Royal Robbins: Spirit of the Age (Climbing Classics)

The definitive biography of a rock climbing legend. A classic work on a seminal era of American rock climbing in one of the most important climbing books of the decade, Colorado climber and author Pat Ament has written a superbly evocative and lasting biography of this most influential figure. Royal Robbins, more than anyone, defined American rock climbing in the early days of the sport. A colourful, influential, sometimes controversial figure, he was the first in America to climb a 5.9 route, the first to make a big wall Grade VI ascent (the Northwest Wall of Half Dome), the first to find and conquer new routes up EI Capitan. Rich in climbing lore and anecdote, the book reveals in both text and photographs how a master climber made some of his most challenging climbs. Aments prose also captures the spiritual allure of the sport. Pat Ament, an expert climber himself who opened some of the first 5.11 routes in Colorado, is the author of numerous books and articles on climbing and is also a poet and filmmaker.

Royal Robbins is one the pioneers of American climbing. His competitive spirit helped him change his sport forever. But it was his relentless desire that helped him push back the boundaries of what anyone had previously thought possible. Pat Ament has diligently chronicled Robbins's life and achievements by taking us from his Boy Scout days, to his triumphs in the Yosemite Valley, to his postscript career as a formidable kayaker. But the main focus is Robbins's years in Yosemite, where he went after whichever route the world said couldn't be climbed. We follow him up the Washington Column, Half Dome, the Nose of El Capitan, and on a solo ascent of the Leaning Tower. Ament also plays historian by laying down the foundations of the American climbing scene, transmitting a feel for Yosemite during its golden age--when the world had not yet crushed "the valley" in its clumsy grip. Moreover, he allows us to appreciate what went into setting the routes we climb today by giving detailed accounts of the first ascents. It is humbling to know that the routes we struggle on were first protected by slinging wires through machine nuts called "stoppers." And you get a real sense of the dedication when you know that Robbins' friend and fellow pioneer, Yvon Chouinard, was first creating pitons from shards of old Ford axles. Ament's style is constricted at times, and the biography often reads more like a textbook, but if you fancy yourself a student of climbing history, this is your textbook. And the life of Royal Robbins is certainly a prerequisite. --Benjamin Tiffany