John Sherman (climber): Difference between revisions
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{{Short description|American rock climber}} |
{{Short description|American rock climber}} |
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{{for|other people with the same name|John Sherman (disambiguation)}} |
{{for|other people with the same name|John Sherman (disambiguation)}} |
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'''John Sherman''' (born 1959), nicknamed '''Verm''' (short for "Vermin") is an American [[rock climber]] and a pioneer in the promotion and development of the climbing discipline of [[bouldering]].<ref name=NYT/> He is also a climbing writer and outdoor photographer, and the originator of the [[Grade (climbing)#V-grade|V-grade system]] (after his nickname),<ref name=NYT/> for grading the technical difficulty of boulder problems, which has since become one of the dominant grading systems worldwide.<ref>{{cite web | magazine=[[National Geographic]] | first=Mary Anne | last=Potts | date=12 September 2011 | title=Climbing "the Strike" in the Black Hills Needles with Legendary John "Verm" Sherman | url=https://www.nationalgeographic.com/adventure/article/trad-climbing-the-strike-in-the-south-dakotas-needles-with-climbing-legend-john-verm-sherman | accessdate=25 May 2024}}</ref><ref name=CL2/> |
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{{BLP sources|date=April 2013}} |
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'''John Sherman''' (born 1959), nicknamed '''Verm''' (short for "Vermin") is an American [[climbing|climber]] and a pioneering [[bouldering|boulderer]]. He is also a writer and photographer. He is the originator of the V-scale for [[Grade (bouldering)|grading]] boulder problems. |
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==Climbing career== |
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Sherman was a very visible "outsider" character in the climbing world during much of the 1980s and 1990s. An early boulderer, Sherman followed the sport from the era of searching for elusive [[John Gill (climber)|Gill]] arrows to the forefront of the modern climbing world. He was one of the foremost developers of [[Hueco Tanks]] bouldering with over 400 first ascents there in the 1980s and early 1990s. |
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Sherman started climbing at age 15 at [[Indian Rock Park|Indian Rocks]].<ref>{{Cite web | magazine=Elevation Outdoors | url=https://www.elevationoutdoors.com/climbing/wild-thing/ | first=Chris | last=Leuven | date=2 July 2012 | accessdate=25 May 2024 | title=Wild Thing}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | newspaper=[[Berkeleyside]] | url=https://www.berkeleyside.org/2023/12/07/rock-climbing-indian-rock-mortar-rock | title=How Berkeley’s famous boulders took rock climbing to new heights | first=Ally | last=Markovich | date=7 December 2023 | accessdate=25 May 2024}}</ref> He came to prominence as one of the developers of the important [[Hueco Tanks]] bouldering area in Texas, where he made over 400 [[first free ascent]]s in the 1980s and early 1990s.<ref name=NYT/> As well as being an early adopter of bouldering as a sport, through his books and writings, Sherman played an important role in the promotion and development of the sport around the world.<ref name=NYT>{{cite web | newspaper=[[New York Times]] | url=https://www.nytimes.com/2022/04/22/well/move/fitness-bouldering-rock-climbing.html#:~:text=%E2%80%9CSome%20of%20the%20best%20boulder,nickname%2C%20%E2%80%9CVermin%E2%80%9D). | title=A Beginner’s Guide to Bouldering | first=Erik | last=Vance | date=22 April 2022 | accessdate=25 May 2024}}</ref> Sherman was the author of the notable 1991 [[climbing guidebook#Influence and notable books|bouldering guidebook]], ''Hueco Tanks Climbing and Bouldering Guide'',<ref name=GR/> which launched the important V-grade rating system.<ref name=CL1/><ref name=CL2/><ref name=OUT1/> In 1992, Sherman and Bruce Pottenger designed the first commercially available [[bouldering pad]] with the "nylon sleeve, carrying straps, dual-density replaceable foam" that would become the standard design in bouldering, which they sold as the "Kinnaloa Sketchpad".<ref>{{cite web | magazine=[[Climbing (magazine)|Climbing]] | url=https://www.climbing.com/gear/crash-pads-safety-changed-bouldering-forever/ | first=Alison | last=Osius | date=4 January 2022 | accessdate=25 May 2024 | title=Two Layers of Carpet and Some Foam: the First Crashpad Design Changed Bouldering Forever}}</ref> |
