Peter Croft
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Peter Croft in Salt Lake City, circa 1990
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| Born | (1958-05-18) May 18, 1958 (age 66)
Nanaimo, British Columbia, Canada
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| Known for | Rock Climbing, Free solo climbing |
Peter Croft (born May 18, 1958) is a Canadian rock climber and mountaineer.[1] He has concentrated much of his rock climbing career on big routesinYosemite National Park, Squamish, British Columbia as well as the High Sierra. He received The American Alpine Club’s Robert & Miriam Underhill Award in 1991.[2]
Croft listed The Evolution Traverse (YDS class 5.9 grade VI) which links Mount Mendel, Mount Darwin, Mount Haeckel, Mount Fiske, Mount Warlow and Mount Huxley as one of his favorite climbs in Fifty Favorite Climbs: The Ultimate North American Tick List[3]
Royal Robbins, a leading climber of the previous generation, wrote about Croft and his climbing achievements in 2000: "Peter has been my hero for many years, ever since he came blazing out of nowhere with his stunning free solo ascent of Astroman on Washington Column in Yosemite. Tom Frost and I had made the second ascent of this route, mostly with direct aid in the early sixties. That one could climb this route without resorting to direct aid was impressive. To do it without a rope was astonishing. But such was Peter's level of mastery. That it was mastery, and not mere daring was proven by a string of free solos of similar stature, executed to perfection."[4]
Croft was born in Nanaimo, British Columbia on May 18, 1958. He grew up in Departure Bay, British Columbia where he was introduced to climbing.[5] Speaking with Peter in the early 2000s at Joshua Tree, he was asked what got him into free solo climbing. Peter said he was so drawn to climbing that at the end of the day when his other buddies were done and into campfire activities, he needed more. With no partner it evolved into free solo climbing.
Croft has completed a large number of first ascents including a number of free solo ascents.[6]
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