Pete Livesey

Pete Livesey, born on December 12, 1943, in Wakefield, Yorkshire, and died on February 26, 1998, was one of the leading figures in British climbing in the 1970s, known for raising the bar for traditional English climbing and for his competitive yet mischievous nature.

Having come from an athletic background, where he ran at a national level from his teenage years, he developed early on the endurance, speed, and strength that would become the foundation of his climbing style, before turning to other outdoor activities such as caving and canoeing, in which he also excelled. It wasn't until his late twenties that he devoted himself fully to climbing, but his impact was immediate: in 1971, with the free ascent of Face Route at Gordale Scar, he established a series of sustained and committing free routes on the limestone of northern England, setting a new standard for difficulty.