Clean Aid Climbing
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Aid climbing is a form of
rock climbing Rock climbing is a climbing sports discipline that involves ascending climbing routes, routes consisting of natural rock in an outdoor environment, or on artificial resin climbing walls in a mostly indoor environment. Routes are documented in c ...
that uses mechanical devices and equipment, such as aiders (or ladders), for upward momentum. Aid climbing is contrasted with
free climbing Free climbing is a form of rock climbing in which the climber can only use climbing equipment for climbing protection but not as an artificial aid to help them in ascending the route. Free climbing, therefore, cannot use any of the tools that ...
(in both its
traditional A tradition is a system of beliefs or behaviors (folk custom) passed down within a group of people or society with symbolic meaning or special significance with origins in the past. A component of cultural expressions and folklore, common examp ...
or
sport Sport is a physical activity or game, often Competition, competitive and organization, organized, that maintains or improves physical ability and skills. Sport may provide enjoyment to participants and entertainment to spectators. The numbe ...
free climbing formats), which only uses mechanical equipment for
protection Protection is any measure taken to guard something against damage caused by outside forces. Protection can be provided to physical objects, including organisms, to systems, and to intangible things like civil and political rights. Although ...
, but not to assist in upward momentum. Aid climbing can involve hammering in permanent
piton A piton (; also called ''pin'' or ''peg'') in big wall climbing and in aid climbing is a metal spike (usually steel) that is driven into a crack or seam in the climbing surface using a Rock climbing hammer, climbing hammer, and which acts as an ...
s and bolts, into which the aiders are clipped, but there is also 'clean aid climbing' which avoids any hammering, and only uses removable placements. While aid climbing traces its origins to the start of all climbing when ladders and pitons were common, its use in
single-pitch climbing In climbing, a pitch is a section of a climbing route between two belay points (or belay stations), and is most commonly related to the task of lead climbing (going up), but is also related to abseiling (going down). Climbing on routes that requ ...
waned in the early 20th century with the rise of free climbing. At the same time, the
Dolomites The Dolomites ( ), also known as the Dolomite Mountains, Dolomite Alps or Dolomitic Alps, are a mountain range in northeastern Italy. They form part of the Southern Limestone Alps and extend from the River Adige in the west to the Piave Va ...
became the birthplace of modern " big wall aid climbing", where pioneers like Emilio Comici developed the early tools and techniques. Aid climbing's "golden age" was in the 1960s and 1970s on
Yosemite Yosemite National Park ( ) is a national park of the United States in California. It is bordered on the southeast by Sierra National Forest and on the northwest by Stanislaus National Forest. The park is managed by the National Park Service ...
's granite big walls led by pioneers such as
Royal Robbins Royal Robbins (February 3, 1935 – March 14, 2017) was one of the pioneers of American rock climbing. After learning to climb at Tahquitz Rock, Robbins went on to make first ascents of many big wall routes in Yosemite. As an early proponent o ...
and
Warren Harding Warren Gamaliel Harding (November 2, 1865 – August 2, 1923) was the 29th president of the United States, serving from 1921 until his death in 1923. A member of the Republican Party, he was one of the most popular sitting U.S. presidents w ...
, and later
Jim Bridwell Jim Bridwell (July 29, 1944 – February 16, 2018) was an American rock climber and mountaineer, active from 1965 in Yosemite Valley, but later in Patagonia and Alaska. He was noted for pushing the standards of both aid climbing and big wall ...
, and was also where Robbins' ethos of minimal-aid, and
Yvon Chouinard Yvon Chouinard (born November 9, 1938) is an American rock climber, environmentalist, and businessman. His company, Patagonia, sells outdoor products, outerwear, and food. He was named one of the 100 most influential people in the world by '' ...
's ethos of clean aid climbing, became dominant. In the 1990s, the traditional A-grading system was expanded at
Yosemite Yosemite National Park ( ) is a national park of the United States in California. It is bordered on the southeast by Sierra National Forest and on the northwest by Stanislaus National Forest. The park is managed by the National Park Service ...
into a more detailed "new wave" system, and with the development and growth in clean aid climbing, the A-grade became the C-grading system. The grading of aid-climbing
routes Route or routes may refer to: * Air route, route structure or airway * GPS route, a series of one or more GPS waypoints * Route (gridiron football), a path run by a wide receiver * Route (command), a program used to configure the routing table * ...
is complex as successive repeats can substantially change the nature of the challenge through hammering and also the build-up of large amounts of in-situ fixed placements. It is not untypical for a new A5-graded aid-climbing route, to migrate to an A3-graded route over time. Aid climbing is still used on large
big wall climbing Big wall climbing is a form of rock climbing that takes place on long and sheer multi-pitch climbing, multi-pitch climbing routes, routes (of ''at least'' 6–10 pitches or 300–500 metres) that require a full day, if not several days, to ascen ...
and
alpine climbing Alpine climbing () is a type of mountaineering that uses any of a broad range of advanced climbing skills, including rock climbing, ice climbing, and/or mixed climbing, to summit typically large routes (e.g. multi-pitch or big wall) in an alpi ...
routes to overcome sections of extreme difficulty that are beyond the difficulties of the rest of the route. A famous big wall climb such as '' The Nose'' on
El Capitan El Capitan (; ) is a vertical Rock formations in the United States, rock formation in Yosemite National Park, on the north side of Yosemite Valley, near its western end. The El Capitan Granite, granite monolith is about from base to summit alo ...
is accessible to strong climbers as a partial-aid route graded VI C2, but only a tiny handful can handle its grade as a free climbed route. Aid is also used to develop "next generation" big wall routes (e.g. ''Riders on the Storm'' on Cordillera Paine, or the ''Grand Voyage'' on
Trango Towers __NOTOC__ The Trango Towers () are a family of rock towers situated in the Gilgit-Baltistan region, in the northern part of Pakistan. The Towers have some of the world's largest cliffs and offer some of the most challenging big wall climbing op ...
). Extreme C5-graded aid-only routes are also still being established, such as ''Nightmare on California Street '' on El Capitan.


