Charles Cole
American rock climber and inventor
Charles David "Charlie" Cole III (April 29, 1955 – July 14, 2018) was an American rock climber, inventor, and entrepreneur. He was the founder of the climbing shoe company Five Ten, established in 1985, and is best known for inventing the ultra-sticky Stealth Rubber outsole that revolutionized rock climbing and mountain sports footwear.2
From Wikipedia’s article on Charles Cole (this version), CC BY-SA 4.0.
Born Apr 29, 1955, died Jul 14, 2018.1
About
An accomplished climber himself, Cole achieved several notable first ascents in Yosemite and Joshua Tree and earned a reputation as a pioneering innovator in climbing gear. His developments in high-friction rubber technology "changed the way we all climb."
From Wikipedia’s article on Charles Cole, shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.2
Companies
- Five Ten FootwearFounder5
Early life and education
Cole was born in Mineola, New York, on April 29, 1955. In 1968, his family moved to Pasadena, California, where he attended the Polytechnic School. He later studied at St. Paul's School in New Hampshire, and went on to earn a B.S. in mechanical engineering from the University of Southern California in 1978, followed by an MBA from the University of Michigan in 1981.
Cole began climbing during his university years, inspired by the film The Eiger Sanction. He pursued climbing full-time after briefly working as an engineer, living out of Camp 4 in Yosemite and developing a reputation for bold ascents.
From Wikipedia’s article on Charles Cole (this version), CC BY-SA 4.0.
Career
Occupation: inventor.4
- Date not recordedFounded Five Ten Footwear3
In the late 1970s and early 1980s, Cole completed difficult first ascents in Yosemite, including Jolly Roger (VI 5.10 A5, with Steve Grossman), and solo ascents of Queen of Spades (VI 5.9 A4+) and Space (VI 5.10 A4+) on El Capitan. He also put up notable free climbs in Joshua Tree, including the classic Run For Your Life (5.10b).
From Wikipedia’s article on Charles Cole (this version), CC BY-SA 4.0.
Links
Sources
The numbers on this page point here. Each one links to the record it came from.
- 1WikidataCharles Cole on Wikidata
- 2WikipediaCharles Cole on Wikipedia
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- 4
- 5WikidataFive Ten Footwear, Founder
- 6Wikimedia CommonsCharles Cole photo by Photo released by Five Ten, CC BY-SA 4.0