Royal Robbins

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Royal Robbins
Royal Robbins in the early 1960s.
Born(1935-02-03)February 3, 1935
DiedMarch 14, 2017(2017-03-14) (aged 82)
Occupation(s)rock climber, author, CEO
Known forBig wall climbing, clean climbing
SpouseLiz Robbins
Royal Robbins in the 1990s

Royal Robbins (February 3, 1935

Yosemite. As an early proponent of boltless, pitonless clean climbing, he, along with Yvon Chouinard, was instrumental in changing the climbing culture of the late 1960s and early 1970s by encouraging the use and preservation of the natural features of the rock. He went on to become a well-known kayaker
.

Notable ascents

Dawn Wall

In 1971, Robbins completed the second ascent, with Don Lauria, of the Dawn Wall on El Capitan, with the (controversial) intention of erasing the route as they climbed it.

Their ascent closely followed the 1970 first ascent by Warren Harding and Dean Caldwell, completed with protective bolts – a method that offended Robbins and other clean climbing advocates. Harding had left all his bolts in the rock; Robbins and Lauria used the bolts to repeat the climb; and Robbins then chopped the heads off the bolts behind them. After two pitches, Robbins stopped chopping the bolts because (according to Lauria) "the quality of the aid climbing was much higher than he had ever expected of Harding or Caldwell and, of course, it was also taking us an awful long time to chop all those goddam bolts."[11]

Royal Robbins Clothing

Following his success as a climber, Robbins founded an eponymous outdoor apparel company with his wife Liz Robbins.[12][13] Royal Robbins, LLC[14] Royal Robbins LLC is a San Francisco based clothing company specializing in outdoor and travel focused attire. In 2018 the company was bought by the Swedish company Fenix Outdoor International AG, which also owns brands Fjällräven, Tierra and Hanwag as well as the European outdoor retailers Globetrotter, Naturkompaniet, Friluftsland and Partioaitta. Liz Robbins rejoined the company in December 2015 as a senior advisor.[15]

Other climbing achievements

  • 1960 The Nose, El Capitan, Yosemite, CA. Second ascent.
  • 1963 West Face, Leaning Tower, Yosemite, CA. Second ascent and Yosemite's first wall done solo (Grade V).
  • 1968 Muir Wall, El Capitan, Yosemite, CA. First Grade VI solo (and therefore the first solo of El Capitan).

Climbing philosophy in Advanced Rockcraft

Advanced Rockcraft
ISBN
0910856567
Preceded byBasic Rockcraft 

Robbins authored two seminal books, Basic Rockcraft and Advanced Rockcraft,[16] which emphasized free climbing skills and a clean-climbing ethic. In a section of Advanced Rockcraft called Values, he described his climbing philosophy. He believes that "a first ascent is a creation in the same sense as is a painting or a song", and that choosing a climbing line may well be "an act of brilliant creativity".[16] Another creative aspect of a first ascent involves the aids that the leader of the climb rejects. With modern technology of aid climbing available, a first ascent is more artistic if it consciously rejects the use of certain climbing aids that are not essential to the success of the climb. He places emphasis on using equipment which is non-destructive to the mountain environment. He opposes climbs done outside the accepted mores of a given climbing center, or the prevailing style of an area. He favors what he calls "upward variations", or completing a climb using more stringent standards than used on the first ascent. In Robbins' view, the decision to place a single piton is a matter of "enormous importance" because "like a single word in a poem, it can affect the entire composition".[16]

Kayaking

In 1978, Robbins developed

Hetch Hetchy Reservoir
. He was accompanied by Reg Lake, Chuck Stanley, Lars Holbek, John Armstrong and Richard Montgomery.

He then developed an interest in descending smaller mountain creeks by kayak during their flood stage following heavy rains. His first such project in May, 1984 was the descent of Sespe Creek, which runs through the Los Padres National Forest. He was accompanied by Yvon Chouinard, Reg Lake, John Wasserman and Jackson Frischman. Robbins called this type of trip "flash boating", and later used the technique on the Fresno River, the Chowchilla River and the middle fork of the Mokelumne River.[17]

Publications

Biographies

Gallery

  • Royal Robbins leading the third pitch of the Salathé Wall on El Capitan in Yosemite Valley.
    Royal Robbins leading the third pitch of the
    Salathé Wall
    on El Capitan in Yosemite Valley.
  • Royal Robbins on first ascent of Salathé Wall, El Capitan.
    Royal Robbins on first ascent of Salathé Wall, El Capitan.
  • Frost, Robbins, Pratt and Chouinard at the completion of the first ascent of the North America Wall on El Capitan.
    Frost, Robbins, Pratt and Chouinard at the completion of the first ascent of the North America Wall on El Capitan.

References

  1. Modesto Bee
    . Retrieved March 15, 2017.
  2. ^ .
  3. .
  4. .
  5. ISSN 0065-6925. Archived from the original
    (PDF) on December 19, 2008. Retrieved June 29, 2018.
  6. ^ "AAC Publications - North America, United States, California, Yosemite Valley, el Capitan, the Dihedral Wall".
  7. ^ a b "Jasper National Park – Edith Cavell, North Face, Chouinard, Becky, Doody". Cascade Climbers. CascadeClimbers.com. April 9, 2009. Archived from the original on July 8, 2011.
  8. .
  9. ^ Embick, Andy (1979). "Climbs and Expeditions – Cathedral Spires". American Alpine Journal. 22 (53). New York: The American Alpine Club: 169.
  10. .
  11. .
  12. .
  13. ^ "Royal Robbins, Travel and Outdoor Clothing for Men and Women". Royalrobbins.com. Retrieved 2017-03-15.
  14. ^ "Royal Robbins® Taps Co-Founder Liz Robbins as Advisor". Goeverywhere.royalrobbins.com. 2015-12-15. Archived from the original on 2016-04-19. Retrieved 2017-03-15.
  15. ^
  16. .

External links