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Born to Climb
Climbing is one of the world’s fastest-growing sports – exciting, addictive and, arguably, much more fun than going to the gym. In 2021 it made its long-awaited Olympic debut, but its journey to Tokyo has been anything but traditional. And the traditionalists would argue that it’s not even a sport at all …
In Born to Climb, anthropologist and climber Zofia Reych shares with us the fascinating cultural history of rock and competition climbing. Zofia offers a fresh perspective on some of the pivotal moments and outstanding individuals of the sport, from eighteenth-century exploratory forays on rock, via the rise of climbing legends such as Emilio Comici, Wolfgang Güllich and Lynn Hill, to the limelight of the Olympic arena for the stars of today – Janja Garnbret, Adam Ondra, Shauna Coxsey and more.
But Born to Climb is much more than a celebration of the sport’s famous people and places: it is an examination of modern sporting participation and culture, interwoven with the author’s own climbing journey. While the writing is engaging and often funny, Zofia is not afraid to broach sensitive and often overlooked topics, including gender divide, capitalism and the tension between aesthetic and athletic approaches to climbing, in what is a must-read for all climbers.
In Born to Climb, anthropologist and climber Zofia Reych shares with us the fascinating cultural history of rock and competition climbing. Zofia offers a fresh perspective on some of the pivotal moments and outstanding individuals of the sport, from eighteenth-century exploratory forays on rock, via the rise of climbing legends such as Emilio Comici, Wolfgang Güllich and Lynn Hill, to the limelight of the Olympic arena for the stars of today – Janja Garnbret, Adam Ondra, Shauna Coxsey and more.
But Born to Climb is much more than a celebration of the sport’s famous people and places: it is an examination of modern sporting participation and culture, interwoven with the author’s own climbing journey. While the writing is engaging and often funny, Zofia is not afraid to broach sensitive and often overlooked topics, including gender divide, capitalism and the tension between aesthetic and athletic approaches to climbing, in what is a must-read for all climbers.
256 pages, Hardcover
Published June 16, 2022
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Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
July 13, 2022
The moment I heard about the book and the author, I thought — shut up and take my money.
It's a very well written book I think. I found myself immersed in it with the images and colors and then looking up like from a vivid daydream.
It consists of the episodes from the history of mountaineering and climbing, Olympic movement, personal stories. For me personally, the most interesting aspect turned out to be the class aspect of climbing and sports in general (hence the episodes on the early Olympic movement make sense to be in the book). The Yosemite native population stories were eye-opening. It was interesting to learn about the class background of the early UK mountaineering clubs, then climbers of the Thatcher era and more.
Surprisingly to myself I learned that I wasn't at all interested in the history of climbing with regards to its greatest personalities, their achievements and specific locations. Those are fun to read, just not the information that I can or would like to retain.
Then there's the chapters on Zofia's own adventures with regards to climbing and bouldering and here her writing craft really shines.
It's a very well written book I think. I found myself immersed in it with the images and colors and then looking up like from a vivid daydream.
It consists of the episodes from the history of mountaineering and climbing, Olympic movement, personal stories. For me personally, the most interesting aspect turned out to be the class aspect of climbing and sports in general (hence the episodes on the early Olympic movement make sense to be in the book). The Yosemite native population stories were eye-opening. It was interesting to learn about the class background of the early UK mountaineering clubs, then climbers of the Thatcher era and more.
Surprisingly to myself I learned that I wasn't at all interested in the history of climbing with regards to its greatest personalities, their achievements and specific locations. Those are fun to read, just not the information that I can or would like to retain.
Then there's the chapters on Zofia's own adventures with regards to climbing and bouldering and here her writing craft really shines.
June 16, 2022
Zofia, you have undertaken an ambitious project here, tracing the development of climbing from its infancy to an Olympic sport through a series of key events and characters. The preface does a fine and cogent job of explaining what you have tried to do, and the epilogue offers a helpful synthesis of where climbing is today.
The structure of using your own experiences to punctuate the historical narrative is an interesting idea, and although the personal sections were both engaging and relatable, their connection to the historical journey was not immediately obvious to this reader.
