Ascent
The Rise of British Rock Climbing
Published on 30. April 2026
Book
Hardback
978-1-83705-117-5 (ISBN)
Description
THE STORY OF HOW A WILD MOUNTAIN ADVENTURE EVOLVED INTO AN ELITE OLYMPIC SPORT
'Why is the best blood of England to waste itself in scaling hitherto inaccessible peaks, in staining the eternal snow, and reaching the unfathomable abyss never to return?' - The Times, 1865
In the 1950s, rock climbing was a wild mountain adventure that was defined by a rebellious, bohemian culture and practised by small groups of amateur enthusiasts. Today, rock-climbing has become a professionalised, high-performance, mass-participation Olympic sport. There are now more than 400 climbing walls and over 500,000 people climb regularly in the UK.
Ascent tells the story of this remarkable transformation.
Anthony King - a dedicated climber himself - traces the sport's evolution through decades of rebellion, innovation and achievement to its place today as a vibrant, diverse culture. His own experiences colour the narrative; we discover not just how climbing developed, but what it feels like to climb and be a climber. More than just a history of the sport, through this story we also see how British society itself has changed.
Expansive, immediate and deeply engaging, Ascent is both cultural sport history and lived experience.
'Why is the best blood of England to waste itself in scaling hitherto inaccessible peaks, in staining the eternal snow, and reaching the unfathomable abyss never to return?' - The Times, 1865
In the 1950s, rock climbing was a wild mountain adventure that was defined by a rebellious, bohemian culture and practised by small groups of amateur enthusiasts. Today, rock-climbing has become a professionalised, high-performance, mass-participation Olympic sport. There are now more than 400 climbing walls and over 500,000 people climb regularly in the UK.
Ascent tells the story of this remarkable transformation.
Anthony King - a dedicated climber himself - traces the sport's evolution through decades of rebellion, innovation and achievement to its place today as a vibrant, diverse culture. His own experiences colour the narrative; we discover not just how climbing developed, but what it feels like to climb and be a climber. More than just a history of the sport, through this story we also see how British society itself has changed.
Expansive, immediate and deeply engaging, Ascent is both cultural sport history and lived experience.
Reviews / Votes
'The climbing community needs this sort of thing like oxygen at the moment. Everyone's so tired of short snippets online and much of this important historical information will be forgotten. Anthony has done a real service to British climbing with this wonderfully detailed, expansive and inspiring book.' -- Neil GreshamMore details
Language
English
Place of publication
Stroud
United Kingdom
Illustrations
Illustrations, black and white
Dimensions
Height: 241 mm
Width: 166 mm
Thickness: 29 mm
Weight
514 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-83705-117-5 (9781837051175)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions
E-Book
04/2026
The History Press Ltd
€18.49
Available for download
Person
ANTHONY KING is Professor of War Studies at Exeter University, but also a sports sociologist. Initially a specialist in football, his first two books were in that area - The End of the Terraces (1998), and The European Ritual, (2003). With Ascent, he draws extensively on his knowledge of the history of British sport and society. As an enthusiastic climber since the 1980s, Anthony's own experiences add a personal element to the narrative, giving it a sense of depth and vital colour.