Climbers on "Valkyrie" at the Roaches, UK

Rock climbing is an activity 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. Rock climbing competitions have objectives of completing the route in the quickest possible time or the farthest along an increasingly difficult route. Rock climbing is similar to scrambling (another activity involving the scaling of hills and similar formations), but climbing is generally differentiated by its sustained use of hands to support the climber's weight as well as to provide balance.

Rock climbing is a physically and mentally demanding sport, one that often tests a climber's strength, endurance, agility and balance along with mental control. It can be a dangerous sport and knowledge of proper climbing techniques and usage of specialized climbing equipment is crucial for the safe completion of routes. Because of the wide range and variety of rock formations around the world, rock climbing has been separated into several different styles and sub-disciplines.^[1] While not an Olympic event, rock climbing is recognized by the International Olympic Committee as a sport.

History[link]

Climbing in Germany, ca. 1965. Note the lack of intermediate protection points & the potentially deadly tie-in method,, which demonstrate the maxim of the day, "The leader must not fall".

Although rock climbing was an important component of Victorian mountaineering in the Alps, it is generally thought that the sport of rock climbing began in the last quarter of the nineteenth century in various parts of Europe. Rock climbing evolved gradually from an alpine necessity to a distinct athletic activity.

Aid climbing (climbing using equipment that acts as artificial hand- or footholds) became popular during the period 1920 - 1960, leading to ascents in the Alps and in Yosemite Valley that were considered impossible without such means. However, climbing techniques, equipment and ethical considerations have evolved steadily. Today, free climbing (climbing on holds made entirely of natural rock, using gear solely for protection and not for upward movement) is the most popular form of the sport. Free climbing has since been divided into several sub-styles of climbing dependent on belay configuration (described below).

Over time, grading systems have also been created in order to more accurately compare the relative difficulties of climbs.

Rock climbing basics[link]

Bouldering in Joshua Tree National Park, USA

At its most basic, rock climbing involves climbing a route with one's own hands and feet and little more than a cushioned bouldering pad in the way of protection. This style of climbing is referred to as bouldering, since the relevant routes are usually found on boulders no more than 10 to 15 feet (3.0 to 4.6 m) tall.

As routes get higher off the ground, the increased risk of life-threatening injuries necessitates additional safety measures. A variety of specialized climbing techniques and climbing equipment exists to provide that safety. Climbers will usually work in pairs and utilize a system of ropes and anchors designed to catch falls. Ropes and anchors can be configured differently to suit many styles of climbing, and roped climbing is thus divided into further sub-types that vary based on how their belay systems are set up. Generally speaking, beginners will start with top roping and/or easy bouldering and work their way up to lead climbing and beyond.

Top roping[link]

In top roping, an anchor is set up at the summit of a route prior to the start of a climb. Rope is run through the anchor; one end attaches to the climber and the other to the belayer, who keeps the rope taut during the climb and prevents long falls. This type of climbing is widely regarded as the safest type of climbing, with the lowest chance of injury.

An indoor climbing wall

Lead climbing[link]

Leader belays the second on Illusion Dweller in Joshua Tree National Park, USA

In lead climbing, one person, called the "leader", will climb from the ground up with rope directly attached to his harness,and not through a top anchor. The second person, "belays" the leader by feeding out enough rope to allow upward progression without undue slack. As the leader progresses he clips the rope through intermediate points of protection such as active cams, or passive protection such as nuts; this limits the length of a potential fall. The leader also may clip into pre-drilled bolts.

Because the climbing rope is of a fixed length, the leader can only climb a certain distance. Thus longer routes are broken up into several "pitches"; this is called "multi-pitching". At the top of a pitch, the "leader" sets up an anchor and then belays the "second" up to the anchor; as the "second" follows the route taken by the "leader," the second removes the equipment placed along the way in order to use it again on the next "pitch." Once both are at the anchor, the "leader" begins climbing the next pitch and so on until the top is reached.

In either case, upon completion of a route, climbers can walk back down if an alternate descent path exists, or rappel (abseil) down with the rope.

Grading systems[link]

Climbing communities in many countries and regions have developed their own rating systems for routes. Ratings (or "grades") record and communicate consensus appraisals of difficulty. Hence, there may be occasional disagreements arising from physiological or stylistic differences among climbers. The ratings take into account multiple factors affecting a route, such as the slope of the ascent, the quantity and quality of available handholds, the distance between holds, ease of placing protection and whether advanced technical maneuvers are required. Whilst height of a route is generally not considered a factor, a long series of sustained hard moves will often merit a higher grade than a single move of the same technical difficulty. The typical rating system for top-roping and lead climbing is from 5.2-5.15b. There can be debate on the difficulty rating. Typically the rating for the hardest move on the wall will be the rating for the whole climb, although sometimes climbs are rated for endurance factor. For example, a climb can have multiple 5.11 moves with no rests and thus be rated 5.12. The most commonly used rating systems in the US are the Yosemite Decimal System and the "V" bouldering grade.

