© 2024 KSUT Public Radio
NPR News and Music Discovery for the Four Corners
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

How Rock Climbing Legend Royal Robbins Influenced The Sport

In this June, 1967 photo provided by the family of Royal Robbins, Liz and Royal Robbins are seen at the summit of Half Dome after Liz became the world's first woman to climb it. Royal Robbins, who founded the outdoor clothing company bearing his name, has died after a long illness, he was 82. (Robbins Family via AP)
In this June, 1967 photo provided by the family of Royal Robbins, Liz and Royal Robbins are seen at the summit of Half Dome after Liz became the world's first woman to climb it. Royal Robbins, who founded the outdoor clothing company bearing his name, has died after a long illness, he was 82. (Robbins Family via AP)

Royal Robbins, a legendary rock climbing pioneer, died Tuesday at age 82. Robbins helped usher in the golden age of climbing at Yosemite, and he advocated using clean climbing techniques that left no trace on the rock.

Robbins and his wife Liz founded the company Royal Robbins, one of the first to specialize in outdoor clothing. Rock climber and writer John Long talks with Here & Now’s Robin Young about how Robbins influenced climbing.

Copyright 2021 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.