Tim Emmett

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Tim Emmett (born 1973–74), [1] is a British-born adventure climber and climbing author, who practices to a high level in a diverse range of climbing disciplines, being ice-climbing, rock climbing, deep-water soloing (of which he is considered a pioneer) and alpine climbing. Emmett has established the hardest waterfall ice-climbs in the world, and was the first to climb grades of W10 and above. [1]

Contents

Early life

Tim Emmett was born in Taunton in Somerset in England, and went to school at Richard Huish College, where he got his A-levels in Biology, Chemistry and Mathematics. [2] While at Huish, Emmett started climbing on a school trip at the age of 15 to a local crag called Chudleigh Rocks. [3] In 1993, he went on to study Marine Zoology at Bangor University, North Wales, where he became a prominent climber, featuring on the magazine cover of On The Edge while still at university. [3]

Career

Deep-water soloing

Emmett is regarded as a pioneer of deep-water soloing (DWS), [4] and in 2003, a short film on DWS called Psicobloc by American brothers Josh and Brett Lowell chronicled Emmett and Klem Loskot's 2001 development of DWS routes in Cova Del Diablo in Mallorca, Spain, which inspired US rock climber Chris Sharma to get involved in DWS. [5] In 2019, adventure filmmaker Jon Glassberg, created another DWS short film called Deep Water featured on Emmett and US rock-climber Kyra Condie developing DWS routes in Ha Long Bay in Vietnam. [6]

Ice climbing

Emmett's notable ice-climbs include the first ever waterfall ice climb at grade W10 (Spray On, in 2010 with Will Gadd, at Helmcken Falls), at grade W11 (Wolverine, in 2011 with Klemen Premrl, at Helmcken Falls), at grade W12 (Interstellar Spice, in 2016 with Klemen Premrl, at Helmcken Falls), and at grade W13 (Misson to Mars, in 2020 with Klemen Premrl, at Helmcken Falls). [7] [8] From 2002 to 2007, Emmett made the podium 4 times in tour events of the World Ice Climbing Championships. [9] In 2015, Emmett was the Red Bull "White Cliffs Champion". [10]

Rock climbing

Emmett's rock climbs include some of the highest-grade traditional routes with notable ascents including the 2017 repeat of Sonnie Trotter's Superman in Squamish (5.14c, F8c+), [11] and the 2016 repeat of Trotter's The Path in Lake Louise (5.14R, F8b+). [12] In 2010, Emmett established Muy Caliente!, and early contender for the first traditional grade of E10 in Pembroke in Wales. [13]

Alpine climbing

For high altitude alpine climbing, Emmett was nominated for a 2006 Piolet D'or for climbing a new route on the south east pillar of Kedar Dome 6,831 metres (22,411 ft) in the Garhwal Himalaya with Ian Parnell 2006. [14] [3] In 2019, Emmett and his team had to abandon an expedition to Mount Everest due to the avalanche risk on the route they were planning. [3]

Para-alpinism

With para-alpinism, two adventure sports are merged, BASE jumping, and big wall climbing. After ascending a large wall on vertical rock, Emmett put a parachute on to descend down. Only a handful of people do this type of climbing, and Emmett retired from it at the age of 40 due to its high risk of fatality. [9] [1] Emmett has also done wingsuit flying. [1]

Media

Emmett has appeared in more than 50 magazines that of which include Outside Magazine , Sports Illustrated , Gripped, Grip, Desnivel, GQ and others. Emmett has been the subject of several short films on climbing, including Psiobloc (2003), [5] Dosage II (2004), [15] Dosage III (2005), [15] Welsh Connections (2009), [16] Mountain (2017), [17] and Deep Water (2019). [4] [6]

Emmett has made several appearances on the BBC as a presenter and guest, including: Ultimate Rock Climb with Julia Bradbury (2007), [18] The Great Climb with British climber Dave MacLeod (2010), [19] and Top Gear (episode 2, season 7) with Jeremy Clarkson racing up a mountain with Leo Houlding (2005). [20] Emmett has worked with Steve Backshall on his children's show.