Basic terms and techniques[link]

As climbing routes or problems increase in difficulty, climbers learn to develop skills that help them complete the climbs clean. There are several techniques for hands and feet as well as terms for motions that combine the two. For indoor gyms, route setters visualize and create routes for climbers, placing different kinds of holds in specific parts of the wall at particular angles because they intend climbers to use certain techniques.^[2]

Footing techniques[link]

Edging

when a climber uses the inside of the foot to stand firmly on a foothold

Backstepping

when a climber uses the outside of the foot to stand on a foothold, while the side of the body faces the wall

Smearing

when a climber places the foot directly on the wall or rock without using any footholds

Heel hooking

when a climber uses the heel to press down on a foothold, usually at or near chest level

Toe hooking

when a climber uses the toe to press down on a foothold commonly on underclings (ceilings) Page text.^[3]

Hand techniques[link]

Crimp

when a climber's hand can grip a hold using mainly finger strength, specifically the first joint in the fingers and also the second finger joint

Open hand grip

similar to crimping but with an open hand.

Gaston

when a climber uses a handhold from the side to achieve a better grip. Elbows point out

Jug

when a climber can grip a hold with the most ease and use all fingers and forearm strength. Commonly found on beginner level climbs

Pinching

when a climber must pinch a (usually smaller) hold by using the thumb and fingers to pinch the sides

Side pull

basically crimping but the hold is positioned to the side of a climber and the climber must pull sideways instead of upwards.

Sloper

climbers must use an open hand (like palming a basketball) to grab on to holds that have little to no difference in surface texture Page text.^[3]Long,

Motions and movements[link]

Crossing

when a climber crosses one hand/arm over the other to reach a hold

Hand-foot match

when a climber places a hand and a foot on the same hold at the same time

High stepping

when a climber must take a large step to reach a foothold

Mantle

pushing in an upward motion on a hold in a similar fashion one might use to push himself/herself out of a pool from the deep end. Climbers push up rather than pulling in this move

Foot switch

when a climber must put one foot on the hold the other foot is currently on, he or she must slowly slip the correct foot over the incorrect foot to continue the climb

Match

when a climber places both hands (sometimes feet) on the same hold

Bicycle

when a climber holds onto a larger hold with one foot on the top and the other beneath, used for balance

Climbing environments[link]

Climbs can occur either outdoors on varying types of rock or indoors on specialized climbing walls. Outdoors, climbs usually take place on sunny days when the holds are dry and provide the best grip, but climbers can also attempt to climb at night or in adverse weather conditions if they have the proper training and equipment. However, night climbing or climbing in adverse weather conditions will increase the difficulty and danger on any climbing route.

Styles of rock climbing[link]

Most of the climbing done in modern times is considered free climbing—climbing using one's own physical strength, with equipment used solely as protection and not as support—as opposed to aid climbing, the gear-dependent form of climbing that was dominant in the sport's earlier days. Free climbing is typically divided into several styles that differ from one another depending on the equipment used and the configurations of their belay, rope and anchor systems, or the lack thereof.

• Aid climbing – Still the most popular method of climbing big walls. Progress is accomplished by repeatedly placing and weighting gear which is used directly to aid ascent and enhance safety.
• Free climbing – The most commonly used method to ascend climbs refers to climbs where the climber's own physical strength and skill are relied on to accomplish the climb. Free climbing may rely on top rope belay systems, or on lead climbing to establish protection and the belay stations. Anchors, ropes and protection are used to back up the climber and are passive as opposed to active ascending aids. Subtypes of free climbing are trad climbing and sport climbing. Free climbing is generally done as "clean lead" meaning no pitons or pins are used as protection.^[4]
• Traditional climbing – Traditional or trad climbing involves rock climbing routes in which protection against falls is placed by the climber while ascending. Gear is used to protect against falls but not to aid the ascent directly.
• Sport climbing – Unlike traditional rock climbing, sport climbing involves the use of protection (bolts) or permanent anchors which are attached to the rock walls.
• Bouldering – Climbing on short, low routes without the use of the safety rope that is typical of most other styles. Protection, if used at all, typically consists of a cushioned bouldering pad below the route and/or a spotter, a person who watches from below and directs the fall of the climber away from hazardous areas. Bouldering may be an arena for intense and relatively safe competition, resulting in exceptionally high difficulty standards.
• Free soloing (not to be confused with free climbing) is single-person climbing without the use of any rope or protection system whatsoever. If a fall occurs and the climber is not over water (as in the case of deep water soloing), the climber is likely to be killed or seriously injured. Though technically similar to bouldering, free solo climbing typically refers to routes that are far taller and/or far more lethal than bouldering. The term "highball" is used to refer to climbing on the boundary between soloing and bouldering, where what is usually climbed as a boulder problem may be high enough for a fall to cause serious injury and hence could also be considered to be a free solo.

