Peter Croft (born May 18, 1958) is a

Canadian Canadians () are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of their being ''C ...

rock climber and

mountaineer 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 sports ...

. He has concentrated much of his rock climbing career on big routes in

Yosemite National Park Yosemite National Park ( ) is a List of national parks of the United States, 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 p ...

, Squamish, British Columbia as well as the High Sierra. He received The American Alpine Club’s Robert & Miriam Underhill Award in 1991. Croft listed ''The Evolution Traverse'' ( YDS class 5.9 grade VI) which links Mount Mendel, Mount Darwin, Mount Haeckel, Mount Fiske, Mount Warlow and Mount Huxley as one of his favorite climbs in ''Fifty Favorite Climbs: The Ultimate North American Tick List''. Royal Robbins, a leading climber of the previous generation, wrote about Croft and his climbing achievements in 2000: "Peter has been my hero for many years, ever since he came blazing out of nowhere with his stunning free solo ascent of Astroman on Washington Column in Yosemite. Tom Frost and I had made the second ascent of this route, mostly with direct aid in the early sixties. That one could climb this route without resorting to direct aid was impressive. To do it without a rope was astonishing. But such was Peter's level of mastery. That it was mastery, and not mere daring was proven by a string of free solos of similar stature, executed to perfection."

Early life

Croft was born in

Nanaimo Nanaimo ( ) is a city of about 100,000 on the east coast of Vancouver Island, in British Columbia, Canada. "The Harbour City" was previously known as the "Hub City", which was attributed to its original layout design with streets radiating fr ...

British Columbia British Columbia is the westernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Situated in the Pacific Northwest between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains, the province has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that ...

on May 18, 1958. He grew up in Departure Bay, British Columbia where he was introduced to climbing. Speaking with Peter in the early 2000s at Joshua Tree, he was asked what got him into free solo climbing. Peter said he was so drawn to climbing that at the end of the day when his other buddies were done and into campfire activities, he needed more. With no partner it evolved into free solo climbing.

Career highlights

Peter Croft in Eldorado Canyon in the 1990s

Croft has completed a large number of first ascents including a number of free solo ascents.Peter Croft - The North Face
(retrieved September 1st, 2009) *First ascent of Blowhard, 5.12+, on The Incredible Hulk, High Sierra, 2005 *First ascent of Samurai Warrior, 5.12a, High Sierra, 2005 *First ascent of Venturi Effect 5.12+, on The Incredible Hulk, High Sierra, 2004 *First ascent of Airstream 5.13, on The Incredible Hulk, High Sierra, 2004 *First ascent of the Evolution Traverse, High Sierra, 2000 *First ascent of Sponsar Brakk via 8,000-ft. rock route 5.11, Pakistan, 1998 *First solo and one-day

Minaret A minaret is a type of tower typically built into or adjacent to mosques. Minarets are generally used to project the Muslim call to prayer (''adhan'') from a muezzin, but they also served as landmarks and symbols of Islam's presence. They can h ...

Traverse, the Sierras, 1992 *First one-day link-up of the Nose and Salathé Wall 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 ...

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 ...

, 1992 *First free ascent of Moonlight Buttress 5.12d/13a, 1991 *First free ascent of the Shadow 5.13, onsight of crux pitch, 1988 *First free solo link-up of Astroman and the Rostrum, 1987 *First free solo of Astroman 5.11, 1987 *First free ascent o
The Monument 5.12d
1987 (onsight) *First one-day link-up of the Nose of

and Half Dome,

, 1986 *First traverse of the Waddington Range, 1985 *First free solo of the Rostrum 5.11,

, 1985 *First free ascent of University Wall 5.12, Squamish, 1982

Books authored by Croft

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References

External links

TheNorthFace.com – Peter Croft Biography
(retrieved April 14, 2010)
Interview with Peter Croft
by Chris Kalous, ''Enormocast'' podcast from 23 May 2015 {{DEFAULTSORT:Croft, Peter 1958 births Living people American rock climbers American mountain climbers Canadian rock climbers Free soloists Trad climbers People from Bishop, California Sportspeople from Nanaimo