History of rock climbing

Controversially, they pre-drilled very strong, permanent bolts from above on rappel, using battery powered drills, into potential new routes for every lead climber's protection (but not as artificial aid); this became known as "sport climbing".

Leading climbers such as Wolfgang Güllich, Jerry Moffatt, Alexander Huber, Fred Nicole, Chris Sharma, Adam Ondra, and Tommy Caldwell set records in several of these disciplines.

By the 21st-century, Josune Bereziartu, Angela Eiter and Ashima Shiraishi, had closed the gap to the highest sport and boulder climbing grades achieved by men to within one/two notches; Beth Rodden fully closed the gap for traditional climbing grades in 2008 and Janja Garnbret became the most successful competition climber in history with 42 IFSC world cup golds.

The Le Quart Livre records that in 1492, ordered by his king, Antoine de Ville used castle siege tactics to ascend Mont Aiguille, a 300-meter rock tower, near Grenoble, France.

[3] The first ascent of Mont Blanc in 1786, started mountaineering's "modern era"; however it would take another century until the fixed anchors of rock climbing appeared, including pitons, bolts, and rappel slings.

Napes Needle , on the Great Gable in the Lake District , England, was first climbed by W. P. Haskett Smith in June 1886; an act that is widely considered to be the start of the sport of rock climbing in the UK. [ 1 ]
The forest of Fontainebleau , the birthplace of bouldering at the turn of the 20th-century.
Falkenstein , in Saxon Switzerland where routes above grade 6a (5.10a) were first climbed in 1906. [ 11 ]
Vajolet Towers , Dolomites ; Torre Winkler, named after Georg Winkler , is the largest tower (centre); and was the start of early big wall climbing [ 1 ]
Oliver Perry-Smith (right) freed the first 6a (5.10a) with Perrykante in 1906 in the Saxon Switzerland ; a region where the world's first 6a/a+ ( Südriss , 1910), 6a+ ( Westkante , 1918), 6a+/b ( Kuniskante , 1921), 6b ( Rostkante , 1922), and 6b+ ( Talseite , 1952) would also be freed. [ 21 ]