A climber free soloing at Red Rock Canyon, Nevada, USA

Indoor Climbing

• Indoor climbing – Permits climbing in all types of weather and at all times of day. Used for improving climbing skills and techniques.
• Deep-water soloing – Similar to free soloing in that the climber is unprotected and without a rope, but different in that if the climber falls, it is into deep water instead of on to the ground.
• Rope soloing – Solo climbing with a rope secured at the beginning of the climb allowing a climber to self-belay as they advance. Once the pitch is completed the soloist must descend the rope to retrieve their gear, and then reclimb the pitch. This form of climbing can be conducted free or as a form of aid climbing.
• Simul climbing – When two climbers move at the same time. The pseudo-lead climber places gear that the pseudo-follower collects. When the leader runs low on gear they construct a belay station where the follower can join them to exchange gear. The stronger climber is often the pseudo-follower since a fall by the follower would pull the leader from below towards the last piece of gear—a potential devastating fall for the leader. In contrast, a fall from the leader would pull the follower from above, resulting in a less serious fall. Most speed ascents involve some form of simul climbing but may also include sections of standard free climbing and the use of placed gear for advancement (i.e. partial aid or pulling on gear).

Top roping.

• Top roping – Climbing with the protection of a rope that's already suspended through an anchor (or also known as a "top rope system") at the top of a route. A belayer controls the rope, keeping it taut and preventing long falls. Most Indoor climbing or "gym climbing" is top roping on indoor purpose-made climbing walls although it is also common to boulder and sport climb indoors. Gym climbing is used as training for outside climbing, but some climb indoors exclusively. Due to its reduced risk, most beginners are introduced to climbing through top-roping.

Access to climbing areas[link]

Indigenous culture considerations[link]

Some areas that are popular for climbing, for example in the US and Australia, are also sacred places for indigenous peoples. Many such indigenous people would prefer that climbers not climb these sacred places and have made this information well-known to climbers. A well known example is the rock formation that Americans have named Devils Tower National Monument.^[5] Native American cultural concerns also led to complete climbing closures at Cave Rock at Lake Tahoe,^[6] Monument Valley, Shiprock and Canyon de Chelly.^[7]

Climbing activities can sometimes encroach on rock art sites created by various Native American cultures and early European explorers and settlers. The potential threat to these resources has led to climbing restrictions and closures in places like Hueco Tanks, Texas,^[8] and portions of City of Rocks National Reserve, Idaho.^[9]

In Australia, the monolith Uluru (Ayers Rock) is sacred to local indigenous communities and climbing is banned on anything but the established ascent route (and even then climbing is discouraged).

Indigenous peoples are not the only cultures that object to climbing on certain rock formations. Professional climber Dean Potter kicked off a major controversy when he ignored long-accepted convention to scale Delicate Arch in 2006, resulting in strict new climbing regulation in Arches National Park.^[10]

Climbing on private property[link]

Many significant rock outcrops exist on private land. Some people within the rock climbing community have been guilty of trespassing in many cases, often after land ownership transfers and previous access permission is withdrawn. In the U.S. the climbing community responded to access closures by forming the Access Fund. This is an "advocacy organization that keeps U.S. climbing areas open and conserves the climbing environment. Five core programs support the mission on national and local levels: public policy, stewardship and conservation (including grants), grassroots activism, climber education and land acquisition."^[11] In the U.K. the British Mountaineering Council represents climbers and their interest of public access to crack, cliffs and boulders.

Environmental impact[link]

Although many climbers adhere to "minimal impact" and "leave no trace" practices, rock climbing is sometimes damaging to the environment. Common environmental damages include: soil erosion, chalk accumulation, litter, abandoned bolts and ropes, human excrement, introduction of foreign plants through seeds on shoes and clothing and damage to native plant species, especially those growing in cracks and on ledges as these are often intentionally removed during new route development through a process commonly referred to as cleaning.

Clean climbing is a style of rock climbing which seeks to minimize some of the aesthetically damaging side effects of some techniques used in trad climbing and more often, aid climbing by avoiding using equipment such as pitons, which damage rock.

Climbing can also interfere with raptor nesting, since the two activities often take place on the same precipitous cliffs. Many climbing area land managers institute nesting season closures of cliffs known to be used by protected birds of prey like eagles, falcons and osprey.^[12]

Many non-climbers also object to the appearance of climbing chalk marks, anchors, bolts and slings on visible cliffs. Since these features are small, visual impacts can be mitigated through the selection of neutral, rock-matching colors for bolt hangers, webbing and chalk.

Vandalism[link]

Vandalism created by non-climbers is often mistakenly attributed to the climbing population, driving the implementation of new climbing restrictions.^[13]

The most significant form of vandalism directly attributable to rock climbers is alteration of the climbing surface to render it more non-climber-friendly and/or slippery.

