Category Archives: Uncategorized

Spring, a time in-between. A waking. Fresh growth. Sticky green glistening buds.   Lambs balance on legs, legs not used to routine. See through plastic wrap around jackets to save them dying in the winter’s cold – gone.  Playing, growing, … Continue reading →

        The Keswick Mountain Festival will be the final time I give The Echoes and Beyond talk… (I can hear folk cheering as I type!)  Below is a link to the time and cost and where this … Continue reading →

Winter climbing for me came to an end on Monday 8th with the ascent of Nevermore on Lochnagar. Nevermore is a summer E2 and in the aftermath, as I prepare for rock climbing in the rain of North Wales, I … Continue reading →

The black and white picture showed. A face. Weary acceptance of what? Did he know? A dark turbulent quiff. Creased eye skin. Face skin scuffed with life’s challenge. Killed at thirty-six abseiling from a sea stack called The Maiden. The … Continue reading →

The hare, white fur with flecks of brown, stood still balancing on the crest of a snowdrift at the side of the road. “Don’t do it” The breeze caught, ruffling soft fur. The hares run was perfect. Perfect that is … Continue reading →

 Peter Beaumont’s article written for The Guardian website last weekend about climbing supremo Adam Ondra is well worth a read. It does open with one of my pet-hates, the word ‘conquering’ when related to climbing, but I suppose in this … Continue reading →

Squalls of fat snowflakes were blowing between the trees, shimmering like fish swimming down the road. I sat alongside Ben Gilmore driving Doug’s scooby. Ben and I were heading toward Frankenstein for my penultimate day of New England climbing. I … Continue reading →

    Early morning on the highway. Trees. Cold. Salt white roads. Rolling mountain outlines silhouetted by the red rising sun.  I was by myself in Doug Madara’s Suburu. Doug is a local from around these parts and a star. … Continue reading →

  The small twin prop plane dropped, recovered, dropped, swung from side-to-side, recovered and finally, finally dived for the runway. Snow splatted against the window and through it I could see thick fog and the ground and fog and the ground – … Continue reading →

The startled sheep trotted from beneath the shelter of the massive rhyolite boulder. Wool – greasy, matted, frozen – looked grey amongst the windblown snow. Belly deep, breathing hard – the sheep struggled to break trail. The blue sprayed branding on … Continue reading →