Jerry Moffatt

Jerry Moffatt
Soloing L'Horla (E1 5b), Curbar Edge.[2]
Personal information
NationalityBritish
Born (1963-05-18) 18 May 1963 (age 61)[3]
Leicester, England[4][5]
EducationSt David's College[1]
OccupationProfessional rock climber
Height5 ft 11 in (180 cm)[6]
Weight10 st (140 lb; 64 kg)[6]
SpouseSharon Wallace (m.2003)[3]
Climbing career
Type of climber
Highest grade
Known for
  • First to climb 8a+, 8c+ (sport)
  • First to on-sight 7b+, 7c, 7c+ (sport)
  • One of first to climb 8A+, 8B (bouldering)
First ascents
  • Ulysees' Bow (E6 6b, '83)
  • Master's Wall (E7 6b,[a] '83)
  • Masterclass (8a, '83)
  • Revelations (8a+,[b] '84)
  • Superman (8A+/V12, '88)
  • Evolution (8c+, '95)
Major ascents
  • The Face (8a+, '83)
  • Liquid Ambar (8c+, '90)
  • The Dominator (8B/V13, '93)
Retired1990 (competition);
2002 (general)[1]
Medal record
IFSC Climbing World Cup
Bronze medal – third place 1989 Lead
Sport Roccia
Silver medal – second place 1989 Lead
Updated on 16 January 2022

Jerry Moffatt (born 18 March 1963), is a British rock climber and climbing author who is widely considered as being the best British rock climber from the early-1980s to the early-1990s, and was arguably the best rock climber in the world in the mid-1980s, and an important climber in the history of the sport.

As a sport climber, Moffatt was one of the first climbers in history to onsight routes of grade 7b+ (5.12c), 7c (5.12d), and 7c+ (5.13a), and also the first in history to climb routes of grade 8a+ (5.13c), and probably 8c+ (5.14c).[c] As a competition climber, Moffatt won several of the nascent tour events, and retired ranked first in the world. As a boulder climber, Moffatt was one of the first-ever to solve problems of boulder grade 8A+ (V12), and 8B (V13). As a traditional climber, Moffatt established some of the most intimidating routes at the time in Britain, which are still rarely repeated, and in particular, the Master's Wall (E7 6b) in 1983.[a]

Moffatt was noted for the intensity of his training, and the co-development of training techniques now considered mainstream in professional climbing. In 1991, Moffatt opened Britain's first indoor climbing centre, "The Foundry" in Sheffield. He has written books on mental preparation for competition climbing.


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  1. ^ a b Hobley, Nicholas; Grimes, Niall (26 February 2009). "Jerry Moffatt Interview". PlanetMountain.com. Retrieved 14 January 2022.
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference MW was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference REV was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ "An Interview with Jerry Moffatt About Comp Climbing". Gripped.com. 28 November 2016. Retrieved 15 January 2022.
  5. ^ Cite error: The named reference CP was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  6. ^ a b "The master climber". BBC. 2 June 2006. Retrieved 14 January 2022. Jerry is one of, if not the greatest climbers of all time, and his name is known and highly respected in the global world of rock climbing