Description

Aid climbing is a form of
rock climbing Rock climbing is a climbing sports discipline that involves ascending climbing routes, routes consisting of natural rock in an outdoor environment, or on artificial resin climbing walls in a mostly indoor environment. Routes are documented in c ...
that uses mechanical devices and equipment for upward momentum. Like traditional and sport climbing, aid climbing is typically done in pairs with a lead climber making the "placements" into which ladders (known as aiders) are clipped, thus enabling them to ascend. After the lead climber has reached the top, the second climber (or
belayer In climbing and mountaineering, belaying comprises techniques used to create friction within a climbing protection system, particularly on a climbing rope, so that a falling climber does not fall very far. A climbing partner typically applies ...
) then removes the placements as they
jumar An ascender is a device (usually mechanical) used for directly ascending, or for facilitating protection, with a fixed rope when climbing on steep mountain terrain. A form introduced in the 1950s became so popular it began the term "Jumar" for ...
up the rope. Traditional aid climbing relied on fixed placements, which were mainly metal
piton A piton (; also called ''pin'' or ''peg'') in big wall climbing and in aid climbing is a metal spike (usually steel) that is driven into a crack or seam in the climbing surface using a Rock climbing hammer, climbing hammer, and which acts as an ...
s that the lead climber hammered into the rock as they ascended. These placements remained permanently fixed on the route (and in such cases, the second (or belayer) didn't have to take any placement out and just jumared up on a
fixed rope In climbing and mountaineering, a fixed-rope (or fixed-line) is the practice of installing networks of in-situ anchored Climbing rope#Static rope, static climbing ropes on climbing routes to assist any following climbers (and Porter (carrier), po ...
). Clean aid climbing avoids any hammering and uses the temporary protection of traditional climbing (e.g.
spring-loaded camming device A spring-loaded camming device (also SLCD, cam or friend) is a piece of rock climbing or mountaineering protection equipment. It consists of two, three, or four cams mounted on a common axle or two adjacent axles, so that pulling on the axle fo ...
s) for placements; these are then removed by the second climber as they make their own ascent. This method therefore avoids the damage that repeated hammering of metal does to aid routes, and has been advocated as useful training and building up of experience in the placing of
traditional climbing Traditional climbing (or trad climbing) is a type of free climbing in rock climbing where the lead climber places removable protection while simultaneously ascending the route; when the lead climber has completed the route, the second climber ...
protection. While the sport of aid climbing has waned as the free climbing movement has grown, elements of aid climbing are still a regular feature of many major
big wall climbing Big wall climbing is a form of rock climbing that takes place on long and sheer multi-pitch climbing, multi-pitch climbing routes, routes (of ''at least'' 6–10 pitches or 300–500 metres) that require a full day, if not several days, to ascen ...
and
alpine climbing Alpine climbing () is a type of mountaineering that uses any of a broad range of advanced climbing skills, including rock climbing, ice climbing, and/or mixed climbing, to summit typically large routes (e.g. multi-pitch or big wall) in an alpi ...
routes. These routes are long multi-pitch climbs where it is possible to find specific sections that are considerably above the difficulty level of the rest of the route. For such sections, aid climbing techniques are accepted, even by free climbers. For example, the renowned big wall climbing route '' The Nose'' on
El Capitan El Capitan (; ) is a vertical Rock formations in the United States, rock formation in Yosemite National Park, on the north side of Yosemite Valley, near its western end. The El Capitan Granite, granite monolith is about from base to summit alo ...
is a 31-pitch 870-metre graded partial clean aid climb at VI C2, but as a fully free climb with no aid, it is graded VI , which is beyond the skills of all but a very small group of elite free climbers.


