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Does Sport England understand climbing and mountaineering?
The Peak Adventure Sports Alliance campaigns on behalf of outdoor pursuits enthusiasts and is determined to impress upon Central Government and the National Park Authority just how crucial adventure sports are both to the economic viability of the Peak District and the health of the nation. Many column inches have been devoted to […]
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Route of the day….
Debauchery isn’t obscure or arcane, too hard or too bold, just the quintessential limestone E1. I remember a friend’s reaction when we said we were heading for High Tor, “Really?” eyebrows steepling. The implication was obvious. High Tor was a step up, a Rubicon, a rite of passage. We cut our teeth on Skylight and […]
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Guide, philosopher and friend
I reread this Out To Lunch and it brought a lump to my throat as I reached the section about my Dad. I’d completely forgotten what I’d written to celebrate those times together in the Scottish hills and what a profound effect they had on my life. I hope you enjoy it too… At the […]
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Culture clash
Interesting things cultural differences, dodgy ground generally. However, I’ve no intention of risking a fatwa from the Moonies or the Tufty Club so this column will, in time honoured tradition, eschew any mention of religion. Thank God for that I hear you say. No, the cultural difference to which I refer is more parochial, namely […]
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Stanage favourite five, no, seven….
The right honourable Nail Grimes asked me to come up with my favourite five Stanage routes for the 2007 guide. For some reason, I did seven. Still, maths never was my strong suit…. Taurus Crack HS 4c “Nice little warm-up, “ says the missus, “only hard severe.” Treacherous things, grades. Never trust ‘em. Sweating and […]
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Beer talk
Found this old article of mine and it made me chuckle. Guess we’ve all heard climbers bullshitting like this and you’d get something like it from mountain biking, boarding, surfing. Every counter-culture has it’s own language….. “No, just look at it will you! It’s at least a fifth smaller than the right one. Hell, […]
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Ten reasons to love climbing….
French climbers…. Fashion sense firmly rooted in the eighties, strength beyond imagination and a grasp of philosophy second only to Eric Cantona’s – “Ah, for you Rosbif’s, zer clambing is so mechanical, an exercise in imperialistic domination. For ze French it is vertical poetry, an attempt to find a beautiful staircase in zer rock. When […]
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Risk’s grand arena
Not long after I moved to Sheffield, I discovered a perfect bike ride that took me from my front door onto the moors of the Peak District. Arriving at the highest point of the ride, I stopped to savour the view. To my confusion, I found myself choked with emotion, looking down on the city, […]
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Hey, you, get offa my climb!
It was a majestic sight today as herds of top-ropers swept across the foot of Stanage rigging every unoccupied route. Often they would congregate together in what are known as gaggles either to breed, share cigarettes or to seek safety in numbers from marauding pairs of lead climbers. These heartless creatures sometimes snatch routes from […]
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Ticked off
Brian turns his back on the computer, parks himself on the settee and surveys the pile of cams, nuts, hexes and assorted paraphernalia at his feet. The gear has a faint smell, a subtle oily pong. Taking a sup of tea, he leans forward again and sniffs, the almost imperceptible scent awakening memories. He retrieves […]
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Counter cultures
I was hanging out at Avoca Beach a few years back. Well, doesn’t everyone? It doesn’t have quite the caché of Copa Cabana or Bondi, but it boasts a superb break on its day. On a slightly glowering afternoon, with an onshore breeze knocking the top off the swell along the rest of the beach, […]
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The slackers guide
Kendal Mountain Festival is probably Britain’s most important gathering of the outdoor clans and, in 2010, John Horscroft interviewed two formidable characters. Steve McClure is one of the best climbers in the country with a number of unrepeated first ascents to his name. Rab Carrington created the iconic company that still bears his name and, […]
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I Must Have Been Nuts
It was involuntary, almost like a cough or sneeze. As Tobias fell I murmured “Stay in you bastards.” This wasn’t some trite entreaty, nor premeditated, but a genuine, instinctive terror that all his gear would come out. I watched as he reached the full stretch of the rope, the belayer jerked forward and Tobias stopped. […]
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Jerry Moffatt – Revelations
Climbing literature is a bizarre genre. The general public crave details of the latest D-list celebrity snow plod to the summit of yet another desecrated, litter strewn Himalayan peak. Alternatively they want to hear about a near death experience or a litany of death and misery associated with the Eiger or K2. Frankly, much climbing […]