The “Golden Age” of mountaineering is covered fully, with reference to the usual suspects, including Edward Whymper, Albert Smith, Haskett-Smith, O.G.Jones, Paul Pruess, Emilio Comici and their impact on the changing culture of climbing. You describe well the tensions between the old school traditionalists versus the successive new waves, the role of social class, technological and sociological change, the ever-changing ethical debates that go with all of that and the response of the “outside” world of the media and the general public. Much of this is well-documented, but the second half of the book really comes into its own when you describe the junction between traditional climbing, competition climbing’s origins in the USSR, the first climbing walls and the role of sport climbing and bouldering. The impact on more recent climbing history of trends in the UK, the USA and continental Europe helps the reader’s understanding of how we arrived at inclusion in the Olympics, albeit in a messy format. You make an astute observation on how the proliferation of climbing gyms has provided the young and energetic with a more attractive alternative to pumping iron and the treadmill, and boosted the huge increase in indoor climbers, as well as shifting the gender balance significantly..
The public image of climbing will undoubtedly be affected by the exposure of Olympic status and by mainstream media blockbusters like the ridiculous Cliffhanger and the spectacularly real Free Solo. Coupled with the expansion of indoor facilities and social media saturation the evolution will inevitably continue, as climbers proliferate and travel, even affecting localised economies such as in Kalymnos, Wadi Rum, Thailand and Morocco. Elite climbers will be more widely known as a result of the Olympics, and sponsored social media will add to that. Behind that peak of top performers lies a broad base of enthusiasts and dabblers, just as in other sports. The trailing masses will probably benefit from improved facilities but will also be subjected to saturated consumer marketing. One likely plus will be that fewer non-climbers will ask us if we have climbed Everest – instead asking stray boulderers if they are training for the Olympics.
The “Born to Climb” title did make me hope for a nature/nurture debate – you, Zofia, were clearly nurtured into the mountain environment by your mother. Did the key climbers in our history have a genetic pre-disposition or was it just the environmental influence of parents, peers, social setting that brought them into the game? Maybe climbers are an evolutionary exception – have climbers retained our simian genes and is it the non-climber who has evolved by not needing to climb? Who knows? That’s another treatise waiting to be explored.
This is a well-researched, well-written and fully referenced book and offers a valuable perspective on the genesis of the climbing’s contemporary culture. Highly recommended.
The structure of using your own experiences to punctuate the historical narrative is an interesting idea, and although the personal sections were both engaging and relatable, their connection to the historical journey was not immediately obvious to this reader.
The “Golden Age” of mountaineering is covered fully, with reference to the usual suspects, including Edward Whymper, Albert Smith, Haskett-Smith, O.G.Jones, Paul Pruess, Emilio Comici and their impact on the changing culture of climbing. You describe well the tensions between the old school traditionalists versus the successive new waves, the role of social class, technological and sociological change, the ever-changing ethical debates that go with all of that and the response of the “outside” world of the media and the general public. Much of this is well-documented, but the second half of the book really comes into its own when you describe the junction between traditional climbing, competition climbing’s origins in the USSR, the first climbing walls and the role of sport climbing and bouldering. The impact on more recent climbing history of trends in the UK, the USA and continental Europe helps the reader’s understanding of how we arrived at inclusion in the Olympics, albeit in a messy format. You make an astute observation on how the proliferation of climbing gyms has provided the young and energetic with a more attractive alternative to pumping iron and the treadmill, and boosted the huge increase in indoor climbers, as well as shifting the gender balance significantly..
The public image of climbing will undoubtedly be affected by the exposure of Olympic status and by mainstream media blockbusters like the ridiculous Cliffhanger and the spectacularly real Free Solo. Coupled with the expansion of indoor facilities and social media saturation the evolution will inevitably continue, as climbers proliferate and travel, even affecting localised economies such as in Kalymnos, Wadi Rum, Thailand and Morocco. Elite climbers will be more widely known as a result of the Olympics, and sponsored social media will add to that. Behind that peak of top performers lies a broad base of enthusiasts and dabblers, just as in other sports. The trailing masses will probably benefit from improved facilities but will also be subjected to saturated consumer marketing. One likely plus will be that fewer non-climbers will ask us if we have climbed Everest – instead asking stray boulderers if they are training for the Olympics.
The “Born to Climb” title did make me hope for a nature/nurture debate – you, Zofia, were clearly nurtured into the mountain environment by your mother. Did the key climbers in our history have a genetic pre-disposition or was it just the environmental influence of parents, peers, social setting that brought them into the game? Maybe climbers are an evolutionary exception – have climbers retained our simian genes and is it the non-climber who has evolved by not needing to climb? Who knows? That’s another treatise waiting to be explored.
