Royal Robbins (February 3, 1935[1] – March 14, 2017)[2] was one of the pioneers of American
rock climbing. After learning to climb at
Tahquitz Rock, he went on to make first ascents of many
big wall routes in
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.
1969 Tis-sa-ack, Half Dome, Yosemite, CA. With Don Peterson.[3]
1970 Arcturus, Half Dome, Yosemite, CA. With Dick Dorworth.[3]
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).
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
psoriatic arthritis, which prevented serious climbing. He took up adventure
kayaking instead, completing first descents of challenging rivers from high mountain elevations. His early kayaking partners included
Doug Tompkins and
Reg Lake. In 1980, the three descended the
San Joaquin River Gorge from
Devil's Postpile to the Mammoth Pool Reservoir, 5000 feet lower and 32 miles away. In 1981, they carried their kayaks over Mount Whitney Pass at 13,777 foot elevation, into
Sequoia National Park and descended 55 miles down the
Kern Trench. In 1982, joined by Neusom Holmes, they descended the Middle Fork of the
Kings River in
Kings Canyon National Park, the largest and steepest of these three High Sierra descents. In 1983, Robbins descended the
Tuolumne River in
Yosemite National Park from
Tuolumne Meadows to
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]
Robbins, Royal (2009). To Be Brave – My Life, Volume One. Ojai, CA: Pink Moment Press.
ISBN978-0982500019.
Robbins, Royal (2010). Fail Falling – My Life, Volume Two. Pink Moment Press. p. 188.
ISBN978-0982500026.
Robbins, Royal (2012). The Golden Years – My Life, Volume Three. Royal Robbins Adventures, distributed by Giraffe Public Relations. p. 158.
ISBN978-0615661926.