Alex Waterhouse
{{Short description|British rock climber}}
{{Infobox climber
| image =
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| name = Alex Waterhouse
| birth_place = Plymouth, United Kingdom
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| education =
| occupation = Professional rock climber
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| typeofclimber = Competition climbing, bouldering, crack climbing
| apeindex =
| highestredpoint = {{Climbing grade|9a}}
| highestonsight =
| highestboulder = {{Boulder grade|8B+}}
| knownfor =
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| website =
| updated = 11 November 2023
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}}
Alex Waterhouse (born 9 April 1997) is a British rock climber, known for competition climbing and achieving ascents on difficult outdoor boulders and lead routes. He was a member of the GB climbing team.
Competition climbing career
Waterhouse began climbing in 2008 at age 11, with the climbing club at Devonport High School for Boys. A few months later he started competing, and by the age of 14 he joined the GB climbing team and entering European competitions.
He competed in three IFSC Climbing World Youth Championships, in Canada in 2013, and New Caledonia and Italy in 2015. In Italy he competed in the lead, boulder, and speed events, attaining 6th place in the overall world rankings. In the same year he become the UK junior bouldering champion, and captain of the GB junior bouldering team.
In 2015, Waterhouse began studying Computer Science at Dartmouth College in the US, during which he won the US collegiate national championship, and climbed {{Climbing grade|9a}} and {{Boulder grade|V14}} for the first time. He returned to the UK in 2019 to join the GB senior climbing team and compete in the IFSC Climbing World Cup.
In 2023, Waterhouse announced his retirement from competition climbing.
Notable ascents
= Boulder =
- The Kraken {{Boulder grade|V13}}, Hartland Quay, Devon, UK. May 2020. The hardest crack boulder problem in the world.
- Never Envding Story {{Boulder grade|8B+}}, Magic Wood, Switzerland. July 2020
= Lead =
- The Fly {{Climbing grade|9a}}, Rumney, New Hampshire, US
- Belly Full of Bad Berries {{Climbing grade|5.13b}} (flash), Indian Creek, Utah, US. The third person to flash the route, after Pete Whittaker and Mari Salvesen.
- The Nose (El Capitan) {{Climbing grade|5.14}}, Yosemite National Park, California, US. Climbing with Billy Ridal, becoming the first British pair to free the route.
References
{{reflist|refs=
{{cite web|url=https://www.scarpa.co.uk/blog/introducing-alex-waterhouse-interview/|title=Introducing Alex Waterhouse | Interview|date=2 November 2021|publisher=Scarpa}}
{{cite web|url=https://www.scarpa.co.uk/scarpa-team/alex-waterhouse/|title=Alex Waterhouse|publisher=Scarpa}}
{{cite web|url=https://www.climbing.com/news/hard-offwidth-flash-v16-downgrade-bolt-replacement/|title='Sleepwalker' Gets Downgraded; 5.13 Offwidth Flashed by Ex-Comp Climber; Garnbret Does 'New Baseline'|date=18 October 2023|publisher=Climbing}}
{{cite web|url=https://www.instagram.com/p/CpGU-3_D0a3/|title=This has been a hard post to write. 😢|first=Alex|last=Waterhouse|date=25 February 2023|publisher=Instagram}}
{{cite web|url=https://www.thebmc.co.uk/world-youth-championships--junior-lead-team-report|title=World Youth Championships - Junior Lead Team Report|date=11 September 2015|first=Rob|last=Adie|publisher=British Mountaineering Council}}
{{cite web|url=https://climbing-history.org/climber/145/alex-waterhouse|title=Alex Waterhouse}}
{{cite web|url=https://www.instagram.com/p/CwgGnKiOV4E/|title=26.08.2023 💒 |first=Alex|last=Waterhouse|date=28 August 2023|publisher=Instagram}}
}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Waterhouse, Alex}}
Category:British rock climbers