5 Best Rock Climbers 2010

These 5 best rock climbers certainly are not afraid of the occasional fall. Some say it is not the climbing of rocks that is difficult, it is the falling down that is the problem. Rock climbing includes a wide array of terrain mastery including mountaineering and bouldering. The people on this list are skilled in overcoming all types of terrain and have won numerous awards for their achievements.

1. Chris Sharma. With a reputation as the U.S.’s best climber, Sharma is in the running to be the world’s best rock climber too. Sharma is a nomadic man who travels constantly in order to find the best rocks to climb. Rocks are graded by how technically difficult they are to climb, Sharma has mastered some of the most difficult of these rocks.
2. Russell Brice. Brice is the Chief Executive Officer of the mountaineering company, Himalayan Experience. He has summitted some of the world’s most difficult mountains, including conquering Mt. Everest two times. He has even been the subject of a Discovery Channel documentary. He has also climbed Himal Chuli and Cho Oyo.
3. Dean Potter. Potter is known as a risk-taking free climber, and has climbed Yosemite and Patagonia. He doesn’t use live saving equipment. Potter’s most recent climb of the Delicate Arches in Utah caused the park to enact new regulations for climbing the peak. Potter is also a base jumper.
4. Tommy Caldwell. Caldwell is a climber skilled at climbing diverse terrain. He is a base jumper and free climber, known for his free ascent of the Nose of El Captain. He has been in the rock climbing business for more than 20 years and was the first to pioneer many climb trails, including the West Buttress in the Yosemite Valley, and Long Peak Colorado. Interesting Fact: Caldwell sawed off his index finger off accidentally. Although doctors said they could reattach the finger Caldwell chose not to have it reattached so as to continue climbing.
5. Josune Bereziartu.The only female on the list, Bereziartu is from the Basque country in Spain. She was only 17 when she made her first climb. She has completed more difficult ascents than any other female climber. Her major triumphs include Logical Progression and Bain de Sang. Bereziartu does not like to be categorized as a female climber, and she deserves to be respected alongside her male compatriots. She attempts routes that would scare most male climbers.

Rock climbing is not for the faint of heart. It is a sport that demands extreme physical exertion. It is also challenging mentally, testing a climbers patience, endurance and ambition. Rock climbing is also arguably the oldest sport in the world. It became a craze in the 18th century when man determined to master peaks like those found in the Alps (in Europe) and Yosemite Valley (in the U.S.).

Today Rock climbing has flourished into a variety of sub-categories including free sloping and scrambling. It is a truly universal sport, allowing participants to climb indoors, outdoors, in teams or alone. The participant can choose the risk level they are comfortable with – from fully aided climbs over small ascents to major free climbs over world famous peaks.