UKC

And for clarification, we shall be using the Southeners definition of 'Up North' - so that's everything north of Watford Gap.

In reply to Goucho:

Seems like the hardest tend to be Southerners that have moved up North

In reply to Goucho:

Definitely the Scottish. And you're all southerners to us.

In reply to Goucho:

Neither; it's them as live under bridges, wherever they are...

In reply to Goucho:

There's certainly a surprisingly long list of very hard climbers from the south. Perhaps the hardest of all (still alive) being Mick Fowler. Others off top of my head: Pat Littlejohn, Stevie Haston, Martin Boysen, Johnny Dawes, and Tim Emmett. Historically, the likes of Edward Whymper, Albert Mummery and George Mallory. And then there's Alasteir Crowley, who was off the scale.

In reply to Gordon Stainforth:

They all climb real hard, but how hard are they?

Andy

In reply to Gordon Stainforth:



In more ways than one!!

In reply to Goucho:

Neither.

Bear Grylls was born in Ireland!

In reply to Goucho:
Before I read any replies to the title, my answer was 'where's Mick Fowler from?'.

In reply to Goucho:

The climbers of the Midlands.

In reply to Goucho:

Doesn't matter which compass point they originate from.

As long as they bounce.

In reply to deacondeacon:

have to agree with you on that one deacon

In reply to Goucho:

The hardest climbers or the climbers who climb the hardest?

In reply to Goucho:

True Grit Anyone in the Peak

In reply to Removed User:


I misread this first as

The hardest climbers are the climbers who climb the hardest.

In reply to Rick Graham:
Q: What do you call an aardvark that keeps losing fights?

A: Vark.

In reply to Goucho:

Spanish I think..

In reply to Goucho:

Definitely Northerners over Southerners but more specifically Yorkies! Current Lancs crew are weak in comparison!

In reply to Goucho:

Obviously it's northerners. I'm hard as f##k me like.

In reply to Goucho:

Southerners. Women. Especially ones called Anderson.

In reply to Morriss:

Try telling Mick Fowler that....

In reply to Gordon Stainforth:


Good case for Southerners apart from the fact that George Mallory wasn't from the South, he was a Northerner from Birkenhead.

In reply to Gordon Stainforth:


Mick Fowler doesn't count. We're talking about people who come from Planet Earth, and Mick doesn't

In reply to Morriss:


Try standing on a chair in the Black Dog in Belmont and saying that?

In reply to Goucho:

So, G , now you have moved to Dorset, have you lost your Northern accent and sound like a Southerner?

FFIW I don't think Southerners are as hung up about who is hardest as Northerners.

In reply to Rick Graham:


http://www.thedailymash.co.uk/news/society/friends-suspect-man-may-be-lying...

In reply to Goucho:


I still can't get to terms with the tax inspector bit, though. Never have.

In reply to Rick Graham:



A great experience that's etched on my memory is the first time I ever went to Cratcliffe. I was fortunate enough to be climbing with Fliss Butler. There were some Yorkshire lads there who seemed tough as nails, having a bit of a time on Five Finger Exercise. I led Elliot's Unconquerable OK, then it was Fliss's turn. She wanted to do Fern Hill. She had this very well-educated 'southern' accent, and I could tell that the Yorkshire brigade was very sceptical. They fell rather silent when she simply cruised it. (I then had to second it, and managed the crux ... just, then all was well.) Then I led Suicide Wall, also on sight, with little fuss, and the Northern brigade were certainly starting to take us quite seriously. Then Fliss announced that she was going to do Five Finger Exercise.... She did it so well that the Yorkshire lads clapped when she topped out. (Again, I had to follow. I just managed it, basically by climbing the top bit as fast as I could before my strength ran out.) A four-hour afternoon trip that I'll never forget.

In reply to Rick Graham:


To be honest Rick, I've lived in so many different places over the years, both in and outside the UK, that I'm not sure where I come from anymore


My OP was somewhat tongue in cheek, but it is interesting defining what 'hard' means?

I've climbed with people who might not have operated at the highest standards, but were as hard as nails when the shit hit the fan, and I've climbed with others operating at the top standards who were brilliant in perfect conditions, but not when things went pear shaped.

In reply to deacondeacon:

You not invoking your Geordie provenance today then?

In reply to Goucho:

What you have said is just so true. Probably best not to give examples, with names

On the plus side: one of my old climbing partners in the Alps, Mike Danford, who was possibly not quite as good as myself on rock, was a brilliant companion to be with when things got difficult in the Alps.

In reply to Ardo:

Nah, I'm neither hard, nor soft, Northern nor Southern.
I'm a middle of the road amalgam that eats Jellied Eels on his Stottie Cake.

In reply to Andrew Wilson:

That's it, need a big fight to sort this out. Winter climbers can bring their axes.

In reply to Misha:

"Birmingham is the centre of the climbing universe" a great climber once said.

Suppose that means you can choose sides on the day!

In reply to Andrew Wilson:
I think north is north of the Derby - Stafford line and south is south of the Worcester - Stratford on Avon line. Sensible Midlanders will stay out of it and take over once the southerners and northerners have finished each other off.

In reply to Goucho:

The hardest climbers are those who live nearest to climbing areas and those who live furthest because those who live nearest get lots of practice and become hard climbers as a matter of course, while those who live furthest climb whatever the conditions (because they haven't come all this way to do nothing) and so also become hard climbers as a result.
There are, of course, exceptions to both of the above.

In reply to Goucho:

Why can't we be using the (real) Northeners definition of 'darn souf' as everything south of Wetherby???

Also, did you spill my pint?

In reply to Willi Crater:

Wetherby???


Durham!!!

In reply to Goucho:

Topographically speaking, the mid-point of the longest north-south axis is Haltwhistle in Northumberland. Apparently.

So Carlisle and about half of Newcastle are in the South.

In reply to Goucho:

Do we know if Ronnie Pickering climbs?

In reply to Andy Hardy:


Yes.

He did London Wall a couple of days ago. It's now a chimney.

In reply to Andy Moles:
Surely you need to look at just England and Wales. Scotland is Scotland and therefore everyone there is hard by definition.