With the advent of hard, bolted sport climbing in the 1980s, many routes were "chipped" and "glued" to provide additional features, allowing them to be climbed at the standard of the day. This attitude quickly changed as the safer sport climbing technique allowed climbers to push hard without much risk, causing the formerly more-or-less fixed grades to steadily rise. Altering routes began to be seen as limiting and pointless.

Unlike trad climbing which generally uses protection only as a backup in case of falls, some forms of climbing—like sport climbing, canyoneering or, especially, aid climbing—rely heavily on artificial protection to advance, either by frequent falls or by directly pulling on the gear. Often these types of climbing involve multiple drilled holes in which to place temporary bolts and rivets, but in recent years an emphasis on clean techniques has grown.

Today, the charge of vandalism in climbing is more often a disagreement about the appropriateness of drilling and placing permanent bolts and other anchors. Typically in the USA, the first ascensionists decide where to place protection on a new route and later climbers are supposed to live with these choices. This can cause friction and retro-bolting when the route is perceived to be dangerous to climbers who actually lead at the grade of the climb, since the first ascensionists often lead at a higher grade and therefore don't require as much protection. Failing to properly design a new route at its grade is considered arrogant and very poor form. Even in strongholds of rock-climbing tradition like Yosemite National Park, many routes are being gradually upgraded to safer standards of protection.

BASE jumping[link]

A few climbers, most prominently Dean Potter, are experimenting with taking small parachutes on long climbs. This is also known as Free Basing. BASE jumping is banned in some areas known for their rock climbing, notably Yosemite National Park.

Commercial applications[link]

Skilled rock climbers have been employed in building a work of sculpture entitled Big Bambú atop the Metropolitan Museum of Art Roof Garden ^[14] and in repairing wind turbines.

See also[link]

Rock Climbing portal

• Lists and glossaries
  • List of climbers
  • List of climbing topics
  • List of climbing areas
  • List of climbing equipment manufacturers
  • Climbing organisations
  • Glossary of climbing terms
  • Climbing terminology
  • Climbing command
  • Glossary of knots common in climbing
  • Rock climbing grades
• Related activities
  • Mountaineering
  • Scrambling
  • Ice climbing
  • Outdoor education
  • Parkour (French technique of passing obstacles efficiently)
  • Salto del pastor (aboriginal rock gymnastic sport of Canary Islands)
  • Caving
  • Bouldering
  • Climbing competition
  • International Federation of Sport Climbing
• Other
  • Climbing injuries
  • Lead climbing injuries

References[link]

Further reading[link]

• Long, John (1998). How to Rock Climb! (How to Rock Climb Series). Helena, Mont: Falcon. ISBN 1-57540-114-2. 

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Rock climbing

• Rock climbing travel guide from Wikitravel
• Hot Aches Productions Films about Rock Climbing

Alex Honnold (born August 17, 1985) is an American big wall free solo climber. He has broken a number of speed records, including a free climb of Salathé Wall, as well as a 5h49m aid solo ascent of the 2,900 feet (900 m) Nose of El Capitan, a route normally demanding two to four days.^[1]

Biography[link]

Honnold was born in Sacramento, California, and graduated from Mira Loma High School.^[2]

He started climbing when he was 11 years old. At the age of 18, he dropped out of UC Berkeley, where he was an engineering student, and devoted all his time to climbing. Between climbs, he runs or hikes to maintain fitness.^[3] Honnold lives out of his van, spending less than a thousand dollars per month, enabling him to follow the weather and climb all the time. ^[4]

Honnold prefers big walls and sport climbing, but enjoys any climb calling for extreme commitment, Yosemite being his favorite area because of its impressive walls and favorable weather.^[3]

Honnold is inspired by such noted climbers as Peter Croft, John Bachar and Tommy Caldwell, and even more so by the stark simplicity and beauty of El Capitan.^[3]

In 2010, Honnold was awarded the "Golden Piton" for his climbing achievements.^[5]

Journalist Lara Logan interviewed Honnold as part of CBS 60 Minutes program airing on October 2, 2011. ^[6]

In November 2011, Honnold and Hans Florine missed setting the world record time on the Nose route on Yosemite's El Capitan by 45 seconds with a time of 2:37.^[7]

Honnold is an avid reader, with interests in classic literature, environmentalism, and economics. When asked about his religious or spiritual views, he described himself as a "militant atheist." ^[8]

Selected notable climbs[link]

