In mountaineering and climbing, a first ascent (abbreviated to FA in guide books), is the first successful documented climb to the top of a mountain peak or the top of a particular climbing route. Early 20th-century mountaineers and climbers were mainly focused on reaching the tops of notable mountain peaks (e.g. the eight-thousanders such as Mount Everest) and the tops of iconic climbing routes (e.g. the great north faces of the Alps such as the Eiger) by whatever means possible, and often using considerable amounts of aid climbing and/or with large expedition style support teams allowing them to "lay siege" to the climb.
As all the key tops were summited, the manner or "style" in which each top was reached became important to climbers, and particularly the ability to complete the ascent without the use of any artificial aids, which is called free climbing. In free-climbing, the term first free ascent (abbreviated FFA) denotes where a mountain or climbing route is ascended without any artificial aid — note that equipment for protection in the event of a fall can be used as long as they did not aid in the climber's upward progression. Completing the FFA of a climbing route is often called freeing (or more latterly sending) a route, and is highly coveted.
