Who is the most technically sound rock climber of all time?

Lately I've been thinking about climbing technique, and I asked myself the following:

Who is the most technically sound rock climber currently and in the history of rock climbing?

I'm not talking about the strongest rock climber, but rather the climber that has mastered the skills for climbing. The climber that makes climbing look more art than sport. Fluid, pretty, precise and easy?

I think of climbers like Tommy Caldwell, Antoine Lemenstrel, JB Tribout, Lynn Hill and John Bachar.

Who do you think should be in the discussion and why? Bonus points for providing video footage.

Man...tough question...easy answer. JEFF LOWE. Exemplary on rock, Grand Teton at age 7, El Cap at 17. Unmatched accomplishments on rock, ice, mixed, Himalayas, solos on Ama Dablam, Eiger northface, etc......Jeff Lowe did it all and better than anyone.

I think that there are several Lowes that fit that bill. Jeff, Alex, George. They are or were exemplary figures in climbing.

My vote is for Tommy.

Rock/Ice - alpinist.com/doc/web14w/new…
Sport - Flex Luthor 5.15a climbing.com/route/crag-of-…
Gear - 4 FFAs on El Cap
Boulder - Consistent v12-13

just rock, I'd say Bridwell is the craziest fucker I've ever heard of.

This is easy Lynn Hill is the most technical climber of all time.

She free climbed the nose before any one plus only a few have been able to repeat it. IF you don't believe me watch some of her climbing videos.

Just watch her subtle knee movement for better balance in the first part of this video

youtube.com/watch?v=7WfL3dV…

Mikey Williams

Kirtis wrote:This is easy Lynn Hill is the most technical climber of all time. She free climbed the nose before any one plus only a few have been able to repeat it. IF you don't believe me watch some of her climbing videos. Just watch her subtle knee movement for better balance in the first part of this video

I love her quote about the combination of the instinctual and calculating minds. She really is smooth and non-hesitant. I can't think of a climber who is as smooth as she is.

What about Fred Nicole or John Bacher? They exemplified control in climbing..

Hidetaka Suzuki. Flows effortlessly across the rock. It's a sight to behold . Slow and methodical always in control.

Throwing in another vote for Lynn.

Patience Lynn Hill: youtu.be/YxRpeFQmyQ4

Jon Zucco wrote:Throwing in another vote for Lynn. Patience Lynn Hill: youtu.be/YxRpeFQmyQ4

Yet another. Suzuki is mighty close, but the question was about technically sound climbing. Most of the others mentioned have superior strength, reach, etc. Hill doesn't have wingspan or strength equal even to a typical fit male climber, but climbs beyond the typical fit male climber's dreams. With nothing going for her other than technique. I.e., the all-time best technique.

Tommy Caldwell, and Lynn Hill are probably the best technical climbers male and female, they are also the only climbers who have free climbed the Nose leading all pitches. Coincidence, I think not.

These guys are pretty fluid. I always thought they made climbing look more art than sport.

Patrick Edlinger - La Vie Aux Bout Des Doigts
Patrick Berhault - Metamorfosi Ron Kauk - Yosemite - Ascending Rhythm

I'm going to be a bit contrarian and suggest that some of the climbers climbing the highest grades are also among the most technically proficient (but not all of them).

Look at Adam Ondra in this video: vimeo.com/73040942

He is so fast, so fluid, there is almost no wasted movement. Yes, considerable strength is required, but if extreme technical skill was lacking you wouldn't be seeing that fluidity. It's also worth noting that Ondra climbed 5.15b before he could do a 1 arm pullup, outclimbing LOTS of climbers who can crank sets of one-arms and aren't even close to 5.14a or V12, much less V15 and 5.15. Dave Graham is also in this category. For what it's worth I would be shocked if Ondra couldn't climb the Dawn Wall if he put work to it.

On the other hand, I think climbers like Daniel Woods or Chris Sharma, while obviously technically proficient, seem to frequently overcome problems in climbing by applying overwhelming strength (dynos, huge lock-offs, etc. as opposed to things like fancy drop-knees).

Also note: I'm just talking about movement skill here, obviously. There are many way more skilled climbers when you are talking about the technicality of, say, hard aid climbing, risk management on mountaineering and hard trad, etc.

"Climber" is pretty broad. I think you need to narrow down your definition some for a useful answer. Just out of curiosity, what would you do with the answer if you had it?

Oliver Perry-Smith

Randy Levit. Listening to the enormocast interview of him is incredible.

honnold when he solos ...

he aint the strongest clmber, but when hes soloing long climbs he needs to be under total control with no wasted energy ...

or hes dead

;)

bearbreeder wrote:honnold when he solos

Now there's something we can agree upon.

Fritz Wiessner

Jonathan Hemlock