David Ponting

Chemistry PhD student at the flattest university in the country who takes every opportunity to vanish into the mountains!

Email David Ponting.

Location
Cambridge

Best Climbing Experience
Many, many happy days in the hills, but here are a selection (many repeat events):
*Waking up in a bivvy bag high in the Alps to see the sun rise on the snow-clad peaks opposite.
*Plunging towards the sunset down through the bracken from the Aonach Eagach to the Clachaig and a well-earned pint.
*Sitting on top of Stanage in the sunset, setting the belay or coiling ropes after a good day's climbing.
*Seeing someone I've taught to climb from the first time they roped up making their first hard lead.
*The moment when that key nut just locks into the crack after a long runout.
*Sitting at the bottom of a seacliff watching the waves waiting for my partner to finish the belay.
*Survival-bag sledging most of the way down Nevis (cutting the zig-zags on the tourist route) to save time after a winter's day.
*Bouldering by car headlights on the Cromlech boulders because we didn't want to leave the Pass!
*Heading out of Cambridge northwest along the A14 on a Friday night to where the horizon is normal (i.e. non-flat)

Favourite Climbing-Related Discussion Topic
Ummm. Bit of a gear freak, so anything to do with gear is good. Also seem to spend a lot of time talking about the superiority of certain rock types over others. Mostly a lurker on the forum, though.

Recent Postings

Click to list all my recent posts.

Interests Outside Climbing
Christianity, Chemistry, Photography (mainly Sports Photography), Rowing (well, Coxing), Classical Music, SciFi/Fantasy.

I suppose that it could be said that my climbing is part of a more general love of the outdoors, whether traveling through it or just sitting contentedly in it, encompassing everything from a gentle ramble in the fens or along a beach up to desperate alpine summits, enjoying the awesome beauty and majesty of creation. This is why I don't like indoor climbing, nor care overmuch about grades.

About My Photography
Prolific and Improving - though due to time restrictions I haven't been able to get to interesting bits of the country in a long time, so don't have recent relevant pictures to show, though am making something of a name for myself locally as a sports photographer!

PHOTO GALLERY Click to View all 16 photos in David Ponting's gallery.

Click to list photo comments written by me. (8 comments)
I've voted for 116 photos, average vote 4.7.
(78% superb - 17% good - 3% average - 0% poor - 0% rubbish)

Anything Else We Should Know
Working for my SPA for the summer camp that I help with; if I start making the stereotypical SPA-type comments, can someone tell me to "shut up and go climb something".

Also former President ('11-'12) of the Clare College, Cambridge Rock-Climbing and Trekking Society (RATS) - and before that Trips Secretary ('08-'11) and Treasurer ('05-'09)

Age
26

Been Climbing For
11 to 20 years

Best Onsights
Winter - II
Trad - HS
Alpine - PD

Worked Grades
Winter - III
Trad - VS

Main Sport/Activity
Mountaineering

Favourite Crag/Rock
Idwal Slabs
Granite

Favourite Wall
Not a fan of plastic!

I Climb...
Once a month
In the UK & Europe

Favourite Climbs
Hard to say - more interested in climbing a long mountain route in a stunning location than working the grades
so I'd say that something like Agag's Groove or the traverse of the Cuillin (which is the biggest thing on my wishlist) would rate pretty highly.