History

Aid climbing traces its origins to the start of all climbing, with ladders used on historic ascents such as the 1492 ascent of
Mont Aiguille Mont Aiguille () is a mountain in the Vercors Massif of the French Prealps, located south of Grenoble, in the commune of Chichilianne, and the département of Isère. The mountain, known as one of the Seven Wonders of Dauphiné, is a rel ...
, the 1786 ascent of
Mont Blanc Mont Blanc (, ) is a mountain in the Alps, rising above sea level, located right at the Franco-Italian border. It is the highest mountain in Europe outside the Caucasus Mountains, the second-most prominent mountain in Europe (after Mount E ...
, or the 1893 ascent of
Devils Tower Devils Tower (also known as Mato Tipila or Bear Lodge) is a butte, laccolithic, composed of igneous rock in the Bear Lodge Ranger District of the Black Hills, near Hulett and Sundance in Crook County, northeastern Wyoming, above the Bel ...
, and with drilled bolts on historic ascents such as the 1875 first ascent of
Half Dome Half Dome is a quartz monzonite batholith at the eastern end of Yosemite Valley in Yosemite National Park, California. It is a well-known rock formation in the park, named for its distinct shape. One side is a sheer face while the other three s ...
. By the start of the 20th century, the widespread use of aid (e.g. ladders and
piton A piton (; also called ''pin'' or ''peg'') in big wall climbing and in aid climbing is a metal spike (usually steel) that is driven into a crack or seam in the climbing surface using a Rock climbing hammer, climbing hammer, and which acts as an ...
s) was challenged by the
free climbing Free climbing is a form of rock climbing in which the climber can only use climbing equipment for climbing protection but not as an artificial aid to help them in ascending the route. Free climbing, therefore, cannot use any of the tools that ...
movement led by Paul Preuss. While the use of aid diminished on single-pitch routes, big wall climbers in the
Dolomites The Dolomites ( ), also known as the Dolomite Mountains, Dolomite Alps or Dolomitic Alps, are a mountain range in northeastern Italy. They form part of the Southern Limestone Alps and extend from the River Adige in the west to the Piave Va ...
, such as , further developed aid climbing techniques. The legacy of the Dolomites as the birthplace of big-wall and modern aid climbing was cemented by pioneer Emilio Comici who developed the multi-step aider (or ladder). In 1933, Comici used these aid climbing techniques to climb the overhanging north face of the Cima Grande, then the world's hardest big wall aid route. Comici's aid techniques were used by the leading European big wall and alpine climbers such as
Riccardo Cassin Riccardo Cassin (2 January 19096 August 2009) was an Italian Mountaineering, mountaineer, developer of Climbing equipment, mountaineering equipment and author, and an important figure in the history of rock climbing, alpine climbing and big wall ...
on famous routes across the European Alps. In 1946,
John Salathé John Salathé (June 14, 1899 – 31 August 1992) was a Swiss-born American pioneering rock climber (and particularly in big wall climbing and in aid climbing), blacksmith, and the inventor of the modern steel piton. In his later years he promo ...
developed a piton made from high-carbon chrome-vanadium (salvaged from the axles of Ford cars), which enabled him to overcome the hard granite cracks of
Yosemite Yosemite National Park ( ) is a national park of the United States in California. It is bordered on the southeast by Sierra National Forest and on the northwest by Stanislaus National Forest. The park is managed by the National Park Service ...
and climb the iconic
Lost Arrow Spire Lost Arrow Spire is a detached pillar in Yosemite National Park, in Yosemite Valley, California, located immediately adjacent to Upper Yosemite Falls. The structure includes the ''Lost Arrow Spire Chimney'' route which is recognized in the histor ...
in 1947 with Ax Nelson. Salathé's new aid climbing equipment (including the skyhook), led to a "golden age" in big wall aid climbing. In 1957, a team led by
Royal Robbins Royal Robbins (February 3, 1935 – March 14, 2017) was one of the pioneers of American rock climbing. After learning to climb at Tahquitz Rock, Robbins went on to make first ascents of many big wall routes in Yosemite. As an early proponent o ...
used Salathé's aid tools to climb the '' Northwest Face of Half Dome'' in
Yosemite Yosemite National Park ( ) is a national park of the United States in California. It is bordered on the southeast by Sierra National Forest and on the northwest by Stanislaus National Forest. The park is managed by the National Park Service ...
, ushering in modern American big wall aid climbing. In 1958, a team led by
Warren Harding Warren Gamaliel Harding (November 2, 1865 – August 2, 1923) was the 29th president of the United States, serving from 1921 until his death in 1923. A member of the Republican Party, he was one of the most popular sitting U.S. presidents w ...
aid climbed '' The Nose'' on
El Capitan El Capitan (; ) is a vertical Rock formations in the United States, rock formation in Yosemite National Park, on the north side of Yosemite Valley, near its western end. The El Capitan Granite, granite monolith is about from base to summit alo ...
using siege tactics (600 pitons and 125 bolts) over 47 days; while the ascent got worldwide recognition it was controversial due to the excessive use of aid. Robbins' ethos of minimizing the use of aid prevailed over that of Harding, and his legacy of partially-aided ascents including the ''
Salathé Wall The ''Salathé Wall'' is one of the original big wall climbing routes up El Capitan, a high granite monolith in Yosemite National Park. The ''Salathé Wall'' was named by Yvon Chouinard in honor of John Salathé, a pioneer of rock climbing in Y ...
