Ben Moon (rock climber)

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Ben Moon
Personal information
NationalityBritish
Born (1966-06-13) 13 June 1966 (age 55)
London
Websitewww.moonclimbing.com
Climbing career
Type of climberSport climbing, bouldering
Highest grade
Known for
  • First man to climb 9a (5.14d)
Sport
Retired2003
Updated on 13 May 2013.

Ben Moon (born 13 June 1966) is a rock climber from England.

During the late 1980s and early 1990s, Moon, along with his climbing partner Jerry Moffatt moved forward the level of sport climbing, both in the UK and internationally. He was the first person to climb a route at the grade of (French) 8c+, establishing Hubble at Raven Tor. Hubble was then the hardest sport route in the world. The crux, or the hardest section, consists of a Font 8B boulder problem. After very few repeats despite attempts from some of the world's best climbers, the route is now considered by some to be a 9a. The 8c+ grade was however confirmed by Alex Megos.[1] Moon is best known for short and powerful routes and boulder problems.


Career[]

Professional climber[]

Moon's first officially declared 8c routes had somewhat controversial names. The routes were both in France and had been previously attempted for a long time by local climbers. After climbing them Moon named them after French military disasters, first the Maginot Line, at Volx,[2][3] and secondly Agincourt, at Buoux.[4]

On 8 June 2015, Moon redpointed the Steve McClure route Rainshadow, 9a, at Malham Cove in North Yorkshire, England.[5][6]

Business ventures[]

In 2002 Moon founded his climbing clothing and equipment company, Moon Climbing, after splitting from his previous company, S7.[7] One of Moon Climbing's most popular products is the MoonBoard, an overhanging climbing wall used to train dynamic climbing.[8]

Notable ascents[]

  • Statement of Youth 8a - Lower Pen Trwyn (UK) - first ascent (1984)
  • Hubble 8c+ (9a) - Raven Tor (UK) - first ascent (1990)
  • Voyager (low start) 8B+ - Burbage (UK) - first ascent (2006)[9]
  • Rainshadow 9a - Malham Cove (UK) - repeat ascent (2015)

Films[]

  • One Summer, Bouldering In The Peak (1994)
  • The Real Thing (1996)
  • Hard Grit (1998)
  • Stick it (2001)
  • Stone Love (2001)
  • Winter Sessions (2006)

References[]

  1. ^ "Alexander Megos climbs Hubble. The Raven Tor interview".
  2. ^ "Sport Climbing World Powers". ukclimbing.com. July 2006. Retrieved 14 May 2013.
  3. ^ "Entrevista a Ben Moon" (in Spanish). desnivel.com. 25 June 2001. Archived from the original on 13 March 2013. Retrieved 14 May 2013.
  4. ^ Jim Thornburg (22 April 2010). "Buoux: Revisiting France's Crag of the 1980s". climbing.com. Retrieved 14 May 2013.
  5. ^ "Ben Moon storms through Rainshadow 9a at Malham Cove - Planetmountain.com, climbing, News, mountaineering". planetmountain.com. 2015. Retrieved 9 June 2015.
  6. ^ "INTERVIEW: Ben Moon on Rainshadow 9a - "I'm Over the Moon!"". ukclimbing.com. 2015. Retrieved 10 June 2015.
  7. ^ "About Moon Climbing". moonclimbing.com.
  8. ^ "How and Why to Train on the Moonboard". Climbing. 2 December 2017. Retrieved 17 July 2021.
  9. ^ "Ben Moon". DMM Climbing. Retrieved 15 July 2021.

External links[]


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