This is a well-researched, well-written and fully referenced book and offers a valuable perspective on the genesis of the climbing’s contemporary culture. Highly recommended.
June 16, 2022
In Born to Climb, Zofia Reych traces the history of climbing from the 1300s right up to today. It’s a comprehensive look at how abilities, techniques and safety have progressed and how much climbing standards have improved, both on rock and in competitions. There are many historical accounts of climbing already out there (although I’m not aware of another one that covers ground right up to, and including, the 2020 Olympics), but what sets Zofia’s apart is its clear intention to be inclusive and representative. With this perspective, they manage to put a fresh spin on historical accounts that have already been covered so many times, and it’s refreshing to see a frank discussion of those who haven’t always been remembered or represented in more traditional climbing accounts.
Born to Climb has a huge scope, with an incredible amount of research gone into it and if anything possibly tries to cover too much ground. I did find the opening chapters a touch on the slow side, but it picked up pace quickly. I really enjoyed reading an account of climbing history that wasn’t Brit-centric, and although I was already familiar with most of the climbs detailed here, there’s so much discussed that there was still plenty of new information. There’s a brief mention of mountaineering’s historical involvement in the Olympics, but otherwise the narrative is strictly focused on climbing (both indoor and outdoor) – probably a good limitation as there is already so much information to include.
What feels incredibly valuable is Zofia’s commitment to highlighting the effect climbing has had on nearby groups who don’t normally get mentioned in the conversation. I had no idea, for example, about the existence of the Ahwahneechee people living in the Yosemite valley, or of the shocking disruption forced on them by the authorities as tourism to Yosemite increased.
Zofia balances the history of climbing alongside a few of their own experiences. They explains that the aim of this is to contextualise the accomplishments detailed in the historical narrative – in truth, I’m not sure how much someone who doesn’t climb would really be able to grasp the different between, say, a 6b and a 9a. But I found the chapters relating their experiences relatable and compelling; Zofia relays these stories with honesty and wit, and I would have happily read more of these chapters. I’m looking forward to seeing what they write next.
Born to Climb has a huge scope, with an incredible amount of research gone into it and if anything possibly tries to cover too much ground. I did find the opening chapters a touch on the slow side, but it picked up pace quickly. I really enjoyed reading an account of climbing history that wasn’t Brit-centric, and although I was already familiar with most of the climbs detailed here, there’s so much discussed that there was still plenty of new information. There’s a brief mention of mountaineering’s historical involvement in the Olympics, but otherwise the narrative is strictly focused on climbing (both indoor and outdoor) – probably a good limitation as there is already so much information to include.
What feels incredibly valuable is Zofia’s commitment to highlighting the effect climbing has had on nearby groups who don’t normally get mentioned in the conversation. I had no idea, for example, about the existence of the Ahwahneechee people living in the Yosemite valley, or of the shocking disruption forced on them by the authorities as tourism to Yosemite increased.
Zofia balances the history of climbing alongside a few of their own experiences. They explains that the aim of this is to contextualise the accomplishments detailed in the historical narrative – in truth, I’m not sure how much someone who doesn’t climb would really be able to grasp the different between, say, a 6b and a 9a. But I found the chapters relating their experiences relatable and compelling; Zofia relays these stories with honesty and wit, and I would have happily read more of these chapters. I’m looking forward to seeing what they write next.
June 18, 2022
A refreshing take on the historical development of climbing through the centuries.
Many authors have previously written books on the subject of the history of climbing but there has been no recent offering which includes the achievements and developments of this century. It is here that the author succeeds. All key historic periods are covered and the flow of developments through time and across continents is well blended in the text. The chapters flow well and are blended with Zofia's own experience as she herself develops through the grades and techniques.
Zofia successfully tackles describing the development of climbing, in all it's guises, through this wide timespan and very nicely summarises where the sport is now and where it's future may lead. For those readers who are familiar with the older history offerings it is great to get a better understanding of recent developments and how they fit together.
Key characters and events are described in each of the key historic development periods from climbing's infancy, through the golden age of alpine summits, grade 5 then 6 achievements on Europe's cliffs, Yosemite big walls & desert sandstone towers, the development of bolted climbs, bouldering and early competition climbing before bringing things up to date by describing the hotly debated developments in the competing arenas of traditional v competition, trad v sport, outdoors v indoor walls & gyms etc. The book is rounded off by describing how climbing "made it" to the Olympics and what the future might hold for the sport, how youngsters might be attracted or nurtured to take part.
