Oliver Perry-Smith (October 11, 1884 in Philadelphia – May 13, 1969 ) was an American rock climber, mountaineer and skier who moved to Dresden in 1902 to attend a technical university.

Climbs in Saxon Switzerland

He became well known in the Sächsische Schweiz for the first ascents of major sandstone rock towers such as: and first ascents of several climbing routes that are still very popular today, e. g.: (All grades Saxon rating) In total "he made more than 90 ascents in Saxon Switzerland, 33 of which are rated VI or above; there were 32 first ascents, 13 solo climbs and 36 additional ones on which he led".

Alps

On a trip to the Alps in 1908 he and his friend Rudolf Fehrmann made a number of first ascents. In the Alps "his repeated ascents include also Weisshorn, Matterhorn, Dent Blanche, Zinalrothorn, Wellenkuppe, Obergabelhorn, Kleine Zinne".

Skiing

Beside his achievements in climbing, he also won the Austrian championship in cross-country-skiing and ski-jumping in 1914.

Other aspects

There are a number of anecdotes depicting Perry-Smith as a rather unusual character: In the year 1914 Oliver Perry-Smith returned to the US, never to visit Saxony again.

Sources