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Sherman was a highly visible 'enigmatic' and 'colorful' character in the climbing world throughout the 1980s and 1990s. In 2000, when reviewing Sherman's book, ''Sherman Exposed: Slightly Censored Climbing Stories'', for the ''[[American Alpine Journal]]'', climbing writer David Stevenson said: "If you’re of the opinion that Sherman is a raving lunatic, he’d probably be the last to argue with you. In fact, you’d do well to remember that he’s the one who very self-consciously gave you that impression in the first place. Don’t let the hyperbolic style fool you—this is one very smart guy", and also: "In Sherman we see the embodiment of both [[Royal Robbins]] and [[Warren Harding (climber)|Warren Harding]], a pair whose individual values are generally understood to be mutually exclusive. But Sherman somehow takes Harding’s semper farcimas and combines it with Robins pure, ground-up ethic. I suppose one of the tricks to reading Sherman is to know when he’s joking and when he’s serious: the answer is usually both a and b."<ref name=AAJ/> |
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==Personal life== |
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Shemnan grew up in [[Berkley, California]] and earned a degree in geology at [[University of Colorado Boulder]].<ref name=EO/> For many years, he pursued a mostly seasonal career working as a 'wellsite geologist' for oil exploration companies, which he attributed to giving him the financial freedom to indulge his passion for continuous travel.<ref name=EO>{{Cite web | magazine=Elevation Outdoors | url=https://www.elevationoutdoors.com/climbing/wild-thing-ii/ | first=Chris | last=Leuven | date=2 July 2012 | accessdate=25 May 2024 | title=Wild Thing II}}</ref> |
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==Published works== |
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* {{cite book | last = Sherman | first = John | edition=1st | title = Hueco Tanks a Climbers and Boulderers Guide | publisher = Falcon Publishing | year = 1991 | isbn = 978-0934641326 }}<ref name=GR>{{cite web | magazine=Gripped Magazine | url=https://gripped.com/articles/10-most-influential-north-american-climbing-titles/ | date=30 May 2011 | accessdate=25 May 2024 | title=10 Most Influential North American Climbing Titles}}</ref><ref name=CL1>{{cite web | magazine=[[Climbing (magazine)|Climbing]] | url=https://www.climbing.com/news/the-source-how-hueco-gave-birth-to-modern-bouldering/ | first=Luke| last=Laeser| title=The Source – How Hueco and a guidebook gave birth to modern bouldering | date=27 January 2006 | accessdate=5 May 2024}}</ref><ref name=CL2>{{cite web | magazine=[[Climbing (magazine)|Climbing]] | url=https://www.climbing.com/news/10-things-bouldering-grades/?scope=anon | title=10 Things You Didn't Know About Bouldering Grades | date=24 March 2022 | accessdate=1 September 2023 | first=Matt | last=Samet}}</ref><ref name=OUT1>{{cite web | magazine=[[Outside (magazine)|Outside]] | url=https://www.outsideonline.com/outdoor-adventure/climbing/12-great-moments-bouldering-history/ | first=Matt | last=Cote | date=12 May 2022 | accessdate=25 May 2024 | title=12 Great Moments in Bouldering History: Plotting the sport's first ascents and groundbreaking advances}}</ref> |
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* {{cite book | last = Sherman | first = John | title = Stone Crusade: A Historical Guide to Bouldering in America | publisher = [[American Alpine Club]]| year = 1994 | isbn = 978-0930410575 }}<ref name=GR/><ref>{{cite journal | journal=[[American Alpine Journal]] | date=1995 |url= https://publications.americanalpineclub.org/articles/12200041400/Sherman-Exposed-Slightly-Censored-Climbing-Stories | first=Cameron M.| last=Burns| page=358 | title=Stone Crusade: A Historical Guide to Bouldering in America | volume=69| issue=37 | quote=A classic that establishes the historical richness of bouldering’s neglected evolution and should make this activity mainstream}}</ref> |
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* {{cite book | last = Sherman | first = John | title = Sherman Exposed: Slightly Censored Climbing Stories | publisher = [[Mountaineers Books]] | year = 1999 | location = USA | isbn = 978-0-89886-852-4 }}<ref>{{cite web | magazine=[[Climbing (magazine)|Climbing]] | url=https://www.climbing.com/news/sherman-exposed-slightly-censored-climbing-stories/ | first=Tim | last=Pendelton | date=16 January 2008 | accessdate=25 May 2024 | title=Sherman Exposed: Slightly Censored Climbing Stories}}</ref><ref name=AAJ>{{cite journal | journal=[[American Alpine Journal]] | date=2000 |url= https://publications.americanalpineclub.org/articles/12200041400/Sherman-Exposed-Slightly-Censored-Climbing-Stories | first=David | last=Stevenson | page=414-415 | title=Sherman Exposed: Slightly Censored Climbing Stories | volume=42 | issue=74}}</ref> |