Some reader's might initially be put off by the cover image and sub-title and think the book may well focus on sport and indoor climbing but this is wrong. The book is thoroughly researched and well written.
Many authors have previously written books on the subject of the history of climbing but there has been no recent offering which includes the achievements and developments of this century. It is here that the author succeeds. All key historic periods are covered and the flow of developments through time and across continents is well blended in the text. The chapters flow well and are blended with Zofia's own experience as she herself develops through the grades and techniques.
Zofia successfully tackles describing the development of climbing, in all it's guises, through this wide timespan and very nicely summarises where the sport is now and where it's future may lead. For those readers who are familiar with the older history offerings it is great to get a better understanding of recent developments and how they fit together.
Key characters and events are described in each of the key historic development periods from climbing's infancy, through the golden age of alpine summits, grade 5 then 6 achievements on Europe's cliffs, Yosemite big walls & desert sandstone towers, the development of bolted climbs, bouldering and early competition climbing before bringing things up to date by describing the hotly debated developments in the competing arenas of traditional v competition, trad v sport, outdoors v indoor walls & gyms etc. The book is rounded off by describing how climbing "made it" to the Olympics and what the future might hold for the sport, how youngsters might be attracted or nurtured to take part.
Some reader's might initially be put off by the cover image and sub-title and think the book may well focus on sport and indoor climbing but this is wrong. The book is thoroughly researched and well written.
August 19, 2022
This book is an intriguing blend of two distinct strands: the history of climbing, and the author's own personal journey within the sport.
The subtitle, 'From rock climbing pioneers to Olympic athletes' suggests a particular focus on rock-climbing, and this is generally what we get, but the early stages do consider the wider impulse towards high places. I suspect this is inescapable; much of the genesis of pure rock-climbing is tied up with greater mountaineering, with early climbs in the Lakes and Wales often dismissed as mere 'mountain practice'.
The early part of the history is a familiar tale: Petrarch on Ventoux, Paccard and Balmat on Mont Blanc, Coleridge on Broad Stand (erroneously described as being on Scafell Pike; it's on Scafell). However, we soon get a wider picture, showing how Victorian attitudes, specifically British attitudes, sought to exclude women and working-class people from mountaineering and many other pursuits. The cult of muscular Christianity and the oppressive insistence on amateurism (which can be said to have skewed the development of most sports far into the 20th century) come under scrutiny. And we see how women refused to be so confined far more often than is still generally supposed: but therein lies another story, how their exploits were under-reported. As Reych says, “It’s increasingly apparent that Victorian society’s rigid ideals of acceptability did not always accurately reflect real life.”
As the story moves into the 20th century, I didn't find too much that was revelatory, but it's well told and, on the whole, well-balanced. Reych, like many before, does succumb to the temptation of labelling (at least implicitly) Brown and Whillans as the first working-class men to make a real mark as rock-climbers. This is more than a little unfair to men like Jim Birkett and Bill Peascod, both active in the Lake District a good decade before Joe and Don, and there are many more, in the UK and beyond.
What Born to Climb does do particularly well is bring the story right up to date, with the growth of competition climbing, culminating in its inclusion in the Tokyo Olympics. Did those Games give us a greater breakthrough star, in any sport, than Janja Garnbret?
Interspersed with the history are chapters covering notable stages in Zofia Reych's own progress, from early days in the Polish Tatras via London, and an MA in Anthropology, to wild nights in Llanberis to current home in Fontainebleau. It's all fascinating and highly entertaining; my question is whether the personal memoir is fully integrated with the history. I feel that other authors, like Robert Macfarlane in Mountains of the Mind, have been more successful in finding the connections that allow personal experience to illuminate the wider narrative. At times Born to Climb feels to me like two books co-existing within one cover; but both are books that I'd be happy to read on their own. In fact I personally would have been very happy to have more of Reych's own story, not least key experiences around gender and identity; we are left with the intriguing fact that someone who self-identifies as non-binary is founder and director of the Women’s Bouldering Festival.
None of these mild reservations should deter anyone from reading this book. They say you should always leave the table wanting more, and I do.
The subtitle, 'From rock climbing pioneers to Olympic athletes' suggests a particular focus on rock-climbing, and this is generally what we get, but the early stages do consider the wider impulse towards high places. I suspect this is inescapable; much of the genesis of pure rock-climbing is tied up with greater mountaineering, with early climbs in the Lakes and Wales often dismissed as mere 'mountain practice'.
