Fred Nicole

Fred Nicole (born 21 May 1970) is a Swiss rock climber known for his first ascents of extreme sport climbing routes, and also for pioneering the development of standards and techniques in modern bouldering in the 1990s and early 2000s; he is considered an important climber in the history of the sport.

Climbing career
In 1992, Nicole solved La Danse des Balrogs, in Branson, Switzerland, which is considered the first-ever  in bouldering history. In 1996, he solved Radja, also in Branson, which is also now considered the first-ever  graded boulder in history.

In 2002, he solved Monkey Wedding and Black Eagle SDS in Rocklands, South Africa, which is now considered to be the first-ever  graded boulder in history. In 2000, Nicole solved Dreamtime in Cresciano in Switzerland, which at the time was considered the first-ever boulder in history, but its consensus grade was subsequently softened;  the beauty and challenge of Dreamtime have maintained its status as an important route in bouldering history.

Nicole has also made important first ascents in sport climbing. In 1988, he redpointed the second-ever in history with Anaïs et le canabis in Saint-Loup in Switzerland. In 1993, he redpointed the third-ever in history with Bain de Sang, also in Saint-Loup in Switzerland.