Tom Frost
Encyclopedia
Tom Frost is a rock climber
from California
, best known for big wall climbing
first ascent
s in Yosemite Valley
. He is also a photographer and climbing equipment
manufacturer.
in 1958 and was a member of the Stanford Alpine Club.
Frost began making first ascents in Yosemite in 1958. In 1960, he made the second ascent of The Nose
on El Capitan
in Yosemite Valley, a route pioneered by Warren Harding in 1958. He climbed with Royal Robbins
, Chuck Pratt
and Joe Fitschen.
In 1961, Frost and Yvon Chouinard
visited the Grand Tetons, and made the first ascent of the northeast face of Disappointment Peak
, YDS
IV, 5.9, A3.
On September 12, 1961, Frost, along with Robbins, began the first ascent of the Salathé Wall
on El Capitan, named for pioneer Yosemite climber John Salathé
. The pair spent two days establishing the first 600 feet of the route, and then retreated to the valley floor, where they met up with Chuck Pratt, with whom they spent several more days pushing the route to 1,000 feet above the valley floor. Once again, the climbers descended and resupplied. On September 19, they resumed the climb, and after days of intense vertical aid climbing they reached the Roof, a 15-foot overhang. Using pitons, Frost led this key section of the climb, and on September 24, the trio reached the summit. It had taken them a total of 11 days and 36 pitches of vertical climbing to finish the route, which is rated YDS VI, 5.10, A3.
In 1963, he visited the Himalaya with Edmund Hillary
, making the first ascent of Kangtega
, and helping with the construction of a school and a hospital for the Sherpas.
From October 22–31, 1964, with Robbins, Pratt and Chouinard, Frost made the first ascent of the North America Wall on El Capitan, YDS VI, 5.8, A5. Robbins described this climb in the 1965 American Alpine Journal: "The nine-day first ascent of the North America Wall in 1964 not only was the first one-push first ascent of an El Capitan climb, but a major breakthrough in other ways. We learned that our minds and bodies never stopped adjusting to the situation. We were able to live and work and sleep in comparative comfort in a vertical environment."
Of this climb, Chris Jones wrote, "For the first time in the history of the sport, Americans lead the world."
In 1968, Frost visited the Cirque of the Unclimbables
in the Northwest Territories
of Canada. From August 10 to August 13, along with Jim McCarthy and Sandy Bill, he made the first ascent of the vertical southeast face of the 2,200-foot granite pillar named the Lotus Flower Tower
, YDS V, 5.8, A2. This has been called "one of the most aesthetically beautiful rock faces in the world".
In 1970, he participated in the Annapurna
South Face expedition, reaching 25,000 feet.
In 1979, he reached the summit of Ama Dablam
on a filming expedition.
In 1986, he returned to Kangtega and climbed a new route with Jeff Lowe.
From 1997 to 2001, he returned to Yosemite big wall climbing with his son Ryan, repeating the Nose, the North America Wall and finally, the Salathé Wall on the 40th anniversary of his first ascent.
Several of Frost's photos were published in Royal Robbins' book Advanced Rockcraft in 1973. Frost is also an ice climber, and contributed dozens of photographs to Yvon Chouinard's book Climbing Ice. Nine of his photographs appeared in the book Fifty Classic Climbs of North America
. Many of his photos appeared in Pat Ament's
Royal Robbins: Spirit of the Age.
In 1979, he co-founded Chimera Photographic Lighting with Gary Regester. The company, based in Boulder
, CO, manufactures lighting products for photography and filming.
, Austria in September, 2002. He opposes what he believes to be excessive use of bolts by sport climbers
, especially the altering of traditional climbing routes previously completed without such aids. He criticizes such practices as the result of a desire by some climbers for "instant gratification with little or no accountability." He opposes five attitudes as the culprits of modern climbing: "selfishness - entitlement - lack of self management - mis-education - and disrespect."
Frost played a critical role in the fight to save Camp 4
in Yosemite Valley, starting in 1997. He filed a lawsuit against the National Park Service to save the historic rockclimber's campsite, and convinced the American Alpine Club
to support the suit. The effort was successful and Camp 4 was listed on the National Register of Historic Places
.
