John Sherman (climber)

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John Sherman (born 1959), nicknamed Verm (short for "Vermin") is an American rock climber and a pioneer in the promotion and development of the climbing discipline of bouldering. [1] He is also a climbing writer and outdoor photographer, and the originator of the V-grade system (after his nickname), [1] for grading the technical difficulty of boulder problems, which has since become one of the dominant grading systems worldwide. [2] [3]

Contents

Climbing career

Sherman started climbing at age 15 at Indian Rocks. [4] [5] He came to prominence as one of the developers of the important Hueco Tanks bouldering area in Texas, where he made over 400 first free ascents in the 1980s and early 1990s. [1] As well as being an early adopter of bouldering as a sport, through his books and writings, Sherman played an important role in the promotion and development of the sport around the world. [1] Sherman was the author of the notable 1991 bouldering guidebook, Hueco Tanks Climbing and Bouldering Guide, [6] which launched the important V-grade rating system. [7] [3] [8] In 1992, Sherman and Bruce Pottenger designed the first commercially available bouldering pad with the "nylon sleeve, carrying straps, dual-density replaceable foam" that would become the standard design in bouldering, which they sold as the "Kinnaloa Sketchpad". [9]

Sherman was a highly visible 'enigmatic' and 'colorful' character in the climbing world throughout the 1980s and 1990s. In 2000, when reviewing Sherman's book, Sherman Exposed: Slightly Censored Climbing Stories, for the American Alpine Journal , climbing writer David Stevenson said: "If you’re of the opinion that Sherman is a raving lunatic, he’d probably be the last to argue with you. In fact, you’d do well to remember that he’s the one who very self-consciously gave you that impression in the first place. Don’t let the hyperbolic style fool you—this is one very smart guy", and also: "In Sherman we see the embodiment of both Royal Robbins and Warren Harding, a pair whose individual values are generally understood to be mutually exclusive. But Sherman somehow takes Harding’s semper farcimas and combines it with Robins pure, ground-up ethic. I suppose one of the tricks to reading Sherman is to know when he’s joking and when he’s serious: the answer is usually both a and b." [10]

In 1988, Sherman appeared in the spring catalog for mountaineering retailer Patagonia in a photograph where he is shown drinking a bottle of Coopers Best Extra stout beer while free solo climbing–in his sandals–the sport climbing route Lord of the Rings 8b  (5.13d), in the Mount Arapiles, Australia; the image became popular amongst climbers, and Patagonia reproduced it in subsequent catalogs and also made it into a standalone poster. [11] [12]

Personal life

Shemnan grew up in Berkley, California and earned a degree in geology at University of Colorado Boulder. [13] For many years, he pursued a mostly seasonal career working as a 'wellsite geologist' for oil exploration companies, which he attributed to giving him the financial freedom to indulge his passion for continuous travel. [13]

Published works

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bouldering</span> Form of rock climbing

Bouldering is a form of free climbing that is performed on small rock formations or artificial rock walls without the use of ropes or harnesses. While bouldering can be done without any equipment, most climbers use climbing shoes to help secure footholds, chalk to keep their hands dry and to provide a firmer grip, and bouldering mats to prevent injuries from falls. Unlike free solo climbing, which is also performed without ropes, bouldering problems are usually less than six metres (20 ft) tall. Traverses, which are a form of boulder problem, require the climber to climb horizontally from one end to another. Artificial climbing walls allow boulderers to climb indoors in areas without natural boulders. In addition, bouldering competitions take place in both indoor and outdoor settings.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Climbing</span> Activity to ascend a steep object

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 to small boulders. Climbing is done for locomotion, sporting recreation, for competition, and is also done in trades that rely on ascension, such as rescue and military operations. Climbing is done indoors and outdoors, on natural surfaces, and on artificial surfaces

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Grade (climbing)</span> Degree of difficulty of a climbing route

Many climbing routes have a grade that reflects the technical difficulty—and in some cases the risks and commitment level—of the route. The first ascensionist can suggest a grade, but it will be amended to reflect the consensus view of subsequent ascents. While many countries with a strong tradition of climbing developed grading systems, a small number of grading systems have become internationally dominant for each type of climbing, which has contributed to the standardization of grades worldwide. Over the years, grades have consistently risen in all forms of climbing, helped by improvements in climbing technique and equipment.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Climbing route</span> Path to scale a mountain, rock, or ice wall

A climbing route is a path by which a climber reaches the top of a mountain, or rock/ice-covered obstacle. The details of a climbing route are recorded in a climbing guidebook and/or in an online climbing route database, and will include elements such as the type of climbing route, the difficulty grade of the route–and beta on its crux(es)–and any risk or commitment grade, the length and number of pitches of the route, and the climbing equipment needed to complete the route.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Glossary of climbing terms</span> For rock climbing and mountaineering

Glossary of climbing terms relates to rock climbing, mountaineering, and to ice climbing.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bouldering mat</span> Thick foam pad used for protection when bouldering