In 2005, Emmett wrote a book with fellow British-climber Neil Gresham called Preposterous Tales, about their climbing exploits around the world. [21]

He has presented the Duke Of Edinburgh Award three times at St. James's Palace.

Personal

Emmett moved to Canada and is married and living in Squamish. [1]

See also

Related Research Articles

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

In rock climbing, mountaineering, and other climbing disciplines, climbers give a grade to a climbing route or boulder problem, intended to describe concisely the difficulty and danger of climbing it. Different types of climbing each have their own grading systems, and many nationalities developed their own, distinctive grading systems.

<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">Ice climbing</span> Type of climbing with ice tools

Ice climbing is a climbing discipline which involves ascending routes that consist only of frozen water. To ascend the route, the ice climber uses specialist equipment, particularly double ice axes and rigid crampons. To protect the route, the ice climber uses steel ice screws that require skill to employ safely and rely on the ice holding firm in any fall. Ice climbing routes can vary significantly by type, and include seasonally frozen waterfalls, high permanently frozen alpine couloirs, and large hanging icicles.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dry-tooling</span> Form of mixed climbing on bare rock

Dry-tooling is a form of mixed climbing that is performed on bare, ice-free, and snow-free, surfaces. As with mixed climbing, the climber uses ice axes and crampons to ascend the route, but uses only rock climbing equipment for protection; many modern dry-tooling routes are now fully bolted like sport climbing routes. Many indoor ice climbing competitions are held on non-ice surfaces and are effectively dry-tooling events.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Solo climbing</span> Style of climbing performed alone

Solo climbing, or soloing, is a style of climbing in which the climber climbs alone, without the assistance of a belayer. By its very nature, it presents a higher degree of risk to the climber, and in some cases, is considered extremely high risk. Note that the use of the term "solo climbing" is generally separate from the action of bouldering, which is itself a form of solo climbing, but with less serious consequences in the case of a fall.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chris Sharma</span> American rock climber

Chris Omprakash Sharma is an American rock climber who is considered one of the greatest and most influential climbers in the history of the sport. He dominated sport climbing for the decade after his 2001 ascent of Realization/Biographie, the world's first-ever redpoint of a consensus 9a+ (5.15a) graded route, and ushered in what was called a "technical evolution" in the sport. Sharma carried the mantle of "world's strongest sport climber" from Wolfgang Gullich, and passed it to Adam Ondra.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Realization (climb)</span> Rock climb in France

Realization, also called Biographie, is a circa 35-metre (115 ft) sport climbing route on a limestone cliff on the southern face of Céüse mountain, near Gap and Sigoyer, in France. After it was first climbed in 2001 by American climber Chris Sharma, it became the first rock climb in the world to have a consensus grade of 9a+ (5.15a). It is considered an historic and important route in rock climbing, and one of the most attempted climbs at its grade.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Black Rocks (Derbyshire)</span> Rock climbing area in England

Black Rocks, is a small outcrop of ashover gritstone, between Cromford and Wirksworth in Derbyshire, the Peak District, England. It is an important crag in the history of British rock climbing, and has some of the most extreme climbing routes in Britain, including Gaia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Redpoint (climbing)</span> Type of free climbing

In rock climbing, redpointing means to free-climb a route from the ground to the top while lead climbing, after having practiced the route or after having failed first attempt. Climbers will try to redpoint a route after having failed to onsight it, or flash it. The first successful redpoint of a route, in the absence of any prior onsight or flash, is recorded as the first free ascent (FFA) of that route.

