
In
mountaineering
Mountaineering, mountain climbing, or alpinism is a set of outdoor activities that involves ascending mountains. Mountaineering-related activities include traditional outdoor climbing, skiing, and traversing via ferratas that have become mounta ...
and
climbing
Climbing is the activity of using one's hands, feet, or other parts of the body to ascend a steep topographical object that can range from the world's tallest mountains (e.g. the eight thousanders) to small boulders. Climbing is done for locom ...
, a first ascent (abbreviated to FA in
guide book
A guide book or travel guide is "a book of information about a place designed for the use of visitors or tourists". It will usually include information about sights, accommodation, restaurants, transportation, and activities. Maps of varying det ...
s), is the first successful documented climb to the top of a
mountain
A mountain is an elevated portion of the Earth's crust, generally with steep sides that show significant exposed bedrock. Although definitions vary, a mountain may differ from a plateau in having a limited summit area, and is usually higher t ...
or the top of a particular
climbing route
A climbing route () is a path by which a Climbing, climber reaches the top of a mountain, a rock face or an ice-covered obstacle. The details of a climbing route are recorded in a climbing guidebook and/or in an online climbing-route database. De ...
. Early 20th-century mountaineers and climbers focused on reaching the tops of iconic mountains (e.g. the
eight-thousander
The eight-thousanders are the 14 mountains recognized by the International Mountaineering and Climbing Federation (UIAA) as being more than in height above sea level, and sufficiently independent of neighbouring peaks. There is no precise defin ...
s) and climbing routes (e.g. the
great north faces of the Alps
The six great north faces of the Alps are a group of vertical faces in the Swiss, French, and Italian Alps known in mountaineering for their difficulty, danger, and great height. The "Trilogy" is the three hardest of these north faces, being th ...
) by whatever means possible, often using considerable amounts of
aid climbing
Aid climbing is a form of rock climbing that uses mechanical devices and equipment, such as aiders (or ladders), for upward momentum. Aid climbing is contrasted with free climbing (in both its traditional or sport free climbing formats), whi ...
, and/or with large
expedition style
Expedition climbing (or expedition-style or pejoratively siege climbing), is a type of mountaineering that uses a series of well-stocked camps on the mountain leading to the summit (e.g. Base Camp, Camp 1, Camp 2, etc.), that are supplied by team ...
support teams that laid "siege" to the climb.
As all the key tops were summited, the manner in which each top was reached became important, particularly the ability to complete the ascent without artificial aid, which is called
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 free climbing, the term first free ascent (abbreviated FFA) is used where a mountain or climbing route is ascended without any artificial aid (devices 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 ...
in the event of a fall could be used as long as they did not aid progression). Completing the FFA of a climbing route is often called freeing (or more latterly sending) a route.
As the sport of climbing developed, additional types of ascent became notable and chronicled in guidebooks and journals. In mountaineering, 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 ...
in particular, the first winter ascent is recorded, given the significantly greater difficulty. The first solo ascent is also commonly noted, although the first free solo ascent is a more controversial aspect, given the concerns about advocating such a dangerous form of climbing. With the rise in female participation in climbing, the first female free ascent (or FFFA) has also become notable.
In mountaineering and alpinism

As mountaineering developed in the 20th century, the attainment of a summit by almost any means was replaced by ascents that reflected the style used and the conditions faced. In 2008, the most prestigious annual prize in mountaineering, the
Piolet d'Or
An ice axe is a multi-purpose hiking and climbing tool used by mountaineers in both the ascent and descent of routes that involve snow or ice covered (e.g. ice climbing or mixed climbing) conditions. Its use depends on the terrain: in its sim ...
, amended its focus to small light-weight
alpine-style teams using no form of aid or support, rather than on large expedition-style teams using "siege" techniques.
[
The most notable types of mountaineering first ascents that are chronicled are:
* First ascent. The most notable first ascents started with the ]golden age of alpinism
The golden age of alpinism was the decade in mountaineering between Alfred Wills's ascent of the Wetterhorn in 1854 and Edward Whymper's ascent of the Matterhorn in 1865, during which many major peaks in the Alps saw their first ascents.
Promi ...
when the main alpine peaks were summited (and often using aid climbing
Aid climbing is a form of rock climbing that uses mechanical devices and equipment, such as aiders (or ladders), for upward momentum. Aid climbing is contrasted with free climbing (in both its traditional or sport free climbing formats), whi ...
