20 Historic Moments in Black Climbing History, from 1889 Until Now

This Black History Month, we’re looking back at the Black athletes who have helped push the sport of climbing forward.

From mountaineers to speed climbers, first ascensionists to Olympians, here are 20 times that Black climbers set new records, solved the impossible, achieved a generational feat of greatness, or challenged assumptions about what a climber looks like.

Our timeline traces all the way back to 1889, with the first ascent of Mt. Kilimanjaro, and takes us right up to the present day.