Climbers???

[Squidders]

I have heard a few people here mention climbing and i'm curious... how many climbers do we have here and what do you climb mostly and what are you most proud of?

I myself am most proud of sending Kaluza Klein at Robin Hoods Stride (E7 6c) up in the peak district.

 

[led]

An impressive ascent :notworthy, I'm nowhere near that level. Onsight of Orpheus Wall for me.

 

[fred gordon]

I hate answering a question with a question, but what do you mean by 'climber'? I suspect it's rock climbers but people who walk up steep hills are often called 'mountain climbers', or 'hill climbers' and would not want to climb rock. I would refer to myself, after a lifetime on the Scottish hills, as a hill climber. What do you think?

 

[JonnyP]

I hate answering a question with a question, but what do you mean by 'climber'? I suspect it's rock climbers but people who walk up steep hills are often called 'mountain climbers', or 'hill climbers' and would not want to climb rock. I would refer to myself, after a lifetime on the Scottish hills, as a hill climber. What do you think?

I like scrambling up rock, so long its not too technical and not involving roping up, so I too would class myself as a hill climber. Most challenging for me was curved ridge on the buchailletive mor (sp?) Ahhhh must get up there again........

 

[Squidders]

Mate, that means me making some kind of judgement of worthiness... I'm not elitist at all! If you climb mountains at high altitude, hills in the snow, boulders or what, it's all good...

So, what are you proud of? what do you look back on with fondness because you overcame a challenge?

 

[Dougster]

Once, in my distant youth I managed an E3 6b on Kingussie crags. Damned hard.

Haven't climbed for years - well done on the E7!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Still love the mountains, just not so mad on crags.

 

[JonnyP]

Mate, that means me making some kind of judgement of worthiness... I'm not elitist at all! If you climb mountains at high altitude, hills in the snow, boulders or what, it's all good...

So, what are you proud of? what do you look back on with fondness because you overcame a challenge?

Doing my first ridge walk. It was along crib goch at the start of the snowdon horseshoe, I was so anxious as on the way up we met people comming down saying it was too much for them and we also saw the rescue helicopter flying around and was told by someone comming down that it plucked somebody off the top of the ridge, we also lost the path on the way up and ended up at cliff faces, which we started to climb, then realised the way was no good, so we had to get down again, I was not doing good, I was so anxious. We eventually found the path and an easy scramble to the top and then I shuffled along the ridge, the exposure was awsome, but I made it and it felt good. I have since done many ridge walks including the one mentioned above and the annock eegach (sp way off), etc etc, but none have made me as scared as crib goch..............

 

[Montivagus]

Mostly climb mountains.

Weisshorn put a smile on my face but then so does Snowdon.

 

[bogflogger]

Can't see the point of lashing yourself to some Dismal Crag anymore (too old and fat now) when you can do a few summits along a ridge line.

My best Hill Days have been, winter ascents of An'Tellach, A'Magaighdean, Mullach Coire Mhic Fhearchair, Ladhar Bheinn, and the Cuillin Ridge.

But anywhere will do at a push, as long as it gets you out there!

 

[leon-1]

Never got that high mate, have climbed E4 and was in the army climbing championships back in the year dot. Now I barely get a chance.

As some of the others have said good hit on the E7.

Do you ever do snow and ice????

 

[Simon E]

Used to do it inside but at 234 it gets a little rough on the old forearms.

 

[Ratbag]

I think I prefer winter climbing to rock climbing. My favourite climb (to date!) was Savage Slit in perfect conditions.

Rat

 

[Grooveski]

Friction junkie. Love the big featureless areas on granite slabs(Glen Rosa/Cir Mhor, Glen Etive).

On crags(mainly in the lakes, sometimes glencoe) I'll lead E1 on a good day, happier on HVS-5 crux or thereabouts.
E7 sounds like a job for a helicopter. Well done.

Probably the thing I'm proudest of is not losing it during any of my solo stints. Tend to stick to VS when on my todd.

 

[Squidders]

leon-1: I would love to do some proper winter climbing but none of my mates hate themselves enough to inflict that kind of punishment on themselves It's always drawn me though!

Ratbag: what are perfect conditions for winter climbing? I'm picturing 50mph winds and horizontal snow

Grooveski: climbing "up north" is hard as nails... I have to be honest, the peak district can be a little soft in the grades... if you climb an E7 in the lakes you damn well know you've been up an E7 but the peak district seems to have a few that feel just a bit too easy for the grade.
Soloing routes take a lot of bottle, it's all mind games, the hardest I have solo'd was in the wye valley (apart from some really short routes that don't really count, they're highball boulder problems)... I think it was an HVS 5a or something like that... it's not about the grades it's about not getting a trembler at 90+foot and keeping your cool. hats off to you, seriously.

 

[Grooveski]

Not something I set out to try, it just kind of came about.

Was climbing with workmates at the time. Indoors too often and quarrys the rest. They never fancied going out for a real climb. I was still used to Cumbria and was getting real bored.
I'd usualy get to the quarry before them and do some ground level warmup 'till they were ready. One night no-one else showed and the warmup turned into bouldering then just plain climbing.

Couldn't get over how much easier it was without stopping for gear placement, was breezing up routes at my grade and almost forgetting about the landing(nasty quarry rocks).

Thought I'd try bouldering for a while and started going down Dumbarton Rock. Heavily used problems, well polished with a lousy landing of rocks and nettles.

Took a wander up to The Whangie(honestly, that's the crag's name). Entertaining rock, friendly landing but like the quarry a bit high to realisticaly class as bouldering. Most of the tricky stuff is in the first 4m though and carrying on up after the crux is easier than climbing down.

Had a gas up there most of the summer(3 years ago). Lunching at the top looking over Loch Lomond towards The Cobbler.
It was too tempting so I went up one morning and done Ardgarten Arete(55m VS 4a).
Sheer therapy. There's nothing like it.

Made a conscious decision to knock it on the head before it became a habit. Have climbed very little since, even less interested in quarrys and the likes than I was before and my time away dropped me out of touch with the group I was in.

Been into it since I was 15 though, on and off for twenty-odd years. The granite period was in my twenties and there's a few places I'd like to return to.

 

[spamel]

Just finished reading Joe Simpsons' Touching the Void.



I'll be sticking to flat level ground thanks!

 

[Squidders]

First ascents of mountains in south america is for proper nutters!!!

 

[Ben_Hillwalker]

I'm not so much a climber as a person who has climbed. Not done anything remarkable (Sev and VS) but I enjoyed the puzzle-solving aspect of it. I've also done some Scottish winter mountaineering and really enjoyed it, but, like a previous poster, its difficult finding people who are barking enough to join you.

 

[weekender]

Done snowdon via crib goch twice which was scary both times, snowdon again on new years day 2000 in deep snow went up the pyg track came down the miners path, other then that its been pen-y-fan, scarfell,edale horseshoe which was a very boggy affair and around the lake district, all with a mate who is super fit and like a mountain goat. Dont get the time to go now as much as i would like.

weekender

 

[Deaner666]

I get on the rock pretty regularly, but don't climb to much of a high grade. Our local crag is a burly unprotected quarry with routes put up by madmen, which I think has coloured my climbing over the last couple of years! Am happy on-sighting to VS.

I recently had my first trip out to the Alps, climbing around Arolla in Switzerland and then Chamonix / Argentiere. It was pretty mind-blowing as we went unguided and in maverick style . Learnt a few lessons on how to do it properly for next time!

I really must make time for a trip up to the Peak... I still haven't sampled gritstone. And I want a good benchmark for how the climbs are graded down here (Cornwall).

Dave