First ascent - Citizendia

In climbing, a first ascent (FA) is the first modern recorded climb to reach the top of a mountain, or the first to follow a particular climbing route. UserStan Shebs for a timetable --> Climbing is the activity of using one's hands and feet (or In Aviation, the term climb refers both to the actual operation of increasing the altitude of an Aircraft and to the logical phase of a typical flight (often A mountain is a Landform that extends above the surrounding Terrain in a limited area with a peak A climbing route is a path by which a climber reaches the top of a Mountain, rock or ice wall First ascents are notable because they are the climbs that entail genuine exploration; the risks are higher and the challenge greater than for any later climber.

Many of the earlier first ascents, particularly for difficult routes, involved a mix of free and aid climbing. Free climbing is a type of Rock climbing, in which the climber uses no artificial aids to make upwards progress Aid climbing is a style of Climbing in which fixed or placed protection is used to make upward progress As a result, purist free climbers also identify a first free ascent (FFA), made using equipment for protection only and thus more challenging.

First ascents, free or otherwise, are generally carefully recorded as part of the history of a mountain or climbing area, and usually mentioned in guidebooks. A climbing area is a small geographical region with a concentration of opportunities for Climbing. Some area guidebooks consciously choose to omit this information, so as to discourage disputes over priority and excessive bolting of faces so as to be able to add up new "first ascents. In Climbing, a bolt is a permanent anchor fixed into a hole drilled in the rock usually consisting of a glued in or Expansion bolt. " In some cases, particularly those of prominent mountains, the details of a first ascent are scanty or unknown; sometimes the only evidence of prior visitation is a cairn, artifacts, or inscriptions discovered at the summit. A cairn ( carn in Irish is an artificial pile of stones often in a conical form

The term "last ascent" has been used facetiously to refer to a climb that is so unpleasant or unaesthetic (due to loose rock, excessive brush, etc) that no one would ever willingly repeat the first ascent party's ordeal.

See also