'' (1961), the ''North American Wall'' (1964), and the ''Muir Wall'' (1968) cemented Yosemite, and the granite walls of El Capitan, as the world's most important big wall aid climbing venue, and Robbins' place in climbing history. 1970 saw one of the most infamous events in big wall aid climbing with the creation of Cesare Maestri's ''
Compressor Route Cesare Maestri (2 October 1929 – 19 January 2021) was an Italian mountaineer and writer. He was born in Trento in the Italian province of Trentino. He began climbing in the Dolomites, where he repeated many famous routes, often climbing them ...
'' on
Cerro Torre Cerro Torre is one of the mountains of the Southern Patagonian Ice Field in South America. It is located on the border dividing Argentina and Chile, west of Fitz Roy (also known as Cerro Chaltén). At , the peak is the highest of a four mountai ...
. Maestri drilled an extreme amount of bolts into the famous headwall using a 300-pound air compressor drill; in one section, he drilled across a blank 90-metre face to avoid the wind. Maestri's excessive use of aid was condemned. In 1971,
Reinhold Messner Reinhold Andreas Messner (; born 17 September 1944) is an Italian climber, explorer, and author from the German-speaking province of South Tyrol. He made the first solo ascent of Mount Everest and, along with Peter Habeler, the first ascent o ...
wrote a now-famous essay titled ''The Murder of the Impossible'' on the trend of excessive aid saying: "Today's climber ... carries his courage in his rucksack". Another famous essay in 1972, by big wall pioneers
Yvon Chouinard Yvon Chouinard (born November 9, 1938) is an American rock climber, environmentalist, and businessman. His company, Patagonia, sells outdoor products, outerwear, and food. He was named one of the 100 most influential people in the world by '' ...
and
Tom Frost Thomas "Tom" M. Frost (June 30, 1936 – August 24, 2018) was an American rock climbing, rock climber known for big wall climbing first ascents in Yosemite Valley. He was also a photographer and Rock-climbing equipment, climbing equipment manufa ...
, appealed for clean aid climbing techniques to avoid the damage incurred by pitons and hammers. Messner's and Chouinard's essays marked the end of the excessive aid techniques. The 1970s saw new big wall aid climbing pioneers such as
Jim Bridwell Jim Bridwell (July 29, 1944 – February 16, 2018) was an American rock climber and mountaineer, active from 1965 in Yosemite Valley, but later in Patagonia and Alaska. He was noted for pushing the standards of both aid climbing and big wall ...
pushing standards in Yosemite using less intrusive aid (e.g. Chouinard's
RURP A piton (; also called ''pin'' or ''peg'') in big wall climbing and in aid climbing is a metal spike (usually steel) that is driven into a crack or seam in the climbing surface using a climbing hammer, and which acts as an anchor for protecti ...
s) to put up groundbreaking routes such as ''Pacific Ocean Wall'' (1975) and ''Sea of Dreams'' (1978), with its famous A5-graded "Hook or Book" pitch, the first "if you fall, you die" rope length on El Capitan. Bridwell and others pushed big wall aid climbing standards into the 1980s and 1990s with ever-harder A5-graded routes like ''Reticent Wall'' (1995) on the blank south faces of El Capitan. The arrival
sport climbing Sport climbing (or bolted climbing) is a type of free climbing in the sport of rock climbing where the Lead climbing, lead climber clips their climbing rope, rope — via a quickdraw — into pre-drilled in-situ bolt (climbing), bolts for their ...
in the late 1980s saw a dramatic rise in rock climbing standards. Many big wall aid climbs were freed, with the most notable being
Lynn Hill Carolynn Marie Hill (born January 3, 1961) is an American rock climber. Widely regarded as one of the leading competition climbers, traditional climbers (and particularly big wall climbers), sport climbers, and boulderers in the world during ...
's 1993 free climb of ''The Nose'' on El Capitan at 5.14a. Aid climbing continued to be a skill set for big wall and alpine climbers in both being able to complete routes that would otherwise be almost impossible to most climbers (e.g. ''The Nose'' on El Capitan) and in creating "next generation" big wall and alpine routes that are not capable of being fully freed (e.g. the ''Grand Voyage'' on
Trango Towers __NOTOC__ The Trango Towers () are a family of rock towers situated in the Gilgit-Baltistan region, in the northern part of Pakistan. The Towers have some of the world's largest cliffs and offer some of the most challenging big wall climbing op ...
). In a 1999 essay in ''
Ascent Ascent or The Ascent may refer to: Publications * ''Ascent'' (magazine), an independent, not-for-profit magazine * ''Ascent'' (journal), a literary journal based at Concordia College * ''Ascent'' (novel), by Jed Mercurio * '' Times Ascent'', a ...
'' titled ''The Mechanical Advantage'', big wall aid climber and author,
John Middendorf John William Middendorf IV (November 18, 1959 – June 21, 2024) was an American big wall climbing, big wall climber, mountaineering writer and designer of climbing equipment. In the 1980s, he climbed the hardest walls of Yosemite National Par ...
, said of that Hill's achievement on ''The Nose'': "But without the old piton scars, without fixed protection, without her big-wall aid climbing experience, without the extraordinary free-climbing ability she gained from bolted sport climbs and indoor gyms and competitions, would there have ever been a such a free ascent?" In 2012, the ''
Oxford English Dictionary The ''Oxford English Dictionary'' (''OED'') is the principal historical dictionary of the English language, published by Oxford University Press (OUP), a University of Oxford publishing house. The dictionary, which published its first editio ...
'' added the term "aid climbing".