The early part of the history is a familiar tale: Petrarch on Ventoux, Paccard and Balmat on Mont Blanc, Coleridge on Broad Stand (erroneously described as being on Scafell Pike; it's on Scafell). However, we soon get a wider picture, showing how Victorian attitudes, specifically British attitudes, sought to exclude women and working-class people from mountaineering and many other pursuits. The cult of muscular Christianity and the oppressive insistence on amateurism (which can be said to have skewed the development of most sports far into the 20th century) come under scrutiny. And we see how women refused to be so confined far more often than is still generally supposed: but therein lies another story, how their exploits were under-reported. As Reych says, “It’s increasingly apparent that Victorian society’s rigid ideals of acceptability did not always accurately reflect real life.”
As the story moves into the 20th century, I didn't find too much that was revelatory, but it's well told and, on the whole, well-balanced. Reych, like many before, does succumb to the temptation of labelling (at least implicitly) Brown and Whillans as the first working-class men to make a real mark as rock-climbers. This is more than a little unfair to men like Jim Birkett and Bill Peascod, both active in the Lake District a good decade before Joe and Don, and there are many more, in the UK and beyond.
What Born to Climb does do particularly well is bring the story right up to date, with the growth of competition climbing, culminating in its inclusion in the Tokyo Olympics. Did those Games give us a greater breakthrough star, in any sport, than Janja Garnbret?
Interspersed with the history are chapters covering notable stages in Zofia Reych's own progress, from early days in the Polish Tatras via London, and an MA in Anthropology, to wild nights in Llanberis to current home in Fontainebleau. It's all fascinating and highly entertaining; my question is whether the personal memoir is fully integrated with the history. I feel that other authors, like Robert Macfarlane in Mountains of the Mind, have been more successful in finding the connections that allow personal experience to illuminate the wider narrative. At times Born to Climb feels to me like two books co-existing within one cover; but both are books that I'd be happy to read on their own. In fact I personally would have been very happy to have more of Reych's own story, not least key experiences around gender and identity; we are left with the intriguing fact that someone who self-identifies as non-binary is founder and director of the Women’s Bouldering Festival.
None of these mild reservations should deter anyone from reading this book. They say you should always leave the table wanting more, and I do.
May 30, 2022
This is a beautifully written and amusing book, combining the author’s personal journey with the history of Rock Climbing. There’s something for every climber whatever your age, or type of climbing you’re into.
I was intrigued by the cover photo and guessed wrongly that the main focus was on the contemporary climbing scene, the photo on the back cover set me straight. Modern climbing is well covered but is nicely placed in its historical context. Think: Joe Brown meeting Don Whillans for the first time, Olympic climbing, Font, the Sheffield scene, Yosemite, and lots lots more.
Buy it to read and share, or buy it as a gift for any climber - I loved it.
I was intrigued by the cover photo and guessed wrongly that the main focus was on the contemporary climbing scene, the photo on the back cover set me straight. Modern climbing is well covered but is nicely placed in its historical context. Think: Joe Brown meeting Don Whillans for the first time, Olympic climbing, Font, the Sheffield scene, Yosemite, and lots lots more.
Buy it to read and share, or buy it as a gift for any climber - I loved it.
January 25, 2024
Zofia is a very interesting character! Unfortunately, paradoxically, I find that the personal chapters fill my memory and heart with much more content than those devoted to the history of climbing. How do you move from a chapter full of emotion and life back to an almost academic discussion? It's a difficult art.
June 16, 2022
I really enjoyed reading this book, it definitely fits into the same category as Mountains of the Mind. For anyone who has an interest in the history of climbing I would say it is a must read! The book covers the pivotal moments in rock climbing and the impact that it then had. It also shines a light on the role that women had in the development of climbing and some lesser known names in climbing. The addition of the author's own climbing journey was really interesting and really did help the story to flow.
July 17, 2022
I really enjoyed this book. Very easy to read and charts climbing progression/regression to the Olympics. Well researched, depending on your level of interest in climbing you may already know some or all of the information in the book but I still found it and interesting read. The historical information is peppered with story's of Zofia's life in climbing which I especially enjoyed.