• Freerider in Yosemite Valley in one day in May 2007 when he was 21 years old.^[9]
• Bushido and Hong Kong Phooey, in Utah, between 9 and 11 March 2008.^[10]
• Free solo of Heaven (5.12d) and Cosmic Debris (5.13b) in Yosemite National Park^[11]
• Second ascent of Ambrosia ; repeat of Kevin Jorgeson's highball boulder problem Ambrosia (V11) in Bishop, California. ^[12]
• Free solo of The Phoenix, the USA's first 5.13a. ^[13]
• Free solo of Astroman and Rostrum in Yosemite Valley in one day in September 2007, becoming the second person after Peter Croft (1987) to do so. ^[14]
• Free solo of Zion's Moonlight Buttress on 1 April 2008. ^[15]
• Free solo of the Regular Northwest Face of Half Dome on 6 September 2008.^[16]
• Repeats of Parthian Shot, New Statesman, Meshuga (solo), an on-sight of Gaia (and subsequently repeated it solo), and an on-sight solo of London Wall during a trip to England at the end of 2008.^[17]

Notable Videos[link]

• The Ascent of Alex Honnold (video) by reporter Lara Logan on 60 Minutes
• Alone on the Wall (video) from National Geographic Adventures TV series First Ascent. Alex Honnold solos of Half Dome in Yosemite and the Moonlight Buttress in Zion
• Citibank ThankYou Card Commercial (video) from YouTube. Alex Honnold and Katie Brown climbing Fisher Towers near Moab, Utah

References[link]

External links[link]

• Onsight of Gaia video from YouTube
• Free Soloing Yosemite (video) from National Geographic
• No Strings Attached article from Outside Magazine

Johnny Dawes (born 1964) is a British rock climber. He is famous for his dynamic style and often very bold ascents. His influence on British climbing was at its peak in the mid to late-1980s. Among his contributions is the introduction of two new grades to the British grading system for rock climbing (E8 and E9), and several new routes that are today still well respected. In 1986 he introduced the grade E9 to the British grading system with a first ascent of the route "Indian Face" ^[1]on the Welsh crag Clogwyn Du'r Arddu, about which he wrote:

I went for the crux, the motion startling me like a car unexpectedly in gear in a crowded parking lot. I swarm through the roundness of the bulge to a crank on a brittle spike for a cluster of three crystals on the right; each finger crucial and separate like the keys for a piano chord. I change feet three times to rest my lower legs, each time having to jump my foot out to put the other in. The finger-holds are too poor to hang on should the toes catch on each other. All those foot-changing mistakes on easy moves by runners come to mind. There is no resting. I must go and climb for the top. I swarm up towards the sunlight, gasping for air. A brittle hold stays under mistreatment and then I really blow it. Fearful of a smear on now-non-sticky boots I use an edge and move up, a fall fatal, but the automaton stabs back through, wobbling, but giving its all and I grasp a large sidepull and tube upward. The ropes dangle uselessly from my waist. Arthur Birtwhistle on Diagonal, I grasp in cuts and the tight movement swerves to a glide as gravity swings skyward.

Other notable ascents include:

• 1986 Gaia, Black Rocks E8 6c (first ascent)
• 1986 End of the Affair, Curbar Edge E8 6c (first ascent)
• Smoked Salmon, Bamford Edge E8 7b (first ascent)
• Face Mecca, Clogwyn Du'r Arddu E9 6c (second ascent)
• Angel's share, Black Rocks E8 7a (first ascent)
• 1990 The Very Big & the Very Small 8b+/8c slab (first ascent)^[2]

He is featured in the films Stone Monkey (1986), Best Forgotten Art (1994) and Hard Grit (1998).

Medici Family Links[link]

Dawes has also claimed in several lectures that he has given that he is a descendant of the famous Medici family of Florence, Italy. The connection is through his mothers side of the family.

External links[link]

• Official site
• About Johnny (old website)

References[link]

Chris Sharma
Born	(1981-04-23)April 23, 1981 Santa Cruz, California
Nationality	U.S. Citizen
Occupation	Rock Climber

Chris Omprakash Sharma (born April 23, 1981 in Santa Cruz, California) is an American rock climber.

History[link]

Chris Omprakash Sharma^[1] was raised in Santa Cruz, California,^[1] son of Gita Jahn and Bob Sharma.^[1] He started rock climbing when he was 12^[1] at the Pacific Edge climbing gym. Sharma went to Mount Madonna school and attended Soquel High School for one year.

At age 14, Sharma won the Bouldering Nationals.^[1] A year later, he completed a 5.14c climb, which was the highest-rated climb in North America at the time.^[1]

Sharma then moved to Bishop, California,^[1] where he climbed The Mandala,^[1] a bouldering problem rated V12.

In July 2001, Sharma completed the extension of the established route Biographie in Ceüse, located in the Hautes-Alpes Department of France and renamed it Realization, ignoring the European tradition that equippers and not climbers name routes outside the US. At the time of the first ascent, Biographie was widely considered to be the first consensus 5.15a (9a+) in the world. He has since established or completed many routes at or above 5.15, including La Rambla and Es Pontas (a deep water soloing project in Mallorca). In 2008 Sharma climbed the 250-foot line (76 m), Jumbo Love, at Clark Mountain in California, claiming 5.15b for the grade.^[2]

The 2008 film King Lines follows Chris through various climbs throughout the world and offers his reflections of his past, climbing and life.