Equipment

Modern aid climbing typically uses most of the equipment used in
traditional climbing Traditional climbing (or trad climbing) is a type of free climbing in rock climbing where the lead climber places removable protection while simultaneously ascending the route; when the lead climber has completed the route, the second climber ...
and particularly the protection equipment of traditional climbing (e.g.
nuts Nut often refers to: * Nut (fruit), fruit composed of a hard shell and a seed * Nut (food), a dry and edible fruit or seed, including but not limited to true nuts * Nut (hardware), fastener used with a bolt Nut, NUT or Nuts may also refer to: A ...
, hexcentrics and tricams, and
spring-loaded camming device A spring-loaded camming device (also SLCD, cam or friend) is a piece of rock climbing or mountaineering protection equipment. It consists of two, three, or four cams mounted on a common axle or two adjacent axles, so that pulling on the axle fo ...
s) that are needed for clean aid climbing. Where aid climbing is done as part of
big wall climbing Big wall climbing is a form of rock climbing that takes place on long and sheer multi-pitch climbing, multi-pitch climbing routes, routes (of ''at least'' 6–10 pitches or 300–500 metres) that require a full day, if not several days, to ascen ...
– which is normally its most common format – then even more
equipment Equipment most commonly refers to a set of tool A tool is an Physical object, object that can extend an individual's ability to modify features of the surrounding environment or help them accomplish a particular task. Although many Tool use by ...
is required (e.g. including
haul bag Rock-climbing equipment varies with the specific type of climbing that is undertaken. Bouldering needs the least equipment outside of climbing shoes, climbing chalk and optional crash pads. Sport climbing adds ropes, harnesses, belay devic ...
s, hauling pulleys and
trail rope Glossary of climbing terms relates to rock climbing (including aid climbing, lead climbing, bouldering, and competition climbing), mountaineering, and to ice climbing. ebook: The terms used can vary between different English-speaking countries; ...
s;
portaledge A portaledge is a deployable hanging tent system designed for rock climbing, rock climbers who need to spend multiple days and nights on a climbing route suspended from a sheer rock face while big wall climbing. A fully assembled portaledge is a ...
s, and
poop tube Glossary of climbing terms relates to rock climbing (including aid climbing, lead climbing, bouldering, and competition climbing), mountaineering, and to ice climbing. ebook: The terms used can vary between different English-speaking countries; ...
s). A number of unique items of equipment are also used in aid climbing:


Fixed placement equipment

Before the introduction of clean aid climbing, placements were hammered-in by the aid climber as they ascended, with metal
piton A piton (; also called ''pin'' or ''peg'') in big wall climbing and in aid climbing is a metal spike (usually steel) that is driven into a crack or seam in the climbing surface using a Rock climbing hammer, climbing hammer, and which acts as an ...
s hammered into cracks being a common placement (and the various piton types including
Lost Arrow A piton (; also called ''pin'' or ''peg'') in big wall climbing and in aid climbing is a metal spike (usually steel) that is driven into a crack or seam in the climbing surface using a climbing hammer, and which acts as an anchor for protecti ...
s, bongs,
angles Angles most commonly refers to: *Angles (tribe), a Germanic-speaking people that took their name from the Angeln cultural region in Germany *Angle, a geometric figure formed by two rays meeting at a common point Angles may also refer to: Places ...
and
knifeblade A piton (; also called ''pin'' or ''peg'') in big wall climbing and in aid climbing is a metal spike (usually steel) that is driven into a crack or seam in the climbing surface using a climbing hammer, and which acts as an anchor for protecti ...
s), but also including
copperheads Copperhead may refer to: Snakes * ''Agkistrodon contortrix'', or eastern copperhead, a venomous pit viper species found in parts of North America * '' Agkistrodon laticinctus'', or broad-banded copperhead, a pit viper species found in the southe ...
(or heads); aid climbers may also use bolt kits to place fixed bolts where there are no suitable cracks for pitons while ascending.


Aiders and daisy chain systems

The equipment used to ascend via the hammered in placements are dual sets of aiders, which are like ladders made of
webbing file:Webbing.jpg, red, blue and black nylon webbing as used in auto racing harnesses Webbing is a strong Textile, fabric weaving, woven as a flat strip or tube of varying width and fibres, often used in place of rope. It is a versatile componen ...
material, and come in various styles including adjustable strap-aiders, and stirrup-style "etriers". These aiders are attached to the aid climber via a matching dual set of daisy chains (which can be loop-style or adjustable), and the aid climber will use
fifi hook The fifi hook is a small question mark shaped piece of equipment used principally in aid climbing, to quickly connect a climber to gear to take their weight. It can also be useful for free climbing, alpinism, mixed climbing and ice climbing. Typi ...
s to manage the effective length of the daisy chains.


Hooks and hangers

Various types of rock climbing use hooks as temporary placements, but they feature most commonly in aid climbing where on more difficult aid-climbing routes (e.g. grades above A2+), the aid climber is expected to be able to use placements that can only handle their static bodyweight (but may otherwise fail in the case of a dynamic fall); the range of hook types used in aid climbing includes
skyhooks Skyhook was a location technology company based in Boston, Massachusetts, specializing in location positioning. Founded in 2003, Skyhook initially focused on geolocating Wi-Fi access points by wardriving for commercial purposes. Skyhook trans ...
, cam hooks and
rivet hanger Glossary of climbing terms relates to rock climbing (including aid climbing, lead climbing, bouldering, and competition climbing), mountaineering, and to ice climbing. ebook: The terms used can vary between different English-speaking countries; ...
s.


