{{short description|American rock climber}} {{Use American English|date=May 2026}} {{Use mdy dates|date=May 2026}} {{Infobox person |name = Layton Kor |image =File:Layton Kor, in Eldorado, on the climb "Exhibit A".jpg |alt = |caption =Layton Kor, in Eldorado Canyon, on the climb "Exhibit A" |birth_date = {{birth date|1938|06|11}} |birth_place = Canby, Minnesota |death_date= {{death date and age|2013|4|21|1938|6|11}} |other_names = |known_for = | height = {{height|m=1.90}} |occupation = Rock Climber |nationality = }} '''Layton Kor''' (June 11, 1938 – April 21, 2013) was an American rock climber active in the 1960s, whose first ascents and drive for climbing are well known in the climbing world.<ref>{{cite book|first=Jeff |last=Achey|author2=Chelton, Dudley |author3=Godfrey, Bob |title=Climb!|publisher=The Mountaineers Books|year=2002|isbn=0-89886-876-9}}</ref> His routes included many climbs in Eldorado Canyon, near Boulder, Colorado, The Diamond on Longs Peak, towers in the desert southwest, and Yosemite National Park, among other locations. Notable among his first ascents is the Kor-Ingalls Route on Castleton Tower and The Finger of Fate Route up the Fisher Towers' Titan; both routes are recognized in the historic climbing text ''Fifty Classic Climbs of North America''.<ref>{{Fifty Classic Climbs}}</ref>
Kor also authored the book ''Beyond the Vertical''.<ref>Kor, Layton (1983) ''Beyond the Vertical'', Boulder, Colorado:Alpine House. {{ISBN|0-9611748-0-3}}</ref>
Kor received the 2009 American Alpine Club's ''Robert & Miriam Underhill Award'' for outstanding climbing achievement.<ref>{{cite news | last = | first = | title =Layton Kor honored by AAC: If you've climbed, you've likely done a Layton Kor route. There's the Kor/Ingalls on Castleton Tower, the Finger of Fate on the Titan, and innumerable routes throughout Colorado, Yosemite and the West | newspaper =Rock and Ice | location = | pages = | language = | publisher = | date =2009 | url =https://www.rockandice.com/people/layton-kor-honored-by-aac/| accessdate = July 23, 2022}}</ref> Kor lived in Kingman, Arizona and continued climbing until his early 70s. He had kidney failure and prostate cancer at the time of his death.<ref>{{cite news | last =MacDonald | first =Dougald | title =Layton Kor is Dead | newspaper =Climbing | location = | pages = | language = | publisher = | date =April 22, 2013 | url =https://www.climbing.com/news/layton-kor-is-dead/| accessdate =July 23, 2022 }}</ref>
==Notable first ascents==
===Colorado=== * 1959 ''Diagonal'', Lower East Face, Longs Peak, CO. (V 5.9 A3) with Ray Northcutt.<ref>Jones (1976), pp. 224-225.</ref> * 1959 ''T2'', Redgarden Wall, Eldorado Canyon, CO. (current rating 5.11a) 1st ascent with Gerry Roach<ref>Levin (2009), pp. 160.</ref> * 1960 ''Yellow Spur'', Redgarden Wall, Eldorado Canyon, CO. (5.9 (A1)) FA with David Dornan, Feb 21, 1960<ref>{{Cite book | last = Kor | first = Layton |author2=Bob Godfrey | title = Beyond the Vertical | publisher = Alpine House | year = 1983 | location = Boulder, CO, USA | pages = 21–22 | isbn = 0-9611748-0-3 }}</ref> * 1960 ''Long Dong Wall'', Kissing Couple. FA with Harvey Carter and John Auld, May 4, 1960. (5.11a)<ref>Cameron Burns, ''Selected Climbs in the Desert Southwest: Colorado and Utah'', 1999, Mountaineers Books, {{ISBN|9780898866575}}, page 34.</ref> * 1962 ''Psycho'', Redgarden Wall, Eldorado Canyon, CO. (III 5.9 A4) 1st ascent with Huntley Ingalls<ref>Levin (2009), pp. 166.</ref> * 1962 ''The Naked Edge'', Redgarden Wall, Eldorado Canyon, CO. (III 5.9 A3) with Bob Culp.<ref>Jones (1976), pp. 294.</ref> Entire route with Rick Horn, 1964 (5.9 A4).<ref>Levin (2009), pp. 187.</ref> * 1962 ''Yellow Wall'', The Diamond, Longs Peak, CO. (V 5.8 A4) 2nd route on the wall, with Charles Roskosz.<ref>Jones (1976), pp. 295.</ref> * 1963 ''Canary Pass'', Redgarden Wall, Eldorado Canyon, CO. (III 5.7 A4-) 1st ascent with Pat Ament<ref>Levin (2009), pp. 169.</ref> * 1965 ''Green Slab'', Black Canyon of the Gunnison, CO. (VI 5.8 A4) with Brian Martz.<ref>Jones (1976), pp. 300.</ref>