July 22, 2025
An excellent book taking on multiple aspects of climbing (all sorts), in an historical timeline combined with the authors own experiences and life reflections. Without spoiling too much, it’s a book I really enjoyed as it takes up a more chronological timeline of the history of climbing, from its “beginning” and fast forwarding into modern day climbing, including key themes like environmentalism, socio and political disputes, gender inequality and modern day capitalism to mention some. Anyone with an interest for the “sport” of climbing should read this book as it offers a bit for anyone, regardless of which direction of climbing ( sport climbing, trad climbing, bouldering) oneself may be enjoying themselves the most. A big plus for me personally is how the chapters themselves don’t feel chronological of each other. Besides the first couple of chapters in the beginning, the reader may easily jump into any chapter which they may feel more intrigued by (just from the sub titles of the individual chapters), although I personally read the book from beginning to end.
10/10, V much recommend it!
Side note: a big pro is the last selection post-epilogue if one may be interested in further reading!!
10/10, V much recommend it!
Side note: a big pro is the last selection post-epilogue if one may be interested in further reading!!
April 1, 2023
"Born to Climb" by Zofia Reych is an absolute masterpiece for any climbing enthusiast or history nerd. This book takes readers on a journey through the evolution of climbing and its pioneers, including stories of triumph, tragedy, and everything in between. The author's vivid descriptions and attention to detail make you feel as if you're right there on the mountain with the climbers.
What sets this book apart is the author's ability to not only chronicle the history of climbing but to also capture the essence of the sport and the people
who participate in it.
Whether you're a seasoned climber or simply interested in the history of the sport, "Born to Climb" is a must-read. Zofia Reych has done a fantastic job of blending adventure, history, and personal narratives to create an unforgettable book that will inspire and captivate readers for years to come. I highly recommend this book to anyone who loves the outdoors, adventure, and the human spirit.
What sets this book apart is the author's ability to not only chronicle the history of climbing but to also capture the essence of the sport and the people
who participate in it.
Whether you're a seasoned climber or simply interested in the history of the sport, "Born to Climb" is a must-read. Zofia Reych has done a fantastic job of blending adventure, history, and personal narratives to create an unforgettable book that will inspire and captivate readers for years to come. I highly recommend this book to anyone who loves the outdoors, adventure, and the human spirit.
August 15, 2022
Really couldn't get into this book at all.
I've read a lot of climbing history and its always engaging and easy to read. This is a very abridged history too with several key moments seemingly unimportant to the story. I didn't feel engaged at all and felt like I was reading a university text book.
Its also poorly researched with various glaring errors if you have even a passing interest in uk climbing. For example Joe Brown didn't use the E grades in 1950s as they simply didn't exist back then. I hate to think how many other errors there may have been.
And finally its all interspersed with the authors personal climbing memoirs. I think the had no part in the book and perhaps the space better used in producing a better researched account of our sport.
Not a page turner and a struggle to read.
I've read a lot of climbing history and its always engaging and easy to read. This is a very abridged history too with several key moments seemingly unimportant to the story. I didn't feel engaged at all and felt like I was reading a university text book.
Its also poorly researched with various glaring errors if you have even a passing interest in uk climbing. For example Joe Brown didn't use the E grades in 1950s as they simply didn't exist back then. I hate to think how many other errors there may have been.
And finally its all interspersed with the authors personal climbing memoirs. I think the had no part in the book and perhaps the space better used in producing a better researched account of our sport.
Not a page turner and a struggle to read.
September 12, 2022
Reych has written an intriguing book that does more than relate the history of climbing. It weaves a personal climbing story that wends its way across Europe , meeting with climbing notaries both in writing the book and also within the context of the authors own climbing narrative. It dos not shy away from either the ethical issues that play out in the climbing community ranging from bolts to commercialization but also delves into what it means to be a climber and be in the climbing community. Not afraid to touch on subjects like loss and the addictiveness of the sport the book nevertheless clearly sets the history of climbing in a wider geographical context examining the sports growth and democratisation right up to the Tokyo Olympics
June 13, 2025
The book is well written and thoroughly researched. The author doesn't shy away from critical thinking, and succeeds in giving a multifaceted portrayal of the history of climbing.
They have added multiple anecdotes from their own climbing career, which, as an idea, sounds like a great way to bring climbing culture closer to the uninitiated reader, but now works as a repellent. The author seems to have quite a toxic relationship with climbing and themselves, and concentrates mostly on the negative aspects in their personal stories. I found this very unfortunate and demotivating.
