John Gill (climber)

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Gill doing gymnastics

John Gill (* 1937 ) is an American athlete who is considered the father of today's bouldering .

John Gill began climbing small boulders in 1955 and initially saw this as a pure training opportunity for his actual sport, ring gymnastics . He managed, however, by continued development of its muscles and its climbing ability, 1961 Route "Thimble" ( 9 erstzubegehen). He also introduced his own rating scale for his climbing problems, the B-scale, which was quickly forgotten again. However, what strongly influenced the sport of climbing were the dynamic movement sequences that John Gill was the first to use intensively in his bouldering. John Gill is often referred to as the “Father of modern bouldering”, which says a lot about his place and influence in today's climbing scene.

Gill in a dynamic climbing train

He shaped bouldering in the USA in a special way, as he was able to reflect on his bouldering and provide a theoretical superstructure beyond his top athletic performance. His article "The art of bouldering", which appeared in the American Alpine Journal in 1969, is significant in terms of sport history . Another contemporary document is the black and white film "The silent climber" from 1976, which illustrates the dynamics of Gill's bouldering. John Gill saw bouldering not only as a pure sport, but also felt it was a way of self-discovery . He was of the opinion that every climber had to find his “way”. For him, bouldering offered an opportunity to get to know his own limits. In his main profession, university professor of mathematics, he approached bouldering like a mathematical proof.

literature

  • Pat Ament (1998): John Gill: Master of Rock . Climbing Classics # 2, Stackpole Books (John Gill biography)
  • John Gill (1969): The Art of Bouldering , American Alpine Journal
  • John Gill (1987): Bouldering - a mystical art form . In: Zak, Heinz / Güllich Wolfgang (1987): Life high. Sport climbing worldwide. Munich, Rother ISBN 3-7633-7240-7 , pp. 110-118

Web links

Commons : John Gill (climber)  - Collection of images, videos and audio files
personal data
SURNAME Gill, John
BRIEF DESCRIPTION American sport climber
DATE OF BIRTH 1937