Steve McClure is a British rock climber and climbing author, who is widely regarded as Britain's leading and most important sport climber for a period that extends for over two decades, starting from the late 1990s. In 2017, he created Rainman, Britain's first-ever 9b (5.15b) sport route, and by that stage was responsible for developing the majority of routes graded 9a (5.14d) and above in Britain. Although mainly known for sport climbing, McClure has also been one of the most successful British traditional climbers, and British onsight climbers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Free solo climbing</span> Form of climbing without protection

Free solo climbing, or free soloing, is a form of rock climbing where the climbers climb solo without ropes, or other protective equipment, only using their climbing shoes and their climbing chalk. Free soloing is the most dangerous form of climbing, and unlike bouldering, free soloists climb above safe heights, where a fall can be fatal. Though many climbers have free soloed climbing grades they are very comfortable on, only a tiny group free solo regularly, and at grades closer to the limit of their abilities.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Deep-water soloing</span> Free solo rock-climbing over water

Deep-water soloing (DWS), also known as psicobloc, is a form of free solo climbing where any fall should result in the climber entering deep water below the route. DWS is therefore considered safer than normal free solo climbing, however, DWS brings a number of unique additional risks including trauma from uncontrolled high-speed water entry, injury from hitting hazards above and below the water while falling, and drowning in rough or tidal seas, and is thus considered riskier than normal bouldering.

Lisa Rands is an American rock climber. She is known for her bouldering for which in 2002, she became the first American female to win IFSC World Cup bouldering competitions, and topped the IFSC world boulder rankings in 2002. Rands was the first American female to climb boulders of grade V11 (8A), and V12 (8A+), and was the second-ever female in history to climb a 7C+/8A boulder. As well as making first female ascents (FFAs) of boulders such as The Mandala V12 (8A+), Rands was the first female in history to do an E8-graded traditional climbing route, The End of the Affair.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Helmcken Falls</span> Waterfall in British Columbia, Canada

Helmcken Falls is a 141 m (463 ft) waterfall on the Murtle River within Wells Gray Provincial Park in British Columbia, Canada. The protection of Helmcken Falls was one of the reasons for the creation of Wells Gray Provincial Park in 1939.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dave MacLeod</span> Scottish rock climber

Dave MacLeod is a Scottish rock climber, ice climber, mixed climber, and climbing author. MacLeod is best known for being the first climber in the world to climb in free solo style an 8b+ (5.14a) route, and for climbing one of the hardest traditional climbing routes in the world.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ailladie</span> Limestone sea cliff in the Burren, Ireland

Ailladie, is an 800-metre-long (2,600 ft) west-facing limestone sea cliff, that varies in height from 8 metres (26 ft) to 35 metres (115 ft), situated on the coast of The Burren in County Clare, Ireland. Ailladie is one of Ireland's most highly regarded rock-climbing locations, particularly for high technical grade single pitch traditional climbing routes and deep-water soloing routes. It is also a location for shore-angling competitions, and, with its cliffs and view of the Aran Islands, is a popular photography stop for tourists.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">La Rambla (climb)</span> Rock climbing route, Spain

La Rambla is a 41-metre (135 ft) sport climb at the limestone El Pati crag in Siurana, Catalonia in Spain. Originally bolted and climbed by Alexander Huber in 1994 as a 35-metre (115 ft) route, the bolting was later extended by Dani Andrada to a 41-metre (135 ft) route, which was eventually climbed by Ramón Julián Puigblanque in 2003. While there has been debate about La Rambla's grade, there is now consensus that it meets the 9a+ (5.15a) threshold. It is an important and historic route in climbing, and is part of the coveted "9a+ trilogy" with Realization and Papichulo.

Sonnie Trotter, is a Canadian professional climber, known for his strength in many rock climbing disciplines, contributing to hundreds of first ascents around the world.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mixed climbing</span> Ice climbing on ice and rock surfaces

Mixed climbing is a climbing discipline used on routes that do have not enough ice to be pure ice climbs, but are also not dry enough to be pure rock climbs. To ascend the route, the mixed climber uses ice climbing tools, but to protect the route, they use traditional or sport rock climbing tools. Mixed-climbing can vary from routes with deep layers of ice and some exposed rock sections to routes that have no deep layers of ice, but where the rock is still covered in ice and/or snow.