Ascenders and fixed rope jumaring equipment

Aid climbing, and particularly for the belayer following the lead aid climbing, usually employ
fixed rope In climbing and mountaineering, a fixed-rope (or fixed-line) is the practice of installing networks of in-situ anchored Climbing rope#Static rope, static climbing ropes on climbing routes to assist any following climbers (and Porter (carrier), po ...
ascending equipment, with ascenders being the most common devices, to reduce the effort on long big wall aid climbs.


Techniques

Aid climbing, for both "clean" and "traditional", is a very different type of climbing to
traditional climbing Traditional climbing (or trad climbing) is a type of free climbing in rock climbing where the lead climber places removable protection while simultaneously ascending the route; when the lead climber has completed the route, the second climber ...
, relying almost exclusively on mechanical devices for upward momentum. A number of specific techniques are important in aid climbing, which include the following:


Making placements

Aid climbing relies on the climber making placements onto the rock into which they attach aiders and ascend. Traditional aid climbing involved hammering in fixed placements (e.g. pitons, bolts, copperheads), a practice that made traditional aid climbing routes easier over time as later teams could use the placements of earlier teams. On advanced aid routes (i.e. A-grade above A3+), the act of hammering in fixed placements can be enough to shake the climber off the existing tenuous placements, so care and skill are required. Clean aid climbing avoids using any hammers, and thus the placements are effectively those of a traditional climber (although hooks are also used). Aid climbers generally try to make placements as high above their current position as possible to move efficiently.


Using aiders

Once a new placement is made, the aid climber will clip their daisy chain and an aider into the latest placement above their head and then bounce-test it; on passing that test, they then fully step into the aider attached to this new placement while clipping in the rope into the lower placement. Once completed, they release the lower daisy chain and its aider from the lower placement and climb up the new aider. These steps must be done in sequence to avoid a position where the climber comes free of any placement, or becomes temporarily dependent on a weak position.


Bounce testing

Free climbers will only know if their protection placements can carry the weight of a fall if it happens; some will pull on their placements as a simple test, but placing their body weight on the placement would be a form of aid. In contrast, aid climbers continuously "bounce test" their placements by loading their body weight onto them while using the lower placement as a backup in case the new placement fails. Excessive bounce-testing can make the extraction of the placements by the second climber difficult (i.e. the placements become really wedged into the cracks) and can result in longer timelines, damaged rock (where hammers are used to extract the placement), or having to leave placements on the route.


Jumaring on fixed ropes

The second climber in aid climbing usually jumars up on a
fixed rope In climbing and mountaineering, a fixed-rope (or fixed-line) is the practice of installing networks of in-situ anchored Climbing rope#Static rope, static climbing ropes on climbing routes to assist any following climbers (and Porter (carrier), po ...
while taking out any removable placements on the way. Even the leader may also jumar back up the rope after having retrieved lower pieces of equipment that are needed again. This is in contrast to traditional climbing where the second (or belayer) will normally climb the route (albeit on a
top rope Top rope climbing (or top roping) is a form of rock climbing where the climber is securely attached to a climbing rope that runs through a fixed anchor at the top of the climbing route, and back down to the belayer (or "second") at the base of t ...
).


Grading


Issues with aid grading

The grading of aid climbs is regarded as being complex and in a state of flux. Aid grades can change materially over time due to improvements in aid equipment and the impact of repeated ascents that subsequent aid climbing teams make to a route. Climbing author Chris McNamara outlines in his 2011 book ''Yosemite Big Walls'', how the grade of a typical "new A5 route" in Yosemite evolves over time: * A5. First 5 teams to ascend: The new route has very little installed or fixed in-situ equipment (e.g. copperheads, pitons, bolts), and the rock is weak and fragile in places. * A4. Teams 6 to 20 ascend: Half the copperheads are now fixed, pin placements are solid (from repeated hammering), bolts have replaced pulled or broken rock features; some 'chicken bolts' (i.e. excess bolting) are added at cruxes, and fully bolted belay anchors in places. * A3/A4. Teams 21 to 40 ascend: Almost all the copperheads are fixed; all of the weak and loose rock is gone; more belay bolts and "chicken bolts" have been installed. * A3+. Teams +41 ascend: The route now "reaches equilibrium"; all copperheads are in place and the cruxes fixed; piton placements so beat out that they now easily take hammerless gear. While different aid grading systems have been devised to address this (e.g. the "new wave"), in ''Yosemite Big Walls'', McNamara argues: "Although it was originally touted as being more precise, than the previous A1-A5 system, it is now clear the new wave system only brought more confusion to the rating process". In practice, aid-climbing authors use a "composite" of the two systems (original and "new wave"), going from A0 to A6, and focused on the number of "bodyweight placements" (i.e. "tenuous" aid placements that can only hold a static bodyweight) as opposed to "bombproof placements" (belay-like aid placements that can hold a falling body) on a pitch, as a guide to the consequences of any leader fall.