They have added multiple anecdotes from their own climbing career, which, as an idea, sounds like a great way to bring climbing culture closer to the uninitiated reader, but now works as a repellent. The author seems to have quite a toxic relationship with climbing and themselves, and concentrates mostly on the negative aspects in their personal stories. I found this very unfortunate and demotivating.
January 9, 2023
Thoroughly enjoyed every moment reading this book. Zofia did an excellent job interweaving narrative with climbing history. As someone who typically struggles with non-fiction, I was fully engaged. You can feel the absolute love of climbing from the author without falling into the egocentric hole that traps a majority of historic climbing media. So good. Read on the kindle, but will definitely be grabbing a hard copy to my shelves.
April 16, 2023
Somewhat inconsistent. Part memoir, part history of climbing. Some (most) sections were fascinating, a few I found dry. Often jumpy wrt times and places, requiring effort to reorient myself. And, surprisingly, not as much female perspective as I had expected. I started following Reych some years ago because of their thoughtful, empowering writing; this book was quite different from what I had expected but it still delivered solidly on the thoughtful and empowering fronts.
November 12, 2022
I just finished reading Born to Climb, and I love it. Nice mix between Sofias story/history and the story/history of climbing in general, and some social problems and criticism interspersed.
April 2, 2024
The arrival of climbing as a medal sport in the Olympics was celebrated by the competitive climbing community, and some others looked on with curiosity if not interest. Although the competitive climbers viewed it as an indication of its validity as an athletic pursuit, climbing, by-and-large, did not reach an evolutionary peak. Born to Climb: From Rock Climbing Pioneers to Olympic Athletes by Zofia Reych had a opportunities to address or refute this evolutionary development, but instead it tells a story that gives too much weight in connecting Olympic climbing to climbing’s very beginnings.
Zofia Reych was born and introduced to climbing in Poland and was introduced to pulling plastic later in the UK. She also studied anthropology and applied it to Born to Climb, published by Adventure Books / Vertebrate Publishing in 2022. Born to Climb was released in 2022, the year after competitive climbing debuted in the 2020 Olympics (which, of course, was delayed a year due to the coronavirus pandemic and actually held in 2021.) The timeliness poised this book to tell a story based around the milestone, which was both why I wanted read it and its flaw.
I enthusiastically sought out Born to Climb to read because I was curious about the author’s lens on just that story. Reych explains, in what could be irony, why climbing was welcomed by the Olympics into the fold as it welcomed snowboarding in after the success at the X-Games. Reych also goes farther back in her research and lets the reader consider the factors that resurrected the ancient games and why it was actually reestablished. There were fascinating discussions on the establishment of sports for the affluent and the workforce in the 1800s, and the economics of the Olympics over the 1900s. It made me a little more cynical about the populism of sports in general.
Climbing, as we know it today, evolved from the 1800s. And ever since then, climbing has varied by different ethics and arguments about pro, various styles ranging from traveling in pairs to big heavy expeditions, and broader categories from alpine mountaineering, ice climbing, trad climbing, sport climbing, bouldering. Climbing was complex in the 1800s, and with the multitude of new branches of climbing categories sprouting in the 20th Century, with their own ethics and styles, have made it even more complicated. Drawing a line from the past to the Olympics made me pick up the book, but there is no straight line, and it made Born to Climb informative but not significantly insightful.
Born to Climb is misleading, in its timing of publishing, and the drive the story takes in telling the adjacent, but not parallel, stories of how climbing and Olympic developed and changed through the 1800s and 1900s. Although Born to Climb states no thesis about the ascension and crowing of climbing as a medal sport, the book is merely a good history lesson mixed with some current day climbing anecdotes, told through autobiographical details.
Reych does an exceptional job of educating the reader about how climbing changed from the Greek and Roman times to the alpine ascents in a pure sporting fashion in the 1800s, and the first rock climb (ropeless, by the way) at Napes Needle in 1886 in Wasdale, Lakes District by Haskett Smith, and all the way to contemporary competitive climbing. If not a thesis, at least a key point she makes in different ways, is that all forms of climbing “stem in a straight line from the ideals and ethics that were born in the Alps in the nineteenth century.” While competitive climbing is the hot topic, what about ice, mixed, and dry tooling climbing?
Reych shed new light for me in her review of the cultural conditions that women climbed in the 1800s. More women climbed than maybe recorded, but those that did were viewed as potentially harming their bodies and could border on vulgarity. Women climbers were part of the “new women,” which was a pejorative term.
