4From its earliest beginnings in 1930s Europe, to the dramatic feats on Yosemite big walls in the 1970s, to the super human accomplishments of current climbers, The 9th Grade is a thrilling chronicle of a sport that pushes athletes to the far edges of their physical endurance and courage. Both aspiring and accomplished rock climbers as well as armchair thrill seekers will enjoy this comprehensive history of free climbing, a sport often done with no rope or protective gear to catch the climber who makes a mistake. They'll learn what the seminal climbs were, who did them, and how; outrageous accomplishments have built on each other to create ever more difficult climbs that no one thought were once possible. The stories bounce around the globe as climbers compete to do the toughest, most impossible routes, wherever that quest takes them. This is both a comprehensive and an exciting history of one of our most extreme sports.