Inspirational Climbers

Charles Evans, Edmund Hillary, Tenzing Norgay, Tom Bourdillion and George Band after the 1953 Mt Everest ascent in Nepal.

At age 88, Fred Beckey is still climbing. He talks to Michael J. Ybarra about his longstanding obsession—and new book about his 100 favorite North American routes.

Don Whillans and Chris Bonington in Patagonia, South America.

I'll just do one more move and see what happens! John Syrett (frequently and in increasingly precarious situations) Photo Gordon Stainforth© John burnt with such an intense flame and yet in the end in some mysterious way, he'd become the moth to his own flame. Jim Perrin In High magazine in November 1994, there was published an excellent article by Dave Pegg, called "Dangerous Crocodile Snogging" - a perceptive view of the dangerous world of modern gritstone climbing. To most climbers it…

Alex Honnold soloing on the Regular Route on Half Dome. What a place to contemplate life, death, the universe and everything.

Walter Bonatti. Died 13 September, 2011.

John Bacher, 1957 - 2009. When I first visited Yosemite Valley in 1979, I remember John playing his saxaphone in the Camp 4 carpark. His solo exploits were already legendary.

George Mallory and Andrew Irvine left their camp just 800 feet from the summit of Mount Everest on a mission to be the first mountaineers to ascend the world's highest peak (29,035 feet). They were never heard from again.

The man who started it all. The greatest free-climber who ever lived and an inspiration to generations of climbers who followed. 'Hot' Henry Barber.

This is how I knew Jim. I climbed with him for a full week in Yosemite in 1979, just after he did his ascent of Cerro Torre in Argentina. He was suffering from jaundice but he still sailed up grade 25s. I was just 21 and I learned a lot from Jim.

A young Gordon Stainforth tackles Harrison test piece 'Niblick in 1968: G Stainforth© "At the Kendal Mountain Festival in 2008, Jim Curran had an excellent exhibition of his paintings and drawings that included many images of the Sussex/Kent outcrops. I thought it very significant that Jim, who has travelled extensively amongst the great mountain ranges of the world, should find such inspiration for his work in a return to his own climbing roots. As I’ve already said we never forget first…

Walter Bonatti (on the right) is one of climbing's great legends. He died on September 13, 2011, aged 81. RIP.

"Dave Sharratt on the beautiful new sport climb The Bad (5.14b), with the traditionally protected crack climb The Good just to the left. Photo by Matt…"

Memories of climbing in Yesterday Gully at Mt Arapiles in 1980.

When I first started buying Rock magazine, probably back in '89, like most of you I was in awe of all the heroic characters. Bold, compet...