In 2002, Royal Robbins offered the following description of Frost: "Tom is the kindest and gentlest and most generous person I have ever met, with never an ill word to say of anyone. He is also a man of courage and leadership, as witness his recent vanguard role in the effort to save Camp 4 in Yosemite. And he continues to possess the true spirit of climbing. Just a couple of years ago, at age 60, with his son, he climbed three big El Capitan routes, one of them the North American Wall."
or RURP, a tiny device that allowed them to finish the most difficult aid climb then completed in North America. This led to a lengthy partnership between Frost and Chouinard in climbing equipment companies such as the Great Pacific Iron Works and Chouinard, Ltd. Frost has described his profession as "piton engineer".
In the late 1960s, Frost and Chouinard turned their attention to ice climbing
and its specialized equipment. They developed an alpine hammer with a drooping pick. Although Austrian climbers had improvised rigid crampons decades before by welding a bar across the hinge of conventional crampons, such devices were not commercially available until 1967. That year, Chouinard and Frost began marketing adjustable rigid crampons
made of chrome-molybdenum steel
.
Frost and Chouinard invented the climbing protection device called the Hexentric. They applied for a U. S. patent in 1974 and it was granted on April 6, 1976. These are still manufactured by Black Diamond Equipment, which is a successor to earlier companies owned by Frost and Chouinard.
Since 1997, Frost has owned a business manufacturing rock climbing equipment called FROSTWORKS.
Rock climbing
Rock climbing also lightly called 'The Gravity Game', is a sport in which participants climb up, down or across natural rock formations or artificial rock walls. The goal is to reach the summit of a formation or the endpoint of a pre-defined route without falling...
from California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, best known for big wall climbing
Big wall climbing
Big wall climbing is a type of rock climbing in which a long multi-pitch route, so sustained that an ascent normally requires more than a single day, is climbed. Big wall routes require the climbing team to live on the route often using portaledges and hauling equipment...
first ascent
First ascent
In climbing, a first ascent is the first successful, documented attainment of the top of a mountain, or the first to follow a particular climbing route...
s in Yosemite Valley
Yosemite Valley
Yosemite Valley is a glacial valley in Yosemite National Park in the western Sierra Nevada mountains of California, carved out by the Merced River. The valley is about long and up to a mile deep, surrounded by high granite summits such as Half Dome and El Capitan, and densely forested with pines...
. He is also a photographer and climbing equipment
Climbing equipment
A wide range of equipment is used during rock climbing. The most popular types of climbing equipment are briefly described in this article. The article on protecting a climb describes equipment commonly used to protect a climber against the consequences of a fall....
manufacturer.
Rock climbing and mountaineering
Frost graduated in engineering from Stanford UniversityStanford University
The Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University or Stanford, is a private research university on an campus located near Palo Alto, California. It is situated in the northwestern Santa Clara Valley on the San Francisco Peninsula, approximately northwest of San...
in 1958 and was a member of the Stanford Alpine Club.
Frost began making first ascents in Yosemite in 1958. In 1960, he made the second ascent of The Nose
The Nose (El Capitan)
The Nose is one of the original technical climbing routes up El Capitan. Once considered impossible to climb, El Capitan is now the standard for big-wall climbing...
on El Capitan
El Capitan
El Capitan is a vertical rock formation in Yosemite National Park, located on the north side of Yosemite Valley, near its western end. The granite monolith extends about from base to summit along its tallest face, and is one of the world's favorite challenges for rock climbers.The formation was...
in Yosemite Valley, a route pioneered by Warren Harding in 1958. He climbed with Royal Robbins
Royal Robbins
Royal Robbins is one of the pioneers of American rock climbing. After learning to climb at Tahquitz he went on to make first ascents of many big wall routes in Yosemite...
, Chuck Pratt
Chuck Pratt
Charles Marshall Pratt was an American rock climber from California, best known for big wall climbing first ascents in Yosemite Valley...
and Joe Fitschen.
In 1961, Frost and Yvon Chouinard
Yvon Chouinard
Yvon Chouinard is a rock climber, environmentalist and outdoor industry businessman, noted for his contributions to climbing, climbing equipment and the outdoor gear business. His second company, Patagonia is known for its environmental focus...
visited the Grand Tetons, and made the first ascent of the northeast face of Disappointment Peak
Disappointment Peak (Wyoming)
Disappointment Peak is located in the Teton Range of Wyoming. It is in Grand Teton National Park and immediately southeast of Grand Teton. The peak is part of what is collectively known as the Cathedral Group, a region of the Tetons noted for particularly rugged mountains. Disappointment Peak...