A bouldering mat or crashpad is a nylon-enclosed multi-layer foam pad used for protection when bouldering. Bouldering mats help prevent climbers from injuring themselves from the continuous and repeated falls onto hard or uneven surfaces that are associated with projecting a bouldering problem.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sport climbing</span> Type of rock climbing

Sport climbing is a type of free climbing in rock climbing where the lead climber clips into pre-drilled permanent bolts for their protection while ascending a route. Sport climbing differs from the riskier traditional climbing where the lead climber has to insert temporary protection equipment while ascending.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Climbing guidebook</span> Database of climbing routes

Climbing guidebooks are used by mountaineers, alpinists, ice climbers, and rock climbers to locate, grade, and navigate climbing routes on mountains, climbing crags, or bouldering areas. Modern route guidebooks include detailed information on each climbing route, including topo diagrams, route beta, protection requirements, and the ethics and style that are in place for a given climbing area.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rock climbing</span> Type of sport

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hueco Tanks</span> United States historic place

Hueco Tanks is an area of low mountains and historic site in El Paso County, Texas, in the United States. It is located in a high-altitude desert basin between the Franklin Mountains to the west and the Hueco Mountains to the east. Hueco is a Spanish word meaning hollows and refers to the many water-holding depressions in the boulders and rock faces throughout the region. Due to the unique concentration of historic artifacts, plants and wildlife, the site is under protection of Texas law; it is a crime to remove, alter, or destroy them.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Gill (climber)</span> American mathematician (born 1937)

John Gill is an American mathematician who has achieved recognition for his rock-climbing. He is widely considered to be the father of American bouldering.

Paul David Robinson is an American professional rock climber who specializes in bouldering. He has established and repeated several bouldering problems at the V15 difficulty rating, in such areas as Hueco Tanks, the Buttermilks, and Magic Wood. In 2007, Robinson became the second climber in history to successfully climb a V13 boulder problem in one attempt.

Darlene Thomasina Pidgeon is a Canadian rock climber known for being one of the world's strongest female boulderers in the early 2000s and 2010s, was for a time the strongest female Canadian boulderer, and was the first Canadian female to climb the grades of V10, V11, and V12. She is often featured in Gripped Magazine and contributes to The Collective. She has also been featured in several international magazines and websites and her image has been used in advertising, magazine galleries, and magazine covers.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Midnight Lightning (climb)</span> Bouldering route in Yosemite, US

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References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Vance, Erik (22 April 2022). "A Beginner's Guide to Bouldering". New York Times . Retrieved 25 May 2024.
  2. ↑ Potts, Mary Anne (12 September 2011). "Climbing "the Strike" in the Black Hills Needles with Legendary John "Verm" Sherman". National Geographic . Retrieved 25 May 2024.
  3. 1 2 3 Samet, Matt (24 March 2022). "10 Things You Didn't Know About Bouldering Grades". Climbing . Retrieved 1 September 2023.
  4. ↑ Leuven, Chris (2 July 2012). "Wild Thing". Elevation Outdoors. Retrieved 25 May 2024.
  5. ↑ Markovich, Ally (7 December 2023). "How Berkeley's famous boulders took rock climbing to new heights". Berkeleyside . Retrieved 25 May 2024.
  6. 1 2 3 "10 Most Influential North American Climbing Titles". Gripped Magazine. 30 May 2011. Retrieved 25 May 2024.
  7. 1 2 Laeser, Luke (27 January 2006). "The Source – How Hueco and a guidebook gave birth to modern bouldering". Climbing . Retrieved 5 May 2024.
  8. 1 2 Cote, Matt (12 May 2022). "12 Great Moments in Bouldering History: Plotting the sport's first ascents and groundbreaking advances". Outside . Retrieved 25 May 2024.
  9. ↑ Osius, Alison (4 January 2022). "Two Layers of Carpet and Some Foam: the First Crashpad Design Changed Bouldering Forever". Climbing . Retrieved 25 May 2024.
  10. 1 2 Stevenson, David (2000). "Sherman Exposed: Slightly Censored Climbing Stories". American Alpine Journal . 42 (74): 414-415.
  11. ↑ Johnson, Jeff (16 July 2013). "Viva Los Fun Hogs – A #Funhogging Origin Story". Patagonia Inc. Retrieved 16 June 2024.
  12. ↑ Sievert, Jane; Ridgeway, Jennifer (2010). Unexpected: 30 Years of Patagonia Catalog Photography. Patagonia Books. ISBN   978-0979065965.
  13. 1 2 Leuven, Chris (2 July 2012). "Wild Thing II". Elevation Outdoors. Retrieved 25 May 2024.
  14. ↑ Burns, Cameron M. (1995). "Stone Crusade: A Historical Guide to Bouldering in America". American Alpine Journal . 69 (37): 358. A classic that establishes the historical richness of bouldering's neglected evolution and should make this activity mainstream
  15. ↑ Pendelton, Tim (16 January 2008). "Sherman Exposed: Slightly Censored Climbing Stories". Climbing . Retrieved 25 May 2024.
  16. ↑ Potts, Mary Anne (17 January 2012). "Video: John "Verm" Sherman's Tips From the Updated Better Bouldering Book". National Geographic . Retrieved 25 May 2024.

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