 Ethan Pringle, 2021 | |||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||
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Nickname | Piledriver[1] | ||||||||
| Nationality | American | ||||||||
| Born | (1986-05-30)May 30, 1986 (age 39) | ||||||||
| Occupation | Professional rock climber | ||||||||
| Height | 5 ft 10 in (178 cm) | ||||||||
| Weight | 150 lb (68 kg) | ||||||||
| Website | dmmwales | ||||||||
| Climbing career | |||||||||
| Type of climber | |||||||||
| Highest grade | |||||||||
| Known for | First repeat ofJumbo Love | ||||||||
| First ascents |
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Medal record
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| Updated on 28 July 2023 | |||||||||
Ethan Pringle (born May 30, 1986, in San Francisco, California) is anAmericanrock climber with notable ascents insport climbing (his 2015 repeat ofJumbo Love, the world'sfirst 9b-graded route); intraditional climbing (his 2016 ascent ofBlackbeard's Tears, one of the world'shardest traditional climbs); and inbouldering. He has also been active incompetition climbing, winning the American nationalcompetition lead climbing championships in both youth and adult formats, and silver at theWorld Youth Championships.[2]
Pringle was born and raised in theMission District, San Francisco, and started climbing when he was 8 years old and begancompetition climbing when he was 12.[3] By age 12 he hadredpointed his first5.13a (7c+), and by age 13, had redpointed his first5.14a (8b+).[3]
Pringle was the American youth national champion inlead climbing for four consecutive years from 1998 to 2002.[3] In 2000, he won silver in lead at theIFSC Climbing World Youth Championships in lead climbing.[3]
Pringle won the gold in the men's USA national championships inlead in 2005, silver in 2004, and bronze in 2009. He won the silver at the men's USA national championshipsbouldering in 2006 and 2012. He also won bronze in the men's USA national championships inspeed in 2004.[3]
In 2009, Pringle suffered a severe tear of his labrum at the men's USA national championships inbouldering, which nearly ended his professional climbing career,[1] and from which he only recovered over a year later.[4]
Pringle came to international attention with his September 2007 repeat ofChris Sharma'sgroundbreaking 2001 route,Realization/Biographie9a+ (5.15a), inCeuse, France. At the time, 9a+ was the highest recognized consensus grade for asport climbing route in the world.[5] He followed his up with a short visit toRodellar in Spain, where heonsighted several routes up to8c (5.14b), includingIron Man (this was just before thePatxi Usobiaga made thefirst-ever onsight of an8c+ (5.14c) graded route in December 2007).[4]
During 2007, Pringle and Sharma spent weeks trying to make thefirst free ascent (FFA) ofJumbo Love atClark Mountain.[1] Injury caused Pringle to withdraw from the project, and in September 2008, Sharma freed the route, which is now regarded as thefirst-ever9b (5.15b) graded sport climb in history.[6]
Recovering from his serious injury in 2009–2010, Pringle began to make FFAs of9a (5.14d) routes includingSpicy Dumpling (2010, China's hardest sport climbing route) andArrested Development (2012).[7] In 2015, Pringle completed the first repeat ofJumbo Love,[1][8][9] and later that year visited the famousHanshelleren Cave in Norway, repeatingAdam Ondra's 2012 routeThor's Hammer9a+ (5.15a), and making his own FFA ofThe Eye of Odin at8c+ (5.14c).[10] The following year, Pringle made the FFA ofEverything is Karate, one of America's hardest sport routes at the time at9a (5.14d).[11]
Pringle is also known fortraditional climbing.[1] In October 2008, Pringle made the second repeat ofCobra Crack,Sonnie Trotter's famous8c (5.14b) gradedtraditional climbing route; considered one of the world'shardest at the time.[12][13] In 2016, Pringle made the FFA ofBlackbeard's Tears on the Redwood Coast in California, which at8c+ (5.14c), was regarded as one of the hardest – if notthe hardest – traditional climbing routes at the time.[14][15]
_White_Mountain_-_Yangshuo%2c_China.jpg)
9b (5.15b):
9a+ (5.15a):
9a (5.14d):
8c (5.14b):
8b+ (5.14a):
8c+ (5.14c):
8c (5.14b):
V15 (8C):
