removes it when a passage is complete...
in contrast to Sport climbing
Sport climbing
Sport climbing is a form of rock climbing that relies on permanent anchors fixed to the rock, and possibly bolts, for protection,...
. Another notable first ascent at Tahquitz was 1964's Jonah with Mike Cohen and Roy Coats. Near Tahquitz at Joshua Tree, he did the first free ascent of Left Ski Track on Intersection Rock. Done in 1968, the climb is significant for its difficulty rating of 5.11, unusual for the time.
The High Sierra and Europe
Higgins began climbing in the High Sierra in California with the first ascent of the East Buttress of Agassiz Needle, Temple Crag with Couch; and the North Face of Mt. Morrison with Charlie Raymond. In 1964, Higgins and Couch visited Wales, U.K., and climbed on a borrowed rope and slings threaded with machine nuts as protection with pitons was forbidden in the cliffs. They also climbed in Chamonix, France, where Higgins teamed with English partners to do the first free ascents of the East Face of the Moin, the M Metago Route and Albert West Face.Yosemite Valley, Tuolomne Meadows and other areas
In the late 60s, Higgins began climbing in Yosemite ValleyYosemite Valley
Yosemite Valley is a glacial valley in Yosemite National Park in the western Sierra Nevada mountains of California, carved out by the Merced River. The valley is about long and up to a mile deep, surrounded by high granite summits such as Half Dome and El Capitan, and densely forested with pines...
. With Kamps, he did the first free ascent of the NE Buttress of Middle Cathedral Rock. With Chris Jones, he did the first free of Serenity Crack and other first ascents (Punch Bowl, The Peanut, Owl Roof, The Void among others). He developed his Yosemite crack climbing skills by building and practicing on a wooden, adjustable crack machine.
In 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:...
above Yosemite Valley, Higgins teamed with Kamps, Vern Clevenger, Pat Ament, Chris Vandiver, Tom Gerughty and other partners to create new routes. He and others of the period stood on small edges and undulations, hammered with Rawl Drive drills to place quarter-inch bolts where necessary. Resulting now popular routes include Lucky Streaks, Nerve Wrack Point, The Vision, Fairest of All, Curve Like Her, Thy Will Be Done and Piece de Resistance. Higgins authored an introduction to Don Reid's 1983 Rock Climbs of Tuolumne Meadows guidebook ("A Climbing Commentary") on Tuolumne new route development and changing climbing styles. Outside the Meadows during the same period, Higgins climbed Hair Raiser Buttress with Clevenger at Granite Basin and first free of The Line with Frank Sarnquist at Lover's Leap, California.
As the 70s closed, climbing styles in Tuolumne and elsewhere changed. Climbers began placing protection from hooks and rappel. Rope rests and hangs for progress came into play. Higgins wrote a critique on changing climbing styles, "Tricksters and Traditionalists" for the Sierra Club publication, Ascent. The article was selected for a compilation, The Best of Ascent, Twenty-five Years of Mountaineering Experience The term traditional climbing
Traditional climbing
Traditional climbing, or trad climbing, is a style of rock climbing in which a climber or group of climbers places all gear required to protect against falls , and removes it when a passage is complete...
coined in the article describes the prevailing style up to the mid 70s and now denotes a camp and philosophy of climbing – "Traditional climbing" as opposed to "Sport climbing
Sport climbing
Sport climbing is a form of rock climbing that relies on permanent anchors fixed to the rock, and possibly bolts, for protection,...
."
In the 1980’s, Higgins created first ascents and first free ascents at Pinnacles National Monument
Pinnacles National Monument
Pinnacles National Monument is a protected mountainous area located east of central California's Salinas Valley, just miles from the town of Soledad...
and in the Southern High Sierra mountains, California. On the Balconies at Pinnacles National Monument, Higgins climbed Shake and Bake with Chris Vandiver, and did the first free ascent of the Sacherer, Bradley & Roper route. With Frank Sarnquist, he did the first free ascent of Resurrection Wall. In the Southern Sierra with Ruprecht Von Kammerlander, Higgins did new routes on Fresno Dome; with Kamps, new routes in The Balls. On crackless Chiquito Dome, he did Elegance and Sahib with Chris Vandiver.
Higgins maintains a web site of articles and pictures about climb histories, as well as a collection of fiction, climber obituaries and style commentaries. Higgins is vice president and co-owner of the transportation consulting company K.T. Analytics, Inc. founded in 1984.
Publications
- "In Thanks" and "Nerve Wrack Point" in The Games Climbers Play, A Selection of 100 Mountaineering Articles, Edited by Ken Wilson, Diadem Books LTD, London, 1978 (ISBN 0-906371-01-5).
- "In Due Time: A Play in Three Acts," in Ordeal By Piton, Writings from the Golden Age of Yosemite Climbing, Edited by Steve Roper, Stanford University Libraries, 2003 (ISBN 0-911221-26-3).
- "Soarks," in Climber's Choice, Edited by Pat Ament, Ragged Mountain Press/McGraw Hill, 2002 (ISBN 0-07-137723-9).