Royal Robbins, an American rock climber and mountaineer, was born on February 3, 1935, in Point Pleasant, West Virginia, and passed away on March 14, 2017, in Modesto, California, at the age of 82.
As one of the prominent figures of the golden age of the conquest of the Big Walls in Yosemite during the 1960s, Royal Robbins was instrumental in promoting the clean climbing ethic, along with Yvon Chouinard, in the early 1960s.
Prior to devoting himself to climbing, Robbins worked in a bank and later set up a business importing and selling mountain equipment. He is also credited with inventing a bag hoisting system using pulleys and jumars.
Robbins acquired his climbing technique and style on the Tahquitz cliff near Los Angeles and quickly established himself as a dominant force in Yosemite, where he successfully climbed many major routes, including the North-West Face of Half Dome in 1957, with Mike Sherrick and Jerry Gallwas, which was the first degree VI climb in the United States.
In 1960, he made the second ascent of The Nose at El Capitan in Yosemite, and in 1961, he completed the first ascent of Salathé Wall at El Capitan, with Tom Frost and Chuck Pratt. In 1962, he opened the Directe Américaine on the west face of Les Drus in the Mont Blanc massif in France, with Gary Hemming.
In 1971, Robbins made the second ascent of the Wall of Early Morning Light, also known as Dawn Wall, which had been opened the previous year by his rival Warren Harding and Dean Caldwell. The climb sparked controversy due to the extensive use of bolts and Robbins initially intended to "clear the way" by cutting the bolts as he climbed. However, after two lengths, Robbins stopped due to the high standard of aid climbing and the excessive length of the climb.
Throughout his climbing career, Royal Robbins was known for his innovative approach, his commitment to clean climbing, and his numerous first ascents in Yosemite and beyond.