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* {{cite book | last = Sherman | first = John | title =Better Bouldering | publisher =Falcon Guides | year = December 2017 | isbn =978-1493029273 | edition=3rd}}<ref>{{cite web | magazine=[[National Geographic]] | first=Mary Anne | last=Potts | date=17 January 2012 | title=Video: John “Verm” Sherman’s Tips From the Updated Better Bouldering Book | url=https://www.nationalgeographic.com/adventure/article/video-john-verm-shermans-tips-from-updated-better-bouldering-book | accessdate=25 May 2024}}</ref> |
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==See also== |
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*[[John Gill (climber)|John Gill]], a pioneer in modern bouldering |
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*[[Fred Nicole]], a pioneer in modern bouldering |
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== References == |
== References == |
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{{reflist|2}} |
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* {{cite book | last = Sherman | first = John | title = Sherman Exposed: Slightly Censored Climbing Stories | publisher = Mountaineers Books | year = 2001 | location = USA | isbn = 978-0-89886-852-4 }} |
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* {{cite book | last = Sherman | first = John | title = Stone Crusade: A Historical Guide to Bouldering in America | publisher = American Alpine Club press| year = 1994 | location = Golden, Colorado, USA. | isbn = 0-930410-57-2 }} |
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==External== |
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*[https://www.oldmanlightning.com/about Official website] |
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*[https://gripped.com/video/watch-john-verm-shermans-bouldering-come-back/ Watch John “Verm” Sherman’s Bouldering Come Back] ''Gripped Magazine'' (2017) |
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Sherman, John}} |
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sherman, John}} |
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[[Category:Living people]] |
[[Category:Living people]] |
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[[Category:1959 births]] |
[[Category:1959 births]] |
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[[Category:Boulder climbers]] |
[[Category:Boulder climbers]] |
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[[Category:21st-century American non-fiction writers]] |
[[Category:21st-century American non-fiction writers]] |
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[[Category:20th-century American non-fiction writers]] |
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[[Category:University of Colorado Boulder alumni]] |
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[[Category:21st-century American geologists]] |
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[[Category:20th-century American geologists]] |
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[[Category:People from Berkeley, California]] |
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[[Category:Climbing and mountaineering writers]] |
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Latest revision as of 17:42, 27 May 2024
John Sherman (born 1959), nicknamed Verm (short for "Vermin") is an American rock climber and a pioneer in the promotion and development of the climbing discipline of bouldering.[1] He is also a climbing writer and outdoor photographer, and the originator of the V-grade system (after his nickname),[1] for grading the technical difficulty of boulder problems, which has since become one of the dominant grading systems worldwide.[2][3]
Climbing career[edit]
Sherman started climbing at age 15 at Indian Rocks.[4][5] He came to prominence as one of the developers of the important Hueco Tanks bouldering area in Texas, where he made over 400 first free ascents in the 1980s and early 1990s.[1] As well as being an early adopter of bouldering as a sport, through his books and writings, Sherman played an important role in the promotion and development of the sport around the world.[1] Sherman was the author of the notable 1991 bouldering guidebook, Hueco Tanks Climbing and Bouldering Guide,[6] which launched the important V-grade rating system.[7][3][8] In 1992, Sherman and Bruce Pottenger designed the first commercially available bouldering pad with the "nylon sleeve, carrying straps, dual-density replaceable foam" that would become the standard design in bouldering, which they sold as the "Kinnaloa Sketchpad".[9]