Original A-grades

Original aid climbing grades go from A0 to A5 and focus on the number of "bodyweight placements" as opposed to "bombproof placements" on a given pitch. They are less concerned with the physical demands of an aid route. In Yosemite, the " R" and " X" suffixes of the American YDS free climbing system are added for routes with dangers of falls onto ledges or ramps or the risk of cutting the rope on an edge, such as pitch 13 on ''Reticent Wall'' at A4R. The original aid climbing grades are described by the
American Alpine Club The American Alpine Club (AAC) is a non-profit member organization with more than 26,000 members. The club is housed in the American Mountaineering Center (AMC) in Golden, Colorado. Through its members, the AAC advocates for American climbers d ...
as follows: "In general, older routes, routes with little aid, and those put up by climbers without extensive big-wall experience use the original aid rating system": *A0: "Occasional aid moves are often done without aiders (etriers) or climbed on fixed gear; sometimes called '' French free'". *A1: "All placements are solid and easy". *A2: "Good placements, but sometimes tricky to find". *A3: "Many difficult, insecure placements, but with little risk". *A4: "Many placements in a row that hold nothing more than body weight". *A5: "Enough body-weight placements in a row that one failure results in a fall of at least 20 metres".


New wave A-grades

In the 1990s, Yosemite aid climbers created the "new wave" aid grading system that expanded the range of the original system to A6, introduced an intermediate (+) grade from A2 onwards for specific strenuous sections, and gave detailed definitions for each level. As with the original system, the main focus is still on discerning the number of "bodyweight placements" on a route, and therefore the consequences of a fall. "New wave" grades are described by the American Alpine Club (republished in 2013) as: "Newer routes put-up by big-wall aficionados often are given a "New Wave" aid rating using the same symbols with new definitions": *A1: "Easy aid. No risk of a piece pulling out". *A2: "Moderate aid. Solid gear that's more difficult to place". *A2+: "10-metre fall potential from tenuous placements, but without danger". *A3: "Hard aid. Many tenuous placements in a row, 15-metre fall potential, could require several hours for a single pitch". *A3+: "A3 with dangerous fall potential". *A4: "Serious aid. 30-metre ledge-fall potential from continuously tenuous gear". *A4+:"Even more serious, with even greater fall potential, where each pitch could take many hours to lead". *A5: "Extreme aid. Nothing on the entire pitch can be trusted to hold a fall". *A6: "A5 climbing with belay anchors that won't hold a fall either".


Clean C-grades

When the original or the "new wave" aid climbs can be ascended without the use of a hammer (for pitons or copperheads) the "A" suffix is replaced by a "C" to denote "clean climbing". In Yosemite, an "F" suffix is placed after the "C" if fixed gear (e.g. bolts) is still required.


Milestones

The following are some of the most notable milestones in the development of aid climbing routes:


High altitude and expedition

*1991. Wolfgang Gullich,
Kurt Albert Kurt Albert (January 28, 1954 – September 28, 2010) was a German climber and photographer. He started climbing at the age of 14. Before he committed himself to a career of climbing in 1986, he was a mathematics and physics teacher. Climbing ...
,
Bernd Arnold Bernd Arnold (born 28 February 1947) is a German rock climber and mountaineer. He is known for more than 900 first ascents in the East German Saxon Switzerland climbing region. During the 1970s and 1980s, he established most of the hardest routes ...
, Norbert Bätz, and Peter Dittrich climb ''Riders on the Storm'' on the Cordillera Paine in 21-days with 44-pitches, VI 5.12d A3; considered the "crown jewel" of the Torres del Paine. It was only freed in 2024 at a grade of by Siebe Vanhee, , , and Drew Smith, who said conditions makes it feel like a 5.14. *1992.
John Middendorf John William Middendorf IV (November 18, 1959 – June 21, 2024) was an American big wall climbing, big wall climber, mountaineering writer and designer of climbing equipment. In the 1980s, he climbed the hardest walls of Yosemite National Par ...
and climb ''The Grand Voyage'' on the East Face of Great Trango Tower in 16-days with 33-pitches, VII 5.10 A4+ WI3; at over 1,340 metres in length, ''The Grand Voyage'' is the world's longest 'vertical' rock climbing route, and at a very high altitude.


