Born:
1994, Sheffield, England
Biggest achievement:
DMM athlete since:
2016
Oli Grounsell is a Sheffield-based climber and coach with one of the most quietly impressive all-round CVs in British climbing. Introduced to the sport at a birthday party at The Edge climbing wall in his early teens, he rapidly progressed through the gritstone grades of the Peak District, onsighting E5 at 16 and building an extraordinary tick list, with trad routes up to E9, sport routes up to 8c+ and boulders up to 8B. Highlights include headpointing The Zone (E9 6c) at Curbar, the third ascent of Mission Impossible (E9 7a) in the Ogwen Valley, the gearless arête of Simba's Pride (E8 6b) at Burbage South and a growing list of hard sport routes across Europe. He spent a year travelling and climbing across Canada, Mexico, Australia and China after university, broadening a game already well beyond the Peak. Now back in Sheffield, Oli works as a coach for Lattice Training, crafting personalised training plans for climbers around the world, and brings the same low-key, thoughtful approach to coaching that he brings to his own climbing.
Get to know Oli
