- February 17, 2017
Gerard West - Most Memorable
Memorable is such a broad word; what makes a climb memorable, that really sick beta sequence from projecting it? Is it the rock that you’re on? How about the view? They are just a few of the many things to consider. I want to tell a story that started when the climbing world collided with mine and nearly took me...
- November 02, 2016
Cathy - Thirty years and counting
We had reached the short section of fixed rope below the Lower Saddle in the Grand Tetons when the youngster caught up with us. He had a huge rucksack and Michael joked that he was loaded like a pack mule. It turned out he was carrying gear for his father and younger brother who were far behind. “They’re slow,” he...
- September 23, 2016
Andy - Gogarth, School Bullies and White Horses
I visited Gogarth this weekend, for the first time in over 30 years. This place holds special memories for me; climbing here as a teenager for the first time was one of the most exhilarating and terrifying experiences I have ever had. It is a special place. Beautiful, iconic, intimidating, atmospheric, one can feel the climbing history of the place...
- August 26, 2016
Sarah - Facing The Wall to Conquer Your Fear
This time last year I had never been on a climbing wall. I heard a talk from mountaineer and climber Bonita Norris, and she said she got into it because she went with a friend to try out climbing and didn’t know whether or not she would enjoy it. She advised that if anyone wanted to climb Everest, the climbing...
- August 05, 2016
David - Getting high in the low countries
Middle-age, it seems, is full of surprises. Of twists and turns that befuddle attempts at prediction and sense-making. These thoughts run through my head as I fiddle with my harness at the base of the ‘Excalibur’ climbing tower in Groningen, Holland. I glance at my companions. My climbing partner, D, is, carefully, checking the 80-metre rope we have borrowed from...