). In the 1930s, the focus moved to the first ascents of the great north faces of the Alps
The six great north faces of the Alps are a group of vertical faces in the Swiss, French, and Italian Alps known in mountaineering for their difficulty, danger, and great height. The "Trilogy" is the three hardest of these north faces, being th ...
, and the Eiger
The Eiger () is a mountain of the Bernese Alps, overlooking Grindelwald and Lauterbrunnen in the Bernese Oberland of Switzerland, just north of the main watershed and border with Valais. It is the easternmost peak of a ridge crest that extends ...
in particular. The 1950s saw the first ascents of most of the fourteen eight-thousander
The eight-thousanders are the 14 mountains recognized by the International Mountaineering and Climbing Federation (UIAA) as being more than in height above sea level, and sufficiently independent of neighbouring peaks. There is no precise defin ...
s, and Everest
Mount Everest (), known locally as Sagarmatha in Nepal and Qomolangma in Tibet, is Earth's highest mountain above sea level. It lies in the Mahalangur Himal sub-range of the Himalayas and marks part of the China–Nepal border at its ...
in particular. By the 1980s, the rock spires of Trango Towers in the Karakorum
Karakorum (Khalkha Mongolian: Хархорум, ''Kharkhorum''; Mongolian script:, ''Qaraqorum'') was the capital city, capital of the Mongol Empire between 1235 and 1260 and of the Northern Yuan, Northern Yuan dynasty in the late 14th and 1 ...
, and Torres del Paine
The Cordillera Paine is a mountain group in Torres del Paine National Park in Chilean Patagonia. The cordillera is located north of Punta Arenas, and about south of the Chilean capital Santiago. It belongs to the Commune of Torres del Paine ...
in Patagonia
Patagonia () is a geographical region that includes parts of Argentina and Chile at the southern end of South America. The region includes the southern section of the Andes mountain chain with lakes, fjords, temperate rainforests, and glaciers ...
also had first ascents.
* First winter ascent. The winter climbing season is between December 21 and March 20. The first winter ascents of the great north faces of the Alps
The six great north faces of the Alps are a group of vertical faces in the Swiss, French, and Italian Alps known in mountaineering for their difficulty, danger, and great height. The "Trilogy" is the three hardest of these north faces, being th ...
were a coveted prize, particularly the "Trilogy" of the three hardest, the Eiger, the Matterhorn
The , ; ; ; or ; ; . is a mountain of the Alps, straddling the Main chain of the Alps, main watershed and border between Italy and Switzerland. It is a large, near-symmetric pyramidal peak in the extended Monte Rosa area of the Pennine Alps, ...
, and the Grandes Jorasses
The Grandes Jorasses (; 4,208 m; 13,806 ft) is a mountain in the Mont Blanc massif, on the boundary between Haute-Savoie in France and Aosta Valley in Italy.
The first ascent of the highest peak of the mountain (''Pointe Walker'') was by H ...
. The most notable first winter ascents were the Himalayan and Karakoram eight-thousander
The eight-thousanders are the 14 mountains recognized by the International Mountaineering and Climbing Federation (UIAA) as being more than in height above sea level, and sufficiently independent of neighbouring peaks. There is no precise defin ...
s,[ where the hardest, K2, was only summited in winter in 2021 (66 years after its first ascent) and considered a "holy grail" of mountaineering prizes.
* First alpine-style (or unsupported) ascent. In 2008, the charter of the prestigious Piolet d'Or prize was amended to focus on small teams with no support making fast, but riskier, ascents on routes that had previously been done by expeditions (called ]alpine style
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 climbing route, routes (e.g. multi-pitch climbing, ...
). Multiple Piolet d'Or winners, whose ascents embodied this style, included Marko Prezelj
Marko Prezelj (born 13 October 1965) is a Slovenian mountaineer and photographer.
Prezelj received four Piolet d'Or awards. He won the inaugural "Oscar of mountaineering" in 1992 with Andrej Štremfelj for their new route on the south ridge of ...
, Mick Fowler
Michael Fowler (born 1956) is a British rock climber, ice climber, mountaineer and climbing author. He is internationally noted for his alpine climbing and was awarded the Piolet d'Or three times, with Paul Ramsden (climber), Paul Ramsden, in 2 ...
