thumb|Climber free climbing Sugar Cane Country ([[Grade (climbing)#British E-grade|E4 6a, in the Hebrides) in traditional climbing style (i.e., with climbing protection equipment).]]
Free climbing is a form of rock climbing in which the climber can use rock-climbing equipment for their protection, but not as an artificial aid to help them in ascending a climbing route. Free climbing, therefore, cannot use any of the mechanical tools that are widely used in aid climbing to help the climber overcome the obstacles they encounter while ascending a route (e.g., aiders or skyhooks). The development of free climbing was a transformational moment in the history of rock climbing, including the concept and definition of what determined a first free ascent (or FFA) of a climbing route by a climber.
Free climbing can be performed in several different rock-climbing formats that vary with the type of climbing protection which the free-climber used. For example, free climbing can be done as lead climbing in either a traditional climbing style (temporary and removable climbing protection) or a sport climbing style (permanently fixed in-situ climbing protection). Free climbing can also be performed as bouldering or as free solo climbing—both of which use no climbing protection whatsoever. Free climbing is sometimes misunderstood as relating only to the formats of free-solo climbing or of solo climbing, which is not correct.
History
The free climbing movement was an important development in the history of rock climbing. In 1913, German climber Rudolf Fehrmann published the second edition of Der Bergsteiger in der Sächsischen Schweiz (or The Climber in Saxon Switzerland), which included the first binding rules for climbing in the area to protect the soft sandstone rock. The rules said that only natural holds were allowed, and those "rules for free climbing" are in still use today.
In 1975, German climber Kurt Albert painted his first "Rotpunkt" (or redpoint) on the base of the aid climb Adolf Rott Ged.-Weg (V+/A1), in the Frankenjura, signifying he had "free climbed" it as a redpoint (i.e., after many failed attempts); the redpoint became the accepted definition of what constituted a "first free ascent".
First free ascent
The first "free climb" of a climbing route is known as the first free ascent, or FFA, and is chronicled by climbing journals and guide books. They also chronicle whether the "free climb" was done onsight (i.e. first try without any prior information), flashed (i.e., first try with prior information), or redpointed (i.e., completed after a first failed attempt). FFAs that create new grade milestones are important events in climbing history.
French free climbing
The derived term French free climbing, refers to the French lead climbing technique of "pulling upward" on pieces of in-situ climbing protection equipment (e.g., quickdraws on bolted routes or SLCDs on traditional climbing routes), as a source of aid in ascending the climbing route.
Despite the name, 'French free climbing' is not considered 'free climbing' per se, and a climber that uses the technique could not claim a 'first free ascent' of a new route.
Free climbing can be performed in a variety of types of climbing, most importantly:
- Incorrectly assuming that "free climbing" always means solo climbing, i.e., that a climber must always be alone and without any partner. Free climbing in traditional climbing and sport climbing uses a supporting belayer.