Pat Ament

American climber, author and filmmaker

Pat Ament (born September 3, 1946) is an American rock climber, filmmaker, musician, and artist who lives in Fruita, Colorado. Noted for first ascents in the 1960s and 1970s, he is the author of many articles and books.

Ament began climbing in 1958, and by the mid 1960s had established the first 5.11 climbs in Colorado (Supremacy Crack) and Yosemite (Center Route on the Slack). A college gymnast, he was a dedicated boulderer and put up many challenging problems on Flagstaff Mountain in Boulder, Colorado, elsewhere in Colorado and in Yosemite Valley. His climbing and bouldering companions over the years have included Royal Robbins, Bob Kamps, Don Whillans, Tom Higgins, John Gill, and Layton Kor.

Ament's best known written works are his biographies of Royal Robbins and John Gill. He wrote a compendium of ascents and climbers in his 2002 work, "Wizards of Rock: A History of Free Climbing in America," and his "Climbing Everest" is a philosophical essay, adorned with cartoons by the author. Ament is a poet and artist. He won the "Artist Award" from the Art Department of the University of Colorado in 1967. He is a photographer and has given talks around the country, illustrated with his photos. He was twice guest speaker for the British National Mountaineering Festival and has won several awards for films he has made, including from Austria and the University of Geneva, Switzerland. In September, 2013, Ament was inducted into the Boulder Sports Hall of Fame.

In November 2009, he released his latest film Disciples of Gill, a documentary about John Gill and the boulderers he inspired, such as Jim Holloway and Ament himself. The film features archival footage from 40 years ago as well as modern interviews with older climbers describing where they are now. During the filming, Ament himself took a fall, seriously injuring his leg.