, and Ueli Steck
Ueli Steck (; 4 October 1976 – 30 April 2017) was a Swiss rock climber and alpinist. He was the first to climb Annapurna solo via its South Face (though this is disputed by some), and set speed records on the North Face trilogy in the Alps. ...
.[ The charter was amended to de-incentivize excessive risk-taking after several winners died (e.g. David Lama, and Hansjörg Auer).]
* First solo ascent. The most dangerous form of alpine-style ascent is the solo climbing ascent, performed by a single climber. The first solo ascents of the alpine north faces, including the first solo winter ascents, were coveted (the winter solo "Trilogy" was completed by Ivano Ghirardini in 1977–78); one of the most famous practitioners was the Italian Walter Bonatti
Walter Bonatti (; 22 June 1930 – 13 September 2011) was an Italian people, Italian mountaineer, alpinist, explorer and journalist. He was noted for many climbing achievements, including a Solo climbing, solo climb of a new alpine climbing route ...
.[ Himalayan solo ascents are also coveted, although problems around verification are more frequent due to the more remote nature of the routes, with notable disputes such as ]Tomo Česen
Tomislav "Tomo" Česen (born 5 November 1959) is a Slovenian mountaineer who specializes in solo climbing ascents in the Alps and the Himalayas.
In 1986, aged 26, he reported that he had enchained the three Great north faces of the Alps, becomin ...
's first solo ascent of the south face of Lhotse
Lhotse ( ; ; ) is the List of highest mountains#List, fourth-highest mountain on Earth, after Mount Everest, K2, and Kangchenjunga. At an elevation of above sea level, the main summit is on the border between Tibet Autonomous Region of Chin ...
.[
]
In rock climbing
In rock climbing, the manner in which the first free ascent was achieved became important to chronicle by climbing journals and magazines. The key differentiators were the style on which the route was free climbed (e.g. 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 ...
, 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 ...
, or free solo climbing
Free solo climbing, or free soloing, is a form of rock climbing where the climber (or ''free soloist'') climbs Solo climbing, solo (or alone) without Climbing rope, ropes or other Rock climbing equipment#Protection devices, protective equipmen ...
), whether the free climb was done on the first attempt (e.g. onsighted), and whether the climber had prior information (e.g. beta
Beta (, ; uppercase , lowercase , or cursive ; or ) is the second letter of the Greek alphabet. In the system of Greek numerals, it has a value of 2. In Ancient Greek, beta represented the voiced bilabial plosive . In Modern Greek, it represe ...
) on that first attempt.[
The most notable types of rock climbing first ascents that are chronicled are:
* First free ascent (traditional climbing only). Pre-1980s, the FFAs were by traditional climbing techniques. A distinction was recorded if a climber practiced the moves on a top rope, called " headpointing", although with the post-1980s dominance of " redpointing" as the definition of an FFA, such a distinction was dropped.][ FFAs that set new grade milestones are notable, for both ]male
Male (Planet symbols, symbol: ♂) is the sex of an organism that produces the gamete (sex cell) known as sperm, which fuses with the larger female gamete, or Egg cell, ovum, in the process of fertilisation. A male organism cannot sexual repro ...
and female
An organism's sex is female ( symbol: ♀) if it produces the ovum (egg cell), the type of gamete (sex cell) that fuses with the male gamete (sperm cell) during sexual reproduction.
A female has larger gametes than a male. Females and ...
climbers.
:* First greenpoint ascent (traditional climbing only). In the 2010s, traditional climbers used greenpointing (as a counterpoint to a "redpoint"), to describe climbing a pre-bolted sport climbing route, but only using "traditional protection" (i.e. protection that is not permanently fixed via pre-placed bolts or pitons). Sonnie Trotter
Sonnie Trotter (born 15 November 1979) is a Canadian professional climber, known for his strength in many rock climbing disciplines – particularly traditional climbing – and contributing to hundreds of first free ascents around the world.
C ...
's greenpoint of ''The Path'' (5.14a R, 2007), is a notable example.
* First redpoint ascent (sport climbing only). In the 1980s, climbers wanted to ascend routes that had no opportunities for traditional climbing protection, and they had to be pre-bolted with protection (but not aid), which was called sport climbing. Sport climbing has since set all new grade milestones in rock climbing. The " redpoint" became the accepted definition for what determined a "first free ascent" in sport climbing.