While reading I was questioning whether the personal stories Reych sprinkles throughout the book advanced a theme or illustrated other points in the book. It was a little more biographical, which was sincerely charming, but didn’t initially move the story along. But later, it shined insight into contemporary culture around climbing as it entered the Olympic era, for instance when she speaks of a notable climber dying climbing outdoors. She makes herself an example of the current climbing culture, which is descended from the past.
In the end, Born to Climb is well researched, but having read many of the works she cites, I am not sure this was added more to the climbing shelves other than added one celebrating the 2020 Olympics. I appreciate that it embraces and looks to climbing history, searching for a thread from the top of Mont Blanc that isn’t there, other than climbing itself, but I am not buying a copy to give to my friends.
THIS REVIEW WAS ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON SuburbanMountaineer.com. CHECK IT OUT!
Zofia Reych was born and introduced to climbing in Poland and was introduced to pulling plastic later in the UK. She also studied anthropology and applied it to Born to Climb, published by Adventure Books / Vertebrate Publishing in 2022. Born to Climb was released in 2022, the year after competitive climbing debuted in the 2020 Olympics (which, of course, was delayed a year due to the coronavirus pandemic and actually held in 2021.) The timeliness poised this book to tell a story based around the milestone, which was both why I wanted read it and its flaw.
I enthusiastically sought out Born to Climb to read because I was curious about the author’s lens on just that story. Reych explains, in what could be irony, why climbing was welcomed by the Olympics into the fold as it welcomed snowboarding in after the success at the X-Games. Reych also goes farther back in her research and lets the reader consider the factors that resurrected the ancient games and why it was actually reestablished. There were fascinating discussions on the establishment of sports for the affluent and the workforce in the 1800s, and the economics of the Olympics over the 1900s. It made me a little more cynical about the populism of sports in general.
Climbing, as we know it today, evolved from the 1800s. And ever since then, climbing has varied by different ethics and arguments about pro, various styles ranging from traveling in pairs to big heavy expeditions, and broader categories from alpine mountaineering, ice climbing, trad climbing, sport climbing, bouldering. Climbing was complex in the 1800s, and with the multitude of new branches of climbing categories sprouting in the 20th Century, with their own ethics and styles, have made it even more complicated. Drawing a line from the past to the Olympics made me pick up the book, but there is no straight line, and it made Born to Climb informative but not significantly insightful.
Born to Climb is misleading, in its timing of publishing, and the drive the story takes in telling the adjacent, but not parallel, stories of how climbing and Olympic developed and changed through the 1800s and 1900s. Although Born to Climb states no thesis about the ascension and crowing of climbing as a medal sport, the book is merely a good history lesson mixed with some current day climbing anecdotes, told through autobiographical details.
Reych does an exceptional job of educating the reader about how climbing changed from the Greek and Roman times to the alpine ascents in a pure sporting fashion in the 1800s, and the first rock climb (ropeless, by the way) at Napes Needle in 1886 in Wasdale, Lakes District by Haskett Smith, and all the way to contemporary competitive climbing. If not a thesis, at least a key point she makes in different ways, is that all forms of climbing “stem in a straight line from the ideals and ethics that were born in the Alps in the nineteenth century.” While competitive climbing is the hot topic, what about ice, mixed, and dry tooling climbing?
Reych shed new light for me in her review of the cultural conditions that women climbed in the 1800s. More women climbed than maybe recorded, but those that did were viewed as potentially harming their bodies and could border on vulgarity. Women climbers were part of the “new women,” which was a pejorative term.
While reading I was questioning whether the personal stories Reych sprinkles throughout the book advanced a theme or illustrated other points in the book. It was a little more biographical, which was sincerely charming, but didn’t initially move the story along. But later, it shined insight into contemporary culture around climbing as it entered the Olympic era, for instance when she speaks of a notable climber dying climbing outdoors. She makes herself an example of the current climbing culture, which is descended from the past.
In the end, Born to Climb is well researched, but having read many of the works she cites, I am not sure this was added more to the climbing shelves other than added one celebrating the 2020 Olympics. I appreciate that it embraces and looks to climbing history, searching for a thread from the top of Mont Blanc that isn’t there, other than climbing itself, but I am not buying a copy to give to my friends.
THIS REVIEW WAS ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON SuburbanMountaineer.com. CHECK IT OUT!
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