John Ewbank (climber)
Encyclopedia
John Ewbank was born in Yorkshire
, England
in 1948, and emigrated to Australia
at age 15. Having learned rockclimbing in his native country, he quickly became involved in the fledgling Australian rockclimbing scene, and went on to pioneer hundreds of new routes on crags around the country, particularly in the Blue Mountains in his home state of New South Wales
. Many of the climbs which Ewbank put up are still regarded as classics of Australian climbing. Amongst these climbs, Janicepts (21) at Mount Piddington stood as the hardest climb in Australia for many years.
In addition to climbing, Ewbank also established Australia's first rockclimbing magazine, Thrutch. His most lasting legacy was the development of an entirely new system for grading climbs. To overcome the problems at that time with English grades being limited to Extremely Severe, and American grades limited to 5.9, Ewbank proposed an open ended range from 1 to 33. This approach to grading - known as the Ewbank System - subsequently became in widespread use throughout Australia
, New Zealand
and South Africa
.
Ewbank retired from climbing in the late 1970s.
Today he resides in New York City where he pursues music and often carpentry on the side.
Yorkshire
Yorkshire is a historic county of northern England and the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its great size in comparison to other English counties, functions have been increasingly undertaken over time by its subdivisions, which have also been subject to periodic reform...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
in 1948, and emigrated to Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
at age 15. Having learned rockclimbing in his native country, he quickly became involved in the fledgling Australian rockclimbing scene, and went on to pioneer hundreds of new routes on crags around the country, particularly in the Blue Mountains in his home state of New South Wales
New South Wales
New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
. Many of the climbs which Ewbank put up are still regarded as classics of Australian climbing. Amongst these climbs, Janicepts (21) at Mount Piddington stood as the hardest climb in Australia for many years.
In addition to climbing, Ewbank also established Australia's first rockclimbing magazine, Thrutch. His most lasting legacy was the development of an entirely new system for grading climbs. To overcome the problems at that time with English grades being limited to Extremely Severe, and American grades limited to 5.9, Ewbank proposed an open ended range from 1 to 33. This approach to grading - known as the Ewbank System - subsequently became in widespread use throughout Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
and South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
.
Ewbank retired from climbing in the late 1970s.
Today he resides in New York City where he pursues music and often carpentry on the side.