* First repeat ascent (traditional or sport climbing). The grading of a route can be complicated as the person making the FFA had no prior information or beta
Beta (, ; uppercase , lowercase , or cursive ; or ) is the second letter of the Greek alphabet. In the system of Greek numerals, it has a value of 2. In Ancient Greek, beta represented the voiced bilabial plosive . In Modern Greek, it represe ...
. The first repeat is therefore chronicled for confirmation of a grade, particularly when a new grade milestone is proposed. For the highest grades, the first repeat can take years (e.g. '' Action Directe'' or '' Jumbo Love''), or even decades (e.g. ').
* First onsight ascent (traditional or sport climbing). An FFA that was onsighted, means it was done at the very first attempt, and without prior information (or beta).[ Climbing journals chronicle the progression of grade milestones of onsights both ]male
Male (Planet symbols, symbol: ♂) is the sex of an organism that produces the gamete (sex cell) known as sperm, which fuses with the larger female gamete, or Egg cell, ovum, in the process of fertilisation. A male organism cannot sexual repro ...
and female
An organism's sex is female ( symbol: ♀) if it produces the ovum (egg cell), the type of gamete (sex cell) that fuses with the male gamete (sperm cell) during sexual reproduction.
A female has larger gametes than a male. Females and ...
climbers.[
:* First flash ascent (traditional or sport climbing). An FFA that was ]flash
Flash, flashes, or FLASH may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media
Fictional aliases
* The Flash, several DC Comics superheroes with super speed:
** Flash (Jay Garrick)
** Barry Allen
** Wally West, the first Kid Flash and third adult Flash ...
ed, means it was done at the first attempt, but with prior information (or beta).[ Climbing journals chronicle the progression of grade milestones for flashed routes by ]male
Male (Planet symbols, symbol: ♂) is the sex of an organism that produces the gamete (sex cell) known as sperm, which fuses with the larger female gamete, or Egg cell, ovum, in the process of fertilisation. A male organism cannot sexual repro ...
and female
An organism's sex is female ( symbol: ♀) if it produces the ovum (egg cell), the type of gamete (sex cell) that fuses with the male gamete (sperm cell) during sexual reproduction.
A female has larger gametes than a male. Females and ...
climbers.[ With the availability of route beta online (e.g. videos of prior ascents), the distinction between onsight and flash ascents has diminished.
* First free solo ascent (independent of traditional or sport climbing). ]Free solo
Free solo climbing, or free soloing, is a form of rock climbing where the climber (or ''free soloist'') climbs Solo climbing, solo (or alone) without Climbing rope, ropes or other Rock climbing equipment#Protection devices, protective equipmen ...
ing is practiced by a smaller community of climbers and is a controversial area given the risks undertaken and whether such risks should be recorded and thus implicitly endorsed.[ Free solo climbing grade milestones are chronicled,][ the most notable being '']Free Solo
Free solo climbing, or free soloing, is a form of rock climbing where the climber (or ''free soloist'') climbs Solo climbing, solo (or alone) without Climbing rope, ropes or other Rock climbing equipment#Protection devices, protective equipmen ...
'', the Oscar-winning film of Alex Honnold
Alex Honnold (born August 17, 1985) is an American rock climber best known for his Free solo climbing, free solo ascents of Big wall climbing, big walls. Honnold rose to worldwide fame in June 2017 when he became the first person to free solo a f ...
's first free solo ascent of ''Freerider'' 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 ...
.
Gender
* First female free ascent (abbreviated FFFA). Important female climbers emerged in the 1980s including Lynn Hill and Catherine Destivelle
Catherine Destivelle (born 24 July 1960) is a French rock climbing, rock climber and Mountaineering, mountaineer who is considered one of the greatest and most important female climbers in the history of rock climbing, history of the sport. She c ...
and climbing journals began to chronicle milestones in female first free ascents.[ In some cases, an FFFA is also an FFA, the most famous example being Lynn Hill's 1993 FFA/FFFA of the 3,000-foot '']Nose
A nose is a sensory organ and respiratory structure in vertebrates. It consists of a nasal cavity inside the head, and an external nose on the face. The external nose houses the nostrils, or nares, a pair of tubes providing airflow through the ...
'' 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 ...
( 5.14a/b), considered the biggest prize in 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 ...
