First Ascent: The Epic Yosemite Rock-Climbing Rivalry of Royal Robbins and Warren Harding - Hardcover

Messner, Kate

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1951179331 ISBN 13: 9781951179335

Publisher: Yosemite Conservancy, 2025

Synopsis

New York Times-bestselling author Kate Messner presents a daring game of one-upmanship that pushed the sport of rock climbing to new heights during the Golden Age of Yosemite climbing.

Royal Robbins and Warren Harding were two wildly different men who loved the challenge posed by big walls of granite--some that had never been climbed! They paired up to attempt an epic climb on Half Dome. When they didn't make it to the top, they went their separate ways and soon became fierce rivals, racking up first ascents around Yosemite Valley.

This suspenseful, true story offers a fast-paced adventure with a dash of sports history and environmental awareness, told by Kate Messner--one of today's foremost writers of nonfiction for young people--and climber-illustrator Stevie Lewis, whose love of the sport is on dazzling display. Readers will join the journey as the climbers chase their personal passion for thrilling exploits, which in turn showed the world the heights that are possible when there is someone pushing you to achieve.

Perfect for:

• Fans of Kate Messner's popular History Smashers series
• Fans of adventure stories, sports biographies, and national parks tales
• Teachers and librarians looking for picture books about nontraditional and action sports
• Parents, grandparents, and caregivers searching for exciting nonfiction to engage young minds

About this title

About the Author

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

Excerpted from FIRST ASCENT:

It might seem as if Royal Robbins and Warren Harding had nothing in common.

Royal was thoughtful and quiet. Warren was wild and loud.

Royal liked books and classical music. Warren liked parties.

But they both loved rocks.

BIG rocks.

 

Royal got his first taste of rock climbing in elementary school. He didn’t have the happiest childhood. He wasn’t great at school, and he couldn’t throw a ball.

But he loved scrambling over boulders on the ocean breakwall.

 

When Royal was about fourteen, he went climbing in the High Sierra.

It felt like magic when his hands touched that rock. For the first time in his life, he felt good at something.

AUTHOR’S NOTE

My son Jake introduced me to rock climbing and to Yosemite National Park, one of his favorite places on Earth. It was easy to see why, and I found myself wondering about the people who have tried climbing those massive cliffs. Our conversation led to Royal and Warren, sparking months of research and, eventually, this book.

I’d like to thank everyone who helped with research and fact-checking, especially Hannah Fleetwood, Jerry Gallwas, Liz Robbins, Jim Thomsen, Ken Yager, and everyone at the Yosemite Climbing Association for their work in preserving the history of Yosemite climbing.

Royal and Warren are gone now, but they left their mark on the sport of rock climbing. Royal’s ethics led to a new style of climbing that had less of an impact on the environment and helped usher in the Leave No Trace guidelines that are a cornerstone of conservation today. Just like Royal and Warren, today’s climbers aspire to their own first ascents, pushing the sport to even higher levels.

Edition details

• Publisher: Yosemite Conservancy
• Publication date: 2025
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1951179331
• ISBN 13: 9781951179335
• Binding: Hardcover
• Illustrator: Lewis Stevie
• Number of pages: 52