Sherman was a highly visible 'enigmatic' and 'colorful' character in the climbing world throughout the 1980s and 1990s. In 2000, when reviewing Sherman's book, Sherman Exposed: Slightly Censored Climbing Stories, for the American Alpine Journal, climbing writer David Stevenson said: "If you’re of the opinion that Sherman is a raving lunatic, he’d probably be the last to argue with you. In fact, you’d do well to remember that he’s the one who very self-consciously gave you that impression in the first place. Don’t let the hyperbolic style fool you—this is one very smart guy", and also: "In Sherman we see the embodiment of both Royal Robbins and Warren Harding, a pair whose individual values are generally understood to be mutually exclusive. But Sherman somehow takes Harding’s semper farcimas and combines it with Robins pure, ground-up ethic. I suppose one of the tricks to reading Sherman is to know when he’s joking and when he’s serious: the answer is usually both a and b."[10]
Personal life[edit]
Shemnan grew up in Berkley, California and earned a degree in geology at University of Colorado Boulder.[11] For many years, he pursued a mostly seasonal career working as a 'wellsite geologist' for oil exploration companies, which he attributed to giving him the financial freedom to indulge his passion for continuous travel.[11]
Published works[edit]
- Sherman, John (1991). Hueco Tanks a Climbers and Boulderers Guide (1st ed.). Falcon Publishing. ISBN 978-0934641326.[6][7][3][8]
- Sherman, John (1994). Stone Crusade: A Historical Guide to Bouldering in America. American Alpine Club. ISBN 978-0930410575.[6][12]
- Sherman, John (1999). Sherman Exposed: Slightly Censored Climbing Stories. USA: Mountaineers Books. ISBN 978-0-89886-852-4.[13][10]
- Sherman, John (December 2017). Better Bouldering (3rd ed.). Falcon Guides. ISBN 978-1493029273.[14]
See also[edit]
- John Gill, a pioneer in modern bouldering
- Fred Nicole, a pioneer in modern bouldering
References[edit]
- ^ a b c d Vance, Erik (22 April 2022). "A Beginner's Guide to Bouldering". New York Times. Retrieved 25 May 2024.
- ^ Potts, Mary Anne (12 September 2011). "Climbing "the Strike" in the Black Hills Needles with Legendary John "Verm" Sherman". National Geographic. Retrieved 25 May 2024.
- ^ a b c Samet, Matt (24 March 2022). "10 Things You Didn't Know About Bouldering Grades". Climbing. Retrieved 1 September 2023.
- ^ Leuven, Chris (2 July 2012). "Wild Thing". Elevation Outdoors. Retrieved 25 May 2024.
- ^ Markovich, Ally (7 December 2023). "How Berkeley's famous boulders took rock climbing to new heights". Berkeleyside. Retrieved 25 May 2024.
- ^ a b c "10 Most Influential North American Climbing Titles". Gripped Magazine. 30 May 2011. Retrieved 25 May 2024.
- ^ a b Laeser, Luke (27 January 2006). "The Source – How Hueco and a guidebook gave birth to modern bouldering". Climbing. Retrieved 5 May 2024.
- ^ a b Cote, Matt (12 May 2022). "12 Great Moments in Bouldering History: Plotting the sport's first ascents and groundbreaking advances". Outside. Retrieved 25 May 2024.
- ^ Osius, Alison (4 January 2022). "Two Layers of Carpet and Some Foam: the First Crashpad Design Changed Bouldering Forever". Climbing. Retrieved 25 May 2024.
- ^ a b Stevenson, David (2000). "Sherman Exposed: Slightly Censored Climbing Stories". American Alpine Journal. 42 (74): 414-415.
- ^ a b Leuven, Chris (2 July 2012). "Wild Thing II". Elevation Outdoors. Retrieved 25 May 2024.
- ^ Burns, Cameron M. (1995). "Stone Crusade: A Historical Guide to Bouldering in America". American Alpine Journal. 69 (37): 358.
A classic that establishes the historical richness of bouldering's neglected evolution and should make this activity mainstream
- ^ Pendelton, Tim (16 January 2008). "Sherman Exposed: Slightly Censored Climbing Stories". Climbing. Retrieved 25 May 2024.
- ^ Potts, Mary Anne (17 January 2012). "Video: John "Verm" Sherman's Tips From the Updated Better Bouldering Book". National Geographic. Retrieved 25 May 2024.
External[edit]
- Official website
- Watch John “Verm” Sherman’s Bouldering Come Back Gripped Magazine (2017)
| International | |
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| National | |
Categories:
- Living people
- 1959 births
- American rock climbers
- Boulder climbers
- 21st-century American non-fiction writers
- 20th-century American non-fiction writers
- University of Colorado Boulder alumni
- 21st-century American geologists
- 20th-century American geologists
- People from Berkeley, California
- Climbing and mountaineering writers