, announced by Hill to the world's climbing media by: "It goes, boys". By the 2000s, Josune Bereziartu, Angela Eiter, and Ashima Shiraishi
Ashima Shiraishi (白石阿島, ''Shiraishi Ashima'', born April 3, 2001) is an American rock climbing, rock climber. Shiraishi started climbing at the age of six at Rat Rock (Central Park), Rat Rock in Central Park, joining her father. Only a fe ...
closed the gap to the highest sport climbing grades achieved by men to within one/two notches,[ while ]Beth Rodden
Beth Rodden (born April 5, 1980) is an American rock climber known for her ascents of hard single-pitch traditional climbing routes. She was the youngest woman to climb and is one of the only women in the world to have redpointed a traditiona ...
had fully closed the gap for traditional climbing.
Notable disputes
There have been notable disputes over claims of a first ascent (or first free ascent), for various reasons (disputes over the style employed, issues with verifiability, accusations of bad faith and fraud), and the most notable are where a new grade milestone and/or major advancement in difficulty is being proposed:
Mountaineering
* First ascent of Everest: Arguably the most famous case of an unverified first ascent is whether George Mallory
George Herbert Leigh-Mallory (18 June 1886 – 8 or 9 June 1924) was an English Mountaineering, mountaineer who participated in the first three British Mount Everest expeditions from the early to mid-1920s. He and climbing partner An ...
and/or Andrew Irvine reached the summit of Everest on the 1924 Everest expedition. Subsequent Everest expeditions have not been able to answer the question including the 1999 Mallory and Irvine Research Expedition, and the 2007 Altitude Everest expedition.
* First ascent of 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 ...
: In 1959, Cesare Maestri claimed he and summited, but that Egger who had the camera, was swept to his death by an avalanche on the descent. Lionel Terry called it "the greatest climbing feat of all time".[ Inconsistencies in Maestri's account, and the lack of equipment on the route, led most to doubt his claim.] Maestri further inflamed the controversy by returning in 1970 and drilling 400 bolts onto his new ''Compressor Route'', to claim the second ascent.[ In 2012, yet more controversy followed when American climbers Hayden Kennedy and Jason Kruk, removed Maestri's bolts, enabling David Lama and Peter Ortner to make the FFA, for which all four won a 2013 ]Piolet d'Or
An ice axe is a multi-purpose hiking and climbing tool used by mountaineers in both the ascent and descent of routes that involve snow or ice covered (e.g. ice climbing or mixed climbing) conditions. Its use depends on the terrain: in its sim ...
.[
]
Rock climbing
* In 1995, French climber Fred Rouhling
Fred Rouhling (born 24 January 1970) is a French rock climber and boulderer, noted for creating and repeating some of the earliest grade sport climbing routes in the world, including ''Hugh'' in 1993, the first-ever French sport route. Rouhlin ...
created a major controversy when he proposed ' as the world's first-ever route, when the highest grade at the time, '' Action Directe'', was only at .[ Rouhling faced an unprecedented level of personal vilification from parts of the climbing community on whether he had actually climbed the route, as all other attempts had failed.] In 2020, Sébastien Bouin
Sébastien Bouin (born 7 April 1993) is a French rock climber born in Draguignan. By 2022, Bouin is regarded as one of the strongest sport climbers in the world, being only the second-ever climber to establish a route graded , with ' in 2022, ...
made the first repeat of ''Akira'' and estimated its grade at , a grade Rouhling has climbed on other routes, and thus his FFA became accepted.
* In 2003, Spanish climber Bernabé Fernández proposed ' as the world's first-ever route, when the highest grade at the time, '' Realization'', was at . As with Fred Rouhling on ''Akira'', his claim provoked a significant backlash from parts of the climbing community and even accusations that he never completed an FFA (the person who belayed him could not be identified to help verification).[ The route was repeated in 2011 by Adam Ondra who downgraded it,] and further repeats reduced its grade to circa .
See also
* List of first ascents in the Alps
**First ascent of the Matterhorn
The first ascent of the Matterhorn was a mountaineering expedition of the Matterhorn made by Edward Whymper, Lord Francis Douglas, Charles Hudson (climber), Charles Hudson, Douglas Robert Hadow, Douglas Hadow, Michel Croz, and two Zermatt guides ...
* List of first ascents of mountain summits
* List of first ascents of eight-thousander mountains
*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
Peter Mortimer's film ''First Ascent'' on Didier Berthod's failed first free ascent of ''Cobra Crack''
, '' Alpinist'' (Issue 17, 2006)
{{Authority control
Climbing terminology
Mountaineering