Jonathan Siegrist is an American rock climber who is regarded as one of the world's most prolific extreme sport climbers, and who has redpointed, and made numerous first free ascents, of a large number of sport climbing routes at and above the grade of 9a (5.14d). Siegrist's breadth of experience at the world's most extreme sport climbing grades, means that he is often looked to for guidance regarding the grading of extreme sport routes in America. While principally known as a sport climber, he has also repeated some of the world's hardest traditional climbing routes.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 Sterling, Sarah. "Tim Emmett: life as an adventurous 42-year-old dad". British Mountaineering Council . Retrieved 21 December 2021.
  2. ↑ "TV extreme sport star Tim Emmett to perform at The Brewhouse". Somerset County Gazette . 9 October 2012. Retrieved 21 December 2021.
  3. 1 2 3 4 "Mountain Hardwear and Tim Emmett's Smart Decisions on Everest". Gripped.com. 8 October 2019. Retrieved 21 December 2021.
  4. 1 2 "Watch the Best Deep Water Soloing Film of 2020". Gripped.com. 5 December 2020. Retrieved 21 December 2021.
  5. 1 2 "A History of Mallorca Deep Water Soloing". British Mountaineering Council . 8 March 2011. Retrieved 21 December 2021.
  6. 1 2 "Deep Water: Psicobloc in Vietnam with Kyra Condie and Tim Emmett". Outside . 14 August 2020. Retrieved 21 December 2021.
  7. ↑ Levy, Michael (19 February 2020). ""Mission to Mars" Is Tim Emmett and Klem Premrl's New WI 13 (What?!) at Helmcken Falls". Rock&Ice. Retrieved 21 December 2021.
  8. ↑ Gray, Will (9 December 2021). "These are the 10 hardest climbs in the world". RedBull. Retrieved 21 December 2021.
  9. 1 2 Laeser, Luke (1 November 2007). "20 Questions with Tim Emmett". Outside . Retrieved 21 December 2021.
  10. ↑ "Red Bull White Cliffs 2015: The Results". RedBull.com. 5 December 2015. Retrieved 21 December 2021.
  11. ↑ "Tim Emmett Sends Superman 5.14c on West Coast". Gripped.com. 25 May 2017. Retrieved 21 December 2021.
  12. ↑ "Tim Emmett and Read Macadam Send The Path 5.14R in Rockies". Gripped.com. 21 July 2016. Retrieved 21 December 2021.
  13. ↑ Wilson, Simon (10 June 2010). "Tim Emmett - Pembroke E10 - Full Story (Video)". UKClimbing.com. Retrieved 21 December 2021.
  14. ↑ Griffin, Lindsay (7 November 2006). "EMMETT AND PARNELL CLIMB MAJOR GANGOTRI ROCK ROUTE". Alpinist . Retrieved 21 December 2021.
  15. 1 2 Ryan, Michael (31 January 2006). "Review: Dosage 3 by Big Up Productions". UKClimbing.com. Retrieved 22 December 2021.
  16. ↑ Brown, Dave (9 November 2009). "Welsh Connections – Trailer". Outside . Retrieved 22 December 2021.
  17. ↑ "Mountain". MNTNFILM Database. 2017. Retrieved 22 December 2021.
  18. ↑ "The Julia Bradbury Collection ticklist". UKClimbing.com. 2007. Retrieved 21 December 2021.
  19. ↑ "Dave MacLeod reveals Great Climb fears". BBC News . 3 December 2010. Retrieved 21 December 2021.
  20. ↑ "Top Gear: Jeremy Clarkson vs. Leo Houlding". Outside . 2005. Retrieved 21 December 2021.
  21. ↑ Gresham, Neil; Emmett, Tim (15 October 2005). Preposterous Tales: The International Climbing Escapades of Neil Gresham, Tim Emmett and Friends. Cordee. ISBN   978-1904207375.
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