UKC

David Ponting

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Computational Chemist. Grew up in the hills, then did my undergrad and PhD at arguably the flattest university in Britain, and took every opportunity (though there weren't as many as I'd have liked) to vanish into the mountains! Now further North and the hills are nearer...

Location
Leeds

Best Climbing Experience
Many, many happy days in the hills, but here are a selection, most of them 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 fact that he fell off it in short order is neither here nor there; he got back on unharmed, led it, and then did his first multipitch the next day).
*The moment when that key nut just locks into the crack after a long runout.
*Sitting at the bottom of a seacliff watching the wild 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!
*Laughing into the teeth of the storm as I descend having snuck a big route in before the weather breaks.
*Any part of the two weeks that I've spent on Skye, a truly magical island.

Recent Postings

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Interests Outside Climbing
Christianity, Chemistry, Photography, Music, Cooking.

I suppose that it could be said that my climbing is part of a more general love of the outdoors and the Wild, 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.

Photo Gallery

The sun rises over the Aiguille Verte from a bivvy above le Lac Blanc

The sun rises over the Aiguille Verte from a bivvy above le Lac Blanc
© David Ponting

Crib Goch from Crib y Ddysgyl

Crib Goch from Crib y Ddysgyl
© David Ponting

The inversion pours over Lliwedd

The inversion pours over Lliwedd
© David Ponting

Staoineag (sp?) Bothy

Staoineag (sp?) Bothy
© David Ponting

Coming down off the Aonach Eagach into the setting sun

Coming down off the Aonach Eagach into the setting sun
© David Ponting

The view from Chalets de la Balme, St Gervais Valley

The view from Chalets de la Balme, St Gervais Valley
© David Ponting

Inversion over Snowdon from Glyder Fach

Inversion over Snowdon from Glyder Fach
© David Ponting

Evening Light over Domes du Miage, Chamonix Alps

Evening Light over Domes du Miage, Chamonix Alps
© David Ponting

Click to view David Ponting's gallery. (15 photos)
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Click to list photo comments written by me. (8 comments)
I've voted for 106 photos, average vote 4.8.
(82% superb - 16% good - 1% average - 0% poor - 0% rubbish)

Anything Else We Should Know
Chair, Leeds Mountaineering Club

I've only recently started logging my climbs - anything before June 2023 was added by a climbing partner so is a very small subset!


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