The production of climbing landscapes-as-texts

Abstract

Climbing landscapes are represented by climbers in a highly textualised manner. In particular, published climbing guidebooks record the name and graded level of difficulty of each climbing route, and details which link those routes to the 'identity' of the first ascendant(s). Climbing landscapes can then literally be read as if they were texts. These landscapes provide a spatial record of, and may ultimately naturalise and commemorate, the first-ascent-oriented history of climbing.