Royal Robbins

General information

Royal Robbins and his wife Liz were iconic Sierra Nevada rock climbers during the 1960s. They and their friends were part of a nascent and scrappy band of modern climber/philosophers who coined and embraced the term “clean climbing”: a set of practices and techniques that enabled them to climb big walls with little or no damage to the rock, a literal representation of their lived ethos of deep respect for the natural world.

Royal was very simply the best climber in the United States, if not the world, when he and his friends forged this new outdoor ethic in the late 1960s, giving birth to a technical foundation that is still in use in the American climbing community today.

In those days, the outdoor apparel industry started and ended with Army surplus and jean cut-offs. Climbers and hikers were in sore need of clothing that could move, that could stand up to the harsh Yosemite granite, and that fit well and looked good. Liz Robbins stitched up a rugged short she called the Billy Goat. It felt good, looked good and was built to last. Royal Robbins the apparel company was born.

Today, our heritage brand still makes enduring, classic, outdoor clothing for people who embody a love for the natural world. Our modern classics enable people to get up in the morning and “get dressed once”. Our clothing performs well because it moves, dries, packs and wears extremely well. We embrace a refined aesthetic with a sophisticated, nature-inspired palette that is understated, classic and smart. It works on the trail, in a meeting, on a plane or at dinner. Our clothing goes everywhere.