===Southwest deserts=== * 1961 ''Kor-Ingalls Route'', Castleton Tower, Utah; FA of tower with Huntley Ingalls<ref>Jones (1976), pp. 292.</ref> * 1962 ''Finger of Fate'', The Titan, Fisher Towers, Utah. FA of formation (V 5.8 A3) with Huntley Ingalls and George Hurley.<ref>Jones (1976), pp. 292.</ref> * 1962 Standing Rock (Monument Basin), near Moab, UT. FA of formation with Huntley Ingalls and Steve Komito.<ref>{{Cite book | last = Kor | first = Layton |author2=Bob Godfrey | title = Beyond the Vertical | publisher = Alpine House | year = 1983 | location = Boulder, CO, USA | pages = 87–98 | isbn = 0-9611748-0-3 }}</ref> * 1963 ''Kor-Dalke-Schafer'' IV 5.10 A1, Monster Tower, Canyonlands National Park, Utah; FA of Monster tower with Larry Dalke and Cub Schafer, 26 December 1963<ref>{{Cite book | last = Bjornstad | first = Eric | title = Desert Rock - Rock Climbs in the National Parks | publisher = Chockstone Press | year = 1996 | location = Evergreen, CO | pages = 201 | isbn = 0-934641-92-7 }}</ref> * 1964 ''North Face'' III 5.9 A3(?), Argon Tower, Arches National Park, Utah; FA with Bob Bradley and Charlie Kemp, 17 January 1964<ref>{{Cite book | last = Bjornstad | first = Eric | title = Desert Rock - Rock Climbs in the National Parks | publisher = Chockstone Press | year = 1996 | location = Evergreen, CO | pages = 142 | isbn = 0-934641-92-7 }}</ref>
===California=== * 1963 ''West Buttress'', El Capitan, Yosemite Valley, California. (VI 5.10 A3+) FA with Steve Roper.<ref>{{cite journal | last = Kor | first = Layton | title = El Capitan's West Buttress | journal = American Alpine Journal | volume = 22 | issue = 53 | pages = 79 | publisher = American Alpine Club | location = New York, NY, USA | year = 1964 | asin = B000FLCQEM }}</ref> * 1964 ''South Face'', Washington Column, Yosemite Valley, CA. (V 5.10a A2) FA with Chris Fredericks, June 1964 .<ref>Reid (1993), pp. 204.</ref> * 1965 ''Gold Wall'', Ribbon Falls Area, Yosemite Valley, CA. (V 5.10 A3) FA with Tom Fender, May 1965.<ref>Reid (1993), pp. 201.</ref>
===Outlying areas=== * 1963 ''Robbins Route'', Mount Proboscis, Logan Mountains, Northwest Territory, Canada. FA with Dick McCracken, Jim McCarthy and Royal Robbins, Aug 4-7, 1963.<ref>{{Cite book | last = Ament | first = Pat | title = Royal Robbins - Spirit of the Age | publisher = Two Lights | year = 1992 | location = Boulder CO, USA | pages = 125–127 | isbn = 1-881663-02-7}}</ref> * 1964 ''Burkett Needle'', Coast Mountains, Alaska. FA with Dan Davis.<ref>Colby Coombs, ''Alaska: A Climbing Guide'', 2002, The Mountaineers Books, {{ISBN|9781594851438}}, p. 189.</ref>
==Publications== * {{Cite book | last = Kor | first = Layton |author2=Bob Godfrey | title = Beyond the Vertical | publisher = Alpine House | year = 1983 | location = Boulder, CO, USA | pages = 21–22 | isbn = 0-9611748-0-3 }} * {{cite journal | last = Kor | first = Layton | title = El Capitan's West Buttress | journal = American Alpine Journal | volume = 22 | issue = 53 | pages = 79 | publisher = American Alpine Club | location = New York, NY, USA | year = 1964 | asin = B000FLCQEM }}
==Bibliography== *{{Cite book| publisher = Published for the American Alpine Club by the University of California Press| isbn = 0-520-02976-3| last = Jones| first = Chris| title = Climbing in North America| year = 1976| location = Berkeley, CA, USA| url-access = registration| url = https://archive.org/details/climbinginnortha0000jone}} *{{Cite book | last = Levin | first = Steve | title = Eldorado Canyon, A Climbing Guide | publisher = Sharp End Publishing | year = 2009 | location = Boulder CO, USA | isbn = 978-1-892540-65-2 }} *{{Cite book | last = Reid | first = Don |author2=George Meyers | title = Yosemite Climbs: Big Walls | publisher = Chockstone Press | year = 1993 | location = Evergreen CO, USA | isbn = 0-934641-54-4 }}
==References== {{Reflist|30em}}
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Kor, Layton}} Category:American rock climbers Category:2013 deaths Category:1938 births