He recently moved to Lleida, in Catalonia, Spain,^[3] where he opens new routes regularly.

Notable ascents[link]

• Necessary Evil (5.14c).^[4]

• The Mandala (V12). First Ascent, February 2000. Several holds have broken since Chris climbed the Mandala, including the crux holds. These changes have made the problem considerably easier, and it has been widely speculated that when the problem was first climbed, the grade was closer to V14.

• Realization (5.15a) / Biographie (9a+). First Ascent, July 2001. Heralded as the world's first 5.15a upon completion.^[5]

• Practice of the Wild (8C). First Ascent, August 2004. Repeated by Tyler Landman, Daniel Woods and Adam Ondra.

• Witness the Fitness (V15). First ascent, March 2005. A 40-foot roof (12 m) problem in the Ozarks. Repeated by Fred Nicole. (Broken and maybe unclimbable.)^[6]

• Dreamcatcher (5.14d). First Ascent. A granite route on the Cacodemon boulder in Squamish, British Columbia. The route starts on a technical slab that wedges the climber against the start of the overhang. Then a dyno to a sloping rail leads to a bouldery traverse across slopers and incut crimps. The crux of the route comes at the end with a deadpoint to slopers and a jug. Repeated by Sean McColl in 2009.^[7]

• Es Pontas. First ascent, September 26, 2007. A deep water solo in Mallorca, Spain, it features a 7-foot dyno (2.1 m) that took Sharma over 50 attempts to stick. This climb, featured prominently in the movie King Lines, remains unrepeated, and is speculated at around 9a+.^[8]

• Papichulo (9a+). First ascent. 45m route starting with four-bolt 5.13d to no-hands rest followed by continuous difficult climbing on blue limestone in Oliana, Spain.^[9]

• Jumbo Love (5.15b). First Ascent, September 11, 2008. First featured in the film King Lines as an unfinished line at Clark Mountain, this route is 250 ft long (76 m), and thought to be at least 5.15b. Sharma has called it his hardest ascent to date. In climbing it, he skipped up to three clips in a row due to the difficult sequences, which resulted in falls of 70 ft (21 m) or more. Unrepeated.^[2][10]

• Golpe de Estado (9b). First Ascent, December 17, 2008. Golpe de Estado (Siurana, Spain) is a direct version of Estado Critico (5.14c/d), linking a 5.14d start into 5.14c climbing with a poor rest in between. Repeated by Adam Ondra March 2010.

• Demencia Senil (9a+?). First Ascent, February 20, 2009. (Margalef, Spain). Repeated by Iker Pou Jan 2010, Ramon Julian Puigblanque Oct 2010.^[11][12][13]

• French Gangster (8c/5.14b). Onsight without chipped hold, possibly harder? Originally named American Gangster but renamed as a reference to Michael Fuselier, the French climber who allegedly chipped the hold. Hardest Route in China at the time.

• Pachamama (9a+/5.15a). First Ascent.

• Neanderthal (9b/5.15b). First Ascent, December 18, 2009.

• First Ley (9a+) in Margalef. First Ascent.^[14]

• Era Vella (9a/5.14d) in Margalef. First Ascent.^[15]

• Power Inverter (9a+/5.15a). First Ascent, December 2010 (Oliana, Spain).

• Catxasa (9a+/5.15a). First Ascent, January 2011 (Santa Linya, Spain).

• First Round First Minute (at least 9b, grade still to be confirmed). First Ascent, April 2011 (Margalef, Spain).

• Fight or Flight (9b). First Ascent, May 2011 (Oliana, Spain).

Awards[link]

• U.S. Bouldering Nationals^[1]
• 1997 UIAA World Cup - Kranj^[16]
• 1999 X Games - Bouldering - Gold Medal^[1]
• 2000 Wasatch Open Bouldering Competition^[17]
• 2001 18th Annual Phoenix Bouldering Contest^[18]
• 2001 Munich Bouldering World Cup^[18]
• 2002 Ford Gorge Games^[19]
• 2003 Earth Treks Roc Comp^[20]
• 2004 Earth Treks Roc Comp^[20]
• 2004 ABS Nationals^[21]
• 2007 Mammut Bouldering Championships^[22]
• 2008 Mammut Bouldering Championships^[22]
• 2009 Ilerbloc Open Internacional^[23]
• 2010 Earth Treks Roc Comp^[24]
• 2010 Psicobloc, Bilbao, Spain ^[25]

Sponsorships[link]

• Sanuk
• 1999 - prAna^[1]
• Sterling Ropes
• Evolv
• Petzl
• Nutriex
• Entre Prises Climbing Walls

References[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Chris Sharma

Ali Baba by Maxfield Parrish (1909)

Ali Baba (Arabic: علي بابا‎ ʿAli Bāba) is a fictional character from medieval Arabic literature. He is described in the adventure tale of Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves.

