JAMES PEARSON

CLIMBER

Climbing has introduced many things into British climber James Pearson’s life: world travel, fame, community, scrutiny, redemption, his wife, French climber Caroline Ciavaldini, and in 2019, a child.

A skillful and charismatic climber with a passionate vision, James’ climbing career began in the Peak District of England near his home of Derbyshire. At the age of 15, James took to climbing quite naturally, moving on the rock with a fluid, elegant, yet powerful style. Less than five years later, he was one of the UK’s brightest climbing stars. Since then, James’s quest for challenging and aesthetic Trad routes has taken him from his local gritstone outcrops to walls and crags in exotic locations around the globe, from Chad to Tasmania.

A decade ago, James climbed what he believed was the hardest route in the UK, grading Walk of Life an E12, the first of its kind. The grading choice and his subsequent status within the UK climbing community prompted the acclaimed 2014 film, “Redemption: The James Pearson Story”, in which James gives his side of the controversial story and goes on to climb the hardest route in the UK.

A decade ago, James climbed what he believed was the hardest route in the UK, grading Walk of Life an E12, the first of its kind. Later downgraded, James faced criticisms from the UK climbing community, who questioned his motives and choices. He moved to Innsbruck in an attempt to re-discover the meaning of life and climbing and put forth the acclaimed 2014 film, “Redemption: The James Pearson Story”. The film follows James on his journey to come to terms with his past and his journey back to climb the UK’s hardest route.

In the last several years, the 32-year-old has re-established himself as one of the world’s great trad climbers. In 2017, James made the first ascent of Le Voyage, graded E10 7a, arguably the hardest single pitch trad route in France. In 2018, he made the first free ascent of Power Ranger, a bold and difficult 5.14R at Sunset Rocks in Chattanooga, Tennessee.