Gill Price
Acting
Biography
Gill Price is a British climber active primarily in the 1970s and 1980s, known for her significant contributions to the history of traditional climbing in the UK and her role in advancing women in the sport. She was part of the generation of climbers affiliated with the Pinnacle Club, the UK's all-female national climbing club, which aimed to promote the autonomy and skills of female climbers in a field still largely dominated by men. During her career, Price distinguished herself with several significant ascents that left their mark on women's climbing in Great Britain. With Jill Lawrence, she completed the 1976 ascent of Eroica on Pentire Head, a route then graded E2, which represented one of the first female ascents of that grade at the time. She continued to push her own limits in the following years and was one of the first women to climb extremely demanding routes. In 1980, she made the second female ascent of Left Wall at Dinas y Gromlech, a route graded E3 at the time, which led her to write about her experience for the specialist book Extreme Rock. 1984 was a particularly significant year for Gill Price: she climbed a large number of difficult routes, often partnered with Mandy Glanvill, in areas such as North Wales and Pembroke. These achievements included ascents of several E4 routes and first female ascents of demanding lines such as Zukator, Atomic Finger Flake, Resurrection, Tangerine Dream, and Trevallen Pillar. At the renowned International Women’s Meet held in North Wales in May 1984, which brought together many top female climbers from around the world, she also climbed Comes the Dervish, then graded E5, one of the first female ascents of this difficulty in the UK, achieved on the same day as a similar feat by Jill Lawrence on Dinas y Gromlech. Later in her career, in 1992, she continued to make history in women’s climbing by achieving, along with others, the first British female ascent of Another Day in Paradise on Piz Badile in the Alps. Beyond her achievements on the rock, Gill Price embodies the pioneering spirit of British women climbers of her era, helping to pave the way for later generations of female climbers by tackling difficulties rarely attempted by women at the time.
Known For
In the late 1970s and early 1980s, Jill Lawrence and Gill Price, members of the women's climbing club Pinnacle Club, made the first female ascents of difficult routes, laying the foundations for what would develop in the 1980s. In 1984, in the Lake District, Gill Price and Jill Lawrence were filmed climbing Empire E3 6a at Raven Crag, Thirlmere, for a Channel 4 program, Lakeland Rock, with Chris Bonington, broadcast on Channel 4 on 25 May 1985. This event marked a turning point in British women's climbing, as few, if any, women appeared on television climbing difficult sport routes.
Raven Crag - Closing The Gap
First broadcast on Channel 4 in 1985, Lakeland Rock is a classic of climbing. Presented by Sir Chris Bonington, this 1990 documentary comprises four films that retrace five iconic routes, each representing a major milestone in a sport that reflects the social transformations of Great Britain. From the 1940s, when working-class people began climbing mountains, to the 1980s, marked by technological advancements, the rise of female climbers, and the soaring difficulty of sport climbing with its near-Olympic levels of physical preparation. In three of the films, the climbers recreate their first ascents, with a tribute to their deceased climbing partners, Don Whillans and Bill Peascod. Also included is the first filmed ascent of "Incantations" on Gable Crag by Pete Whillance and Dave Armstrong, which, rated E6 6b, was considered at the time to be the most difficult route in the Lake District.