This story has been used as a popular pantomime plot such as in the pantomime/musical Chu Chin Chow (1916). Like many other folk tales frequently adapted for children, the original tale is darker and more violent than the more familiar bowdlerised versions. Popular perception of Ali Baba, and the way he is treated in popular media, sometimes implies that he was the leader of the "Forty Thieves": in the story he is actually an "honest man"^[1] whom fortune enables to take advantage of the thieves' robberies.

Textual history[link]

Some critics believe that this story was added to One Thousand and One Nights by one of its European translators, Antoine Galland, an 18th-century French orientalist who may have heard it in oral form from a Middle Eastern story-teller from Aleppo, in modern day Syria. In any case, the first known text of the story is Galland's French version. Richard F. Burton, however, claimed it to be part of the original One Thousand and One Nights.

The American Orientalist Duncan Black MacDonald discovered an Arabic-language manuscript of the legend at the Bodleian Library;^[2] however, this was later found to be a counterfeit.

Story[link]

Ali Baba and his elder brother Cassim are the sons of a merchant. After the death of their father, the greedy Cassim marries a wealthy woman and becomes well-to-do, building on their father's business—but Ali Baba marries a poor woman and settles into the trade of a woodcutter.

One day Ali Baba is at work collecting and cutting firewood in the forest, and he happens to overhear a group of forty thieves visiting their treasure store. The treasure is in a cave, the mouth of which is sealed by magic. It opens on the words "iftah ya simsim" (commonly written as "Open Sesame" in English), and seals itself on the words "Close, Simsim" ("Close Sesame"). When the thieves are gone, Ali Baba enters the cave himself, and takes some of the treasure home.

Ali Baba borrows his sister-in-law's scales to weigh this new wealth of gold coins. Unbeknownst to Ali, she puts a blob of wax in the scales to find out what Ali is using them for, as she is curious to know what kind of grain her impoverished brother-in-law needs to measure. To her shock, she finds a gold coin sticking to the scales and tells her husband, Ali Baba's rich and greedy brother, Cassim. Under pressure from his brother, Ali Baba is forced to reveal the secret of the cave. Cassim goes to the cave and enters with the magic words, but in his greed and excitement over the treasures forgets the magic words to get back out again. The thieves find him there, and kill him. When his brother does not come back, Ali Baba goes to the cave to look for him, and finds the body, quartered and with each piece displayed just inside the entrance of the cave to discourage any similar attempts in the future.

Ali Baba brings the body home, where he entrusts Morgiana, a clever slave-girl in Cassim's household, with the task of making others believe that Cassim has died a natural death. First, Morgiana purchases medicines from an apothecary, telling him that Cassim is gravely ill. Then, she finds an old tailor known as Baba Mustafa whom she pays, blindfolds, and leads to Cassim's house. There, overnight, the tailor stitches the pieces of Cassim's body back together, so that no one will be suspicious. Ali and his family are able to give Cassim a proper burial without anyone asking awkward questions.

The thieves, finding the body gone, realize that yet another person must know their secret, and set out to track him down. One of the thieves goes down to the town and comes across Baba Mustafa, who mentions that he has just sewn a dead man's body back together. Realizing that the dead man must have been the thieves' victim, the thief asks Baba Mustafa to lead the way to the house where the deed was performed. The tailor is blindfolded again, and in this state he is able to retrace his steps and find the house. The thief marks the door with a symbol. The plan is for the other thieves to come back that night and kill everyone in the house. However, the thief has been seen by Morgiana and she, loyal to her master, foils his plan by marking all the houses in the neighborhood with a similar marking. When the 40 thieves return that night, they cannot identify the correct house and the head thief kills the lesser thief. The next day, another thief revisits Baba Mustafa and tries again, only this time, a chunk is chipped out of the stone step at Ali Baba's front door. Again Morgiana foils the plan by making similar chips in all the other doorsteps. The second thief is killed for his stupidity as well. At last, the head thief goes and looks for himself. This time, he memorizes every detail he can of the exterior of Ali Baba's house.

The chief of the thieves pretends to be an oil merchant in need of Ali Baba's hospitality, bringing with him mules loaded with thirty-eight oil jars, one filled with oil, the other thirty-seven hiding the other remaining thieves. Once Ali Baba is asleep, the thieves plan to kill him. Again, Morgiana discovers and foils the plan, killing the thirty-seven thieves in their oil jars by pouring boiling oil on them. When their leader comes to rouse his men, he discovers that they are dead, and escapes.

To exact revenge, after some time the thief establishes himself as a merchant, befriends Ali Baba's son (who is now in charge of the late Cassim's business), and is invited to dinner at Ali Baba's house. The thief is recognized by Morgiana, who performs a dance with a dagger for the diners and plunges it into the heart of the thief when he is off his guard. Ali Baba is at first angry with Morgiana, but when he finds out the thief tried to kill him, he gives Morgiana her freedom and marries her to his son. Ali Baba is then left as the only one knowing the secret of the treasure in the cave and how to access it. Thus, the story ends happily for everyone except the forty thieves and Cassim.

