The lengthy gritstone escarpment of Derbyshire’s Stanage Edge has a special place in British climbing’s past and present. So revered as the hallowed rock of traditional climbing (i.e. no drilled bolts) that when a climber posted an April Fools’ prank picture of a bolt on the grit he received death threats from the climbing community. … More Great Nights in the Hills – Part 2, Stanage Edge
After becoming airborne on a multi-pitch ice route earlier this year, it was time to return to outdoor leading with a trip to Stanage Edge for a spot of single pitch trad (rock climbing placing your own protection in natural cracks). By comparison this was more like getting back on a Shetland pony than a … More Climbing Back on the Horse – Reflection on Falling, Fear and Re-finding Climbing
Native English speakers such as myself are notoriously bad when it comes to speaking other languages. I met a Dutch woman once who told me that she could only learn three other languages at school because she was dyslexic. To think I was proud of myself when I could read 50% of the ingredients on … More The Lingua Climber
It’s deep winter, early in the morning, and despite the apparent lack of daylight it’s time to go to work. Outside it’s the kind of temperature where Pingu sticks his head out of his igloo and thinks he might give it a miss today. The music in viral pass-the-parcel has stopped on you, so … More The Joys of Winter Cycle Commuting
London Outdoorsman 