Tim Emmett (born 1974),[1] is a British-born adventure climber and climbing author. Considered one of best all -round climbers, his disciplinary stlyes have set the tone for the new realm of today's climbing. Those includeice-climbing,rock climbing,deep-water soloing (of which he is considered a pioneer) andalpine climbing. Emmett has established the hardest waterfall ice-climbs in the world, and was the first to climbgrades of W10 and above.[1]
Tim Emmett was born inWindsor inEngland, and went to school atCothill House andRichard 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 calledChudleigh Rocks.[3] In 1993, he went on to study Marine Zoology atBangor University, North Wales, where he became a prominent climber, featuring on the magazine cover ofOn The Edge while still at university.[3]
Emmett is regarded as a pioneer ofdeep-water soloing (DWS),[4] and in 2003, a short film on DWS calledPsicobloc by American brothersJosh and Brett Lowell chronicled Emmett and Klem Loskot's 2001 development of DWS routes in Cova Del Diablo inMallorca,Spain, which inspired US rock climberChris Sharma to get involved in DWS.[5] In 2019, adventure filmmaker Jon Glassberg, created another DWS short film calledDeep Water featured on Emmett and US rock-climberKyra Condie developing DWS routes inHa Long Bay inVietnam.[6]
Emmett's notable ice-climbs include the first ever waterfall ice climb atgrade W10 (Spray On, in 2010 withWill Gadd, atHelmcken 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 theRed Bull "White Cliffs Champion".[10]
Emmett's rock climbs include some of the highest-gradetraditional routes with notable ascents including the 2017 repeat ofSonnie Trotter'sSuperman inSquamish (5.14c, F8c+),[11] and the 2016 repeat of Trotter'sThe Path inLake Louise (5.14R, F8b+).[12] In 2010, Emmett establishedMuy Caliente!, an early contender for the first traditional grade of E10 inPembroke inWales.[13]
For high altitude alpine climbing, Emmett was nominated for a 2006Piolet D'or for climbing a new route on the south east pillar ofKedar Dome 6,831 metres (22,411 ft) in theGarhwal Himalaya with Ian Parnell 2006.[14][3] In 2019, Emmett and his team had to abandon an expedition toMount Everest due to the avalanche risk on the route they were planning.[3]
With para-alpinism, two adventure sports are merged,BASE jumping, andbig 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 donewingsuit flying.[1]
Emmett has appeared in more than 50 magazines includingOutside Magazine,Sports Illustrated,Gripped,Grip,Desnivel,GQ and others. Emmett has been the subject of several short films on climbing, includingPsiobloc (2003),[5]Dosage II (2004),[15]Dosage III (2005),[15]Welsh Connections (2009),[16]Mountain (2017),[17] andDeep Water (2019).[4][6]
Emmett has made several appearances on theBBC as a presenter and guest, including:Ultimate Rock Climb withJulia Bradbury (2007),[18]The Great Climb with British climberDave MacLeod (2010),[19] andTop Gear (episode 2, season 7) withJeremy Clarkson racing up a mountain withLeo Houlding (2005).[20] Emmett has worked withSteve Backshall on his children's show.
In 2005, Emmett wrote a book with fellow British-climber Neil Gresham calledPreposterous Tales, about their climbing exploits around the world.[21]
He has presented the Duke Of Edinburgh Award three times atSt. James's Palace.
As of 2016, Emmett was living inSquamish, British Columbia,Canada and was married.[1]