, YDS
YDS
YDS may refer to:*Yale Divinity School*Yards *Yosemite Decimal System*Young Democratic Socialists, a youth organization in the United States*Trường Đại học Y Dược Thành phố Hồ Chí Minh, Trường Đại học Y Dược Thành phố Hồ Chí Minh...
IV, 5.9, A3.
Salathé Wall (El Capitan)
The Salathé Wall is one of the original technical climbing routes up El Capitan, a high granite monolith in Yosemite National Park. The Salathé Wall was named by Yvon Chouinard in honor of John Salathé, a pioneer of rock climbing in Yosemite...
on El Capitan, named for pioneer Yosemite climber John Salathé
John Salathe
John Salathé was a pioneering rock climber, blacksmith and the inventor of the modern piton....
. The pair spent two days establishing the first 600 feet of the route, and then retreated to the valley floor, where they met up with Chuck Pratt, with whom they spent several more days pushing the route to 1,000 feet above the valley floor. Once again, the climbers descended and resupplied. On September 19, they resumed the climb, and after days of intense vertical aid climbing they reached the Roof, a 15-foot overhang. Using pitons, Frost led this key section of the climb, and on September 24, the trio reached the summit. It had taken them a total of 11 days and 36 pitches of vertical climbing to finish the route, which is rated YDS VI, 5.10, A3.
In 1963, he visited the Himalaya with Edmund Hillary
Edmund Hillary
Sir Edmund Percival Hillary, KG, ONZ, KBE , was a New Zealand mountaineer, explorer and philanthropist. On 29 May 1953 at the age of 33, he and Sherpa mountaineer Tenzing Norgay became the first climbers known to have reached the summit of Mount Everest – see Timeline of climbing Mount Everest...
, making the first ascent of Kangtega
Kangtega
Kangtega, known also as The Snow Saddle, is a major mountain peak of the Himalayas in Nepal. Its summit rises . It was first ascended in the year 1964.-Notable ascents and attempts:...
, and helping with the construction of a school and a hospital for the Sherpas.
From October 22–31, 1964, with Robbins, Pratt and Chouinard, Frost made the first ascent of the North America Wall on El Capitan, YDS VI, 5.8, A5. Robbins described this climb in the 1965 American Alpine Journal: "The nine-day first ascent of the North America Wall in 1964 not only was the first one-push first ascent of an El Capitan climb, but a major breakthrough in other ways. We learned that our minds and bodies never stopped adjusting to the situation. We were able to live and work and sleep in comparative comfort in a vertical environment."
Of this climb, Chris Jones wrote, "For the first time in the history of the sport, Americans lead the world."
In 1968, Frost visited the Cirque of the Unclimbables
Cirque of the Unclimbables
Cirque of the Unclimbables, located inside the Nahanni National Park Reserve, in the Northwest Territories, Canada, approximately west of Yellowknife, is a cluster of peaks and walls in the Mackenzie Mountains Natural Region.-Description:...
in the Northwest Territories
Northwest Territories
The Northwest Territories is a federal territory of Canada.Located in northern Canada, the territory borders Canada's two other territories, Yukon to the west and Nunavut to the east, and three provinces: British Columbia to the southwest, and Alberta and Saskatchewan to the south...
of Canada. From August 10 to August 13, along with Jim McCarthy and Sandy Bill, he made the first ascent of the vertical southeast face of the 2,200-foot granite pillar named the Lotus Flower Tower
Lotus Flower Tower
The Lotus Flower Tower is a peak in the Cirque of the Unclimbables, Northwest Territories, Canada. It is located on the ridge one km southwest of Mount Sir James MacBrien, and though it is not prominent in relation to surrounding peaks, it is noted for its sheer rock walls which are home to classic...
, YDS V, 5.8, A2. This has been called "one of the most aesthetically beautiful rock faces in the world".
In 1970, he participated in the Annapurna
Annapurna
Annapurna is a section of the Himalayas in north-central Nepal that includes Annapurna I, thirteen additional peaks over and 16 more over ....
South Face expedition, reaching 25,000 feet.
In 1979, he reached the summit of Ama Dablam
Ama Dablam
Ama Dablam is a mountain in the Himalaya range of eastern Nepal. The main peak is , the lower western peak is . Ama Dablam means "Mother's necklace"; the long ridges on each side like the arms of a mother protecting her child, and the hanging glacier thought of as the dablam, the traditional...
on a filming expedition.