Classification[link]

The story has been classified in the Aarne–Thompson classification system as AT 676.^[3]

Adaptations[link]

• The story was made into an Egyptian movie in 1942 as "Ali Baba We El Arbeen Haramy" (Alibaba and the Forty Thieves), with Ali AlKassar playing the lead as Ali Baba, and the comedian actor Ismail Yasin as his assistant.
• An 1878 British pantomime version was The Forty Thieves.
• A French film Ali Baba et les quarante voleurs starring Fernandel and Samia Gamal (1954).
• A French telefilm starring Gérard Jugnot and Catherine Zeta-Jones (2007).
• In 1970s Alibaba story was adapted in a Bengali film called 'Morgiana Abdulla'.
• A Soviet-Indian joint film of 1979 Ali Baba aur 40 Chor, starring Dharmendra, Hema Malini, Rolan Bykov and Zeenat Aman, was largely based on this adventure tale.
• A Malaysian comedy film, Ali Baba Bujang Lapok (1960) which quite faithfully adhered to the tale's plot details, but introduced a number of anachronisms for humour, for example the usage of a truck by Kassim Baba to steal the robbers' loot.
• There are two Tamil films under the title Alibabavum 40 Thirudargalum ("Alibaba and Forty Thieves"). The first film starring N. S. Krishnan as Ali Baba released in 1941, the second film starring M. G. Ramachandran, released in 1956.
• The story was adapted in the 1971 anime Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves (アリババと４０匹の盗賊, Aribaba to Yonjuppiki no Tozoku^?), storyboarded by Hayao Miyazaki.
• The concept of Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves was used for the last installment of Disney's Aladdin series, Aladdin and the King of Thieves, released in 1996, introducing Cassim the King of Thieves as Aladdin's father.
• In the television mini-series Arabian Nights, the story is told faithfully with two major changes. The first is that when Morgiana discovers the thieves in the oil jars, she alerts Ali Baba and together with a friend, they release the jars on a street with a steep incline and allow them roll down to break open. Furthermore, the city guard is alerted and arrest the disoriented thieves as they emerge from their containers. Later when Morgiana defeats the thief leader, Ali Baba, who is young and has no children, marries the heroine himself.
• A film adaption Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves was made in 1944. The film was remade in 1965 as The Sword of Ali Baba. Frank Puglia portrayed the character named Kassim in both versions.
• At the United States Air Force Academy, Cadet Squadron 40 was originally nicknamed "Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves" before eventually changing its name to the "P-40 Warhawks"
• A mythopoeic novel by Tom Holt, 'Open Sesame', is based on characters from the story of "Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves"

In other media[link]

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• A Merrie Melodies Bugs Bunny/Daffy Duck cartoon, Ali Baba Bunny, has a similar premise to the concept of the treasure-filled magical cave.

• A Popeye cartoon, Popeye the Sailor Meets Ali Baba's Forty Thieves, features Popeye meeting and defeating the titular group.

• In the Disney film Aladdin there are several references to the story. Also, in Aladdin and the King of Thieves the forty thieves play an integral part in the story. However the story is very different than the original Ali Baba story, particularly Cassim's new role as the King of Thieves.

• In the Simpsons episode Moe Goes From Rags To Riches, Lisa is Scheherazade and Nelson Muntz is King Shahryar, and Lisa tells him the story.

• The 1971 Japanese film, Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves (アリババと40匹の盗賊, Aribaba to Yonjūbiki no Tozuku^?), for which Hayao Miyazaki was key animator and organizer.

• A 1981 computer video game by Quality Software^[4]

• Ali Baba and the 40 Thieves, a 1982 arcade video game by Taito

• Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves, a computer game for the Apple II published in 1982

• A version of Ali Baba appears in Sonic and the Secret Rings, where he is portrayed by the character Tails.

Iraq War[link]

• The name "Ali Baba" was often used as derogatory slang by American and Iraqi soldiers and their allies in the War in Iraq to describe individuals suspected of a variety of offenses related to theft and looting.^[5] British soldiers routinely used the term to refer to Iraqi civilians.^[6] In the subsequent occupation it is used as a general term for the insurgents, similar to Charlie for the Viet Cong in the Vietnam War.^[7]

• Due to interaction of the two peoples, the term "Ali Baba" was adopted by the Iraqis to describe foreign troops suspected of looting,^[8] and the English-speaking mainstream press mistakenly reported the slang to be native to the locals.^[9]

Gallery[link]

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Ali Baba

• "Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves" (e-text, in English)
• Waller Hastings, "Ali Baba and the forty Thieves": essay
• Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves and Arabian Nights and The Sword of Ali Baba at the Internet Movie Database