I do think that it is worth emphasizing somewhat more than you do that, esthetics of performance notwithstanding, Gill was, when he tried hard, more than two grades above the prevailing standards, a gap so huge as to be beyond the understanding of most of his climbing contemporaries.

I also find it interesting that Gill had so little influence. He had the misfortune to have discovered bouldering in the Big Wall era, and of course he had no interest in promoting what he was doing. The photos in Master of Rock come from what he called his “ego book,” which was a personal album, I’m sure he never imagined would see the light of day.

It may be that Master of Rock inspired a generation removed from Gill’s heyday, but really that generation had to reinvent bouldering with, at best, some black and white pictures for encouragement. By and large, Gill’s climbing contemporaries either ignored his achievements or managed to classify them as anomolous and barely relevant to climbing at the time.

I`m from Europe (Romania). By years I`m studying alpine history in my own country, which is a strange and interesting mix between mountaineering and politics – in communism times.
I am not historian – just as amateur, but my studies are close enough to the subject – sociology.

I`m glad to find some other persons involved in similar subjects.

best,
Marian Anghel

http://www.amborncpa.com