In 1986, he returned to Kangtega and climbed a new route with Jeff Lowe.
From 1997 to 2001, he returned to Yosemite big wall climbing with his son Ryan, repeating the Nose, the North America Wall and finally, the Salathé Wall on the 40th anniversary of his first ascent.
Notable first ascents
- 1961 Salathé Wall, El CapitanEl CapitanEl Capitan is a vertical rock formation in Yosemite National Park, located on the north side of Yosemite Valley, near its western end. The granite monolith extends about from base to summit along its tallest face, and is one of the world's favorite challenges for rock climbers.The formation was...
, Yosemite, CA, USA. Hardest big wall grade VI climb in world at time of first ascent. With Royal RobbinsRoyal RobbinsRoyal Robbins is one of the pioneers of American rock climbing. After learning to climb at Tahquitz he went on to make first ascents of many big wall routes in Yosemite...
and Chuck PrattChuck PrattCharles Marshall Pratt was an American rock climber from California, best known for big wall climbing first ascents in Yosemite Valley...
. - 1962 Northeast Face, Disappointment Peak, Teton RangeTeton RangeThe Teton Range is a mountain range of the Rocky Mountains in North America. A north-south range, it is on the Wyoming side of the state's border with Idaho, just south of Yellowstone National Park. Most of the range is in Grand Teton National Park....
, WY. (IV 5.9 A3) FA with Yvon ChouinardYvon ChouinardYvon Chouinard is a rock climber, environmentalist and outdoor industry businessman, noted for his contributions to climbing, climbing equipment and the outdoor gear business. His second company, Patagonia is known for its environmental focus...
. - 1964 North American Wall, El CapitanEl CapitanEl Capitan is a vertical rock formation in Yosemite National Park, located on the north side of Yosemite Valley, near its western end. The granite monolith extends about from base to summit along its tallest face, and is one of the world's favorite challenges for rock climbers.The formation was...
, Yosemite ValleyYosemite ValleyYosemite Valley is a glacial valley in Yosemite National Park in the western Sierra Nevada mountains of California, carved out by the Merced River. The valley is about long and up to a mile deep, surrounded by high granite summits such as Half Dome and El Capitan, and densely forested with pines...
- (VI 5.8 A5 3000') - First Ascent with Royal RobbinsRoyal RobbinsRoyal Robbins is one of the pioneers of American rock climbing. After learning to climb at Tahquitz he went on to make first ascents of many big wall routes in Yosemite...
, Yvon ChouinardYvon ChouinardYvon Chouinard is a rock climber, environmentalist and outdoor industry businessman, noted for his contributions to climbing, climbing equipment and the outdoor gear business. His second company, Patagonia is known for its environmental focus...
and Chuck Pratt.
Photography
Frost photographed many of his first ascents. Glen Denny is himself a mountaineering photographer and author of the book Yosemite in the Sixties. Denny wrote of Frost's photographic achievements: "Most of the climbing photos you see now are prearranged setups for the camera on much-traveled routes. The impressive thing about Frost is that his classic images were seen, and photographed, during major first ascents. In those awesome situations he led, cleaned, hauled, day after day and--somehow--used his camera with the acuity of a Cartier-Bresson strolling about a piazza. Extremes of heat and cold, storm and high altitude, fear and exhaustion . . . it didn't matter. He didn't seem to feel the pressure."Several of Frost's photos were published in Royal Robbins' book Advanced Rockcraft in 1973. Frost is also an ice climber, and contributed dozens of photographs to Yvon Chouinard's book Climbing Ice. Nine of his photographs appeared in the book Fifty Classic Climbs of North America
Fifty Classic Climbs of North America
Fifty Classic Climbs Of North America is a climbing guidebook and history written by Steve Roper and Allen Steck. It is considered a definitive piece of climbing literature, known to many climbers as simply "The Book", and has served as an inspiration for more recent climbing books, such as Mark...
. Many of his photos appeared in Pat Ament's
Pat Ament
Pat Ament is an American rock climber, musician, and artist who lives in Fruita, Colorado. Noted for first ascents in the 1960s and 1970s, he is the author of many articles and books....
Royal Robbins: Spirit of the Age.
In 1979, he co-founded Chimera Photographic Lighting with Gary Regester. The company, based in Boulder
Boulder, Colorado
Boulder is the county seat and most populous city of Boulder County and the 11th most populous city in the U.S. state of Colorado. Boulder is located at the base of the foothills of the Rocky Mountains at an elevation of...