North America

*1957.
Royal Robbins Royal Robbins (February 3, 1935 – March 14, 2017) was one of the pioneers of American rock climbing. After learning to climb at Tahquitz Rock, Robbins went on to make first ascents of many big wall routes in Yosemite. As an early proponent o ...
, Jerry Gallwas, and Mike Sherrick climb the '' Northwest Face of Half Dome'' in
Yosemite Yosemite National Park ( ) is a national park of the United States in California. It is bordered on the southeast by Sierra National Forest and on the northwest by Stanislaus National Forest. The park is managed by the National Park Service ...
in 5 days with 25-pitches, 5.7 A3, 275 pitons and 20 aid bolts. Birth of modern US big wall climbing; historians split the climbing history of Yosemite into: "before and after Half Dome". *1958.
Warren Harding Warren Gamaliel Harding (November 2, 1865 – August 2, 1923) was the 29th president of the United States, serving from 1921 until his death in 1923. A member of the Republican Party, he was one of the most popular sitting U.S. presidents w ...
George Whitmore and Wayne Merry climb the 3,000-foot '' The Nose'' of El Capitan in 45 days with 31-pitches, 5.8 A3, 600 pitons and 125 aid bolts; climb gets worldwide recognition but is controversial among climbers for its excessive use of aid climbing techniques. *1961.
Royal Robbins Royal Robbins (February 3, 1935 – March 14, 2017) was one of the pioneers of American rock climbing. After learning to climb at Tahquitz Rock, Robbins went on to make first ascents of many big wall routes in Yosemite. As an early proponent o ...
, Chuck Pratt, and
Tom Frost Thomas "Tom" M. Frost (June 30, 1936 – August 24, 2018) was an American rock climbing, rock climber known for big wall climbing first ascents in Yosemite Valley. He was also a photographer and Rock-climbing equipment, climbing equipment manufa ...
, climb the ''
Salathé Wall The ''Salathé Wall'' is one of the original big wall climbing routes up El Capitan, a high granite monolith in Yosemite National Park. The ''Salathé Wall'' was named by Yvon Chouinard in honor of John Salathé, a pioneer of rock climbing in Y ...
'' on El Capitan in 6 days with 35-pitches, 5.9 A4, 484 pitons, and only 13 aid bolts; one of the hardest big wall aid-climbs in the world at the time, and completed without fixed ropes. *1978.
Jim Bridwell Jim Bridwell (July 29, 1944 – February 16, 2018) was an American rock climber and mountaineer, active from 1965 in Yosemite Valley, but later in Patagonia and Alaska. He was noted for pushing the standards of both aid climbing and big wall ...
, Dale Bard and Dave Diegelman climb ''Sea of Dreams'' on El Capitan in 27-pitches, VI 5.9 A4+ (it started at A5), and with minimal bolts and pitons (mostly
RURP A piton (; also called ''pin'' or ''peg'') in big wall climbing and in aid climbing is a metal spike (usually steel) that is driven into a crack or seam in the climbing surface using a climbing hammer, and which acts as an anchor for protecti ...
s); was the hardest big wall aid-climb in the world at the time, with its infamous "Hook or Book" pitch, the first "you fall, you die" pitch on El Capitan and even decades later is still A4+; considered Bridwell's greatest route. *1995. Steve Gerberding, Lori Reddel, and Scott Stowe climb ''Reticent Wall'' on El Capitan in 21-pitches, VI 5.7 A5, considered at the time as one of the hardest aid climbing routes on El Capitan (and the world), and still remains an A5/4+-graded route. *1998. Warren Hollinger and Grant Gardner climb ''Nightmare on California Street'' on El Capitan, with 17-pitches, VI 5.10 A5, often considered El Capitan's hardest aid climb (alongside the controversial 1982 route, ''Wings of Steel''); still remains unrepeated (2023).


In film

A few notable films have been made focused on aid wall climbing including: *''Assault on El Capitan'', a 2013 documentary film of
Ammon McNeely Ammon McNeely (June 3, 1970 – February 18, 2023) was an American rock climber who specialized in big wall climbing and aid climbing, and who set many speed climbing records and made the first "one-day ascent" for many climbing routes on El Capit ...
's 2011 repeat of the controversial 1982 route, ''Wings of Steel'', on
El Capitan El Capitan (; ) is a vertical Rock formations in the United States, rock formation in Yosemite National Park, on the north side of Yosemite Valley, near its western end. The El Capitan Granite, granite monolith is about from base to summit alo ...
. *''The Inner Wall'', a 2018 short documentary film from Reel Rock (Season 4, Episode 2) on Andy Kirkpatrick rope solo aid climbing on
El Capitan El Capitan (; ) is a vertical Rock formations in the United States, rock formation in Yosemite National Park, on the north side of Yosemite Valley, near its western end. The El Capitan Granite, granite monolith is about from base to summit alo ...
.


See also

*
History of rock climbing In the history of rock climbing, the three main sub-disciplines – bouldering, Pitch (climbing), single-pitch climbing, and big wall climbing, big wall (and multi-pitch climbing, multi-pitch) climbing – can trace their origins to late 19th-ce ...
*
List of grade milestones in rock climbing In rock-climbing, a first free ascent (FFA) is the first redpoint (climbing), redpoint, onsight or flash (climbing), flash of a pitch (ascent/descent), single-pitch, multi-pitch climbing, multi-pitch or bouldering, bouldering climbing route that ...


Notes


References


Further reading

* * * * * * *


External links


Big Wall Bible: Aid Climbing Big Walls
by
John Middendorf John William Middendorf IV (November 18, 1959 – June 21, 2024) was an American big wall climbing, big wall climber, mountaineering writer and designer of climbing equipment. In the 1980s, he climbed the hardest walls of Yosemite National Par ...
(1999).
How to Aid Climb: Big Wall Leading
by Neil Chelton of ''VDiff Climbing'' (2023) {{Climbing navbox Types of climbing Types of mountaineering Sports originating in Europe