, CO, manufactures lighting products for photography and filming.
Climbing philosophy and activism
Frost is a longtime advocate of environmental ethics in climbing, using natural protection whenever possible, guided by respect for tradition and a desire to "leave no trace." He articulated his climbing philosophy in an address to an international congress called "The Future of Mountain Sports", held in InnsbruckInnsbruck
- Main sights :- Buildings :*Golden Roof*Kaiserliche Hofburg *Hofkirche with the cenotaph of Maximilian I, Holy Roman Emperor*Altes Landhaus...
, Austria in September, 2002. He opposes what he believes to be excessive use of bolts by sport climbers
Sport climbing
Sport climbing is a form of rock climbing that relies on permanent anchors fixed to the rock, and possibly bolts, for protection,...
, especially the altering of traditional climbing routes previously completed without such aids. He criticizes such practices as the result of a desire by some climbers for "instant gratification with little or no accountability." He opposes five attitudes as the culprits of modern climbing: "selfishness - entitlement - lack of self management - mis-education - and disrespect."
Frost played a critical role in the fight to save Camp 4
Camp 4 (Yosemite)
Camp 4 is a campground in Yosemite National Park. It became notable after World War II as the hangout for rock climbers with many spending months there . It is located near Yosemite Falls, on the north side of the valley. There is a single parking lot at the campground, and no driveways connecting...
in Yosemite Valley, starting in 1997. He filed a lawsuit against the National Park Service to save the historic rockclimber's campsite, and convinced the American Alpine Club
American Alpine Club
The American Alpine Club, or AAC, was founded in 1902 by Charles Ernest Fay, and is the leading national organization in the United States devoted to mountaineering, climbing, and the multitude of issues facing climbers...
to support the suit. The effort was successful and Camp 4 was listed on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
.
In 2002, Royal Robbins offered the following description of Frost: "Tom is the kindest and gentlest and most generous person I have ever met, with never an ill word to say of anyone. He is also a man of courage and leadership, as witness his recent vanguard role in the effort to save Camp 4 in Yosemite. And he continues to possess the true spirit of climbing. Just a couple of years ago, at age 60, with his son, he climbed three big El Capitan routes, one of them the North American Wall."
Climbing equipment
While working on the first ascent of Kat Pinnacle with Chouinard in 1959, the pair designed and fabricated the Realized Ultimate Reality PitonPiton
In climbing, a piton is a metal spike that is driven into a crack or seam in the rock with a hammer, and which acts as an anchor to protect the climber against the consequences of a fall, or to assist progress in aid climbing...
or RURP, a tiny device that allowed them to finish the most difficult aid climb then completed in North America. This led to a lengthy partnership between Frost and Chouinard in climbing equipment companies such as the Great Pacific Iron Works and Chouinard, Ltd. Frost has described his profession as "piton engineer".
In the late 1960s, Frost and Chouinard turned their attention to ice climbing
Ice climbing
Ice climbing, as the term indicates, is the activity of ascending inclined ice formations. Usually, ice climbing refers to roped and protected climbing of features such as icefalls, frozen waterfalls, and cliffs and rock slabs covered with ice refrozen from flows of water. For the purposes of...
and its specialized equipment. They developed an alpine hammer with a drooping pick. Although Austrian climbers had improvised rigid crampons decades before by welding a bar across the hinge of conventional crampons, such devices were not commercially available until 1967. That year, Chouinard and Frost began marketing adjustable rigid crampons
Crampons
Crampons are traction devices used to improve mobility on snow and ice. There are three main attachment systems for footwear: step-in, hybrid, and strap bindings. The first two require boots with welts, the last adapt to any type....
made of chrome-molybdenum steel
41xx steel
41xx steel is a family of SAE steel grades, as specified by the Society of Automotive Engineers . Alloying elements include chromium and molybdenum, and as a result these materials are often referred to as chromoly steel or CRMO...
.
Frost and Chouinard invented the climbing protection device called the Hexentric. They applied for a U. S. patent in 1974 and it was granted on April 6, 1976. These are still manufactured by Black Diamond Equipment, which is a successor to earlier companies owned by Frost and Chouinard.
Since 1997, Frost has owned a business manufacturing rock climbing equipment called FROSTWORKS.