In reply to k.shark:
70 and counting. Climbing for 51 years 2 months and 15 days (if you don't count walking in The Lakes for 8 years before that). Haven't been up to speed lately and VS/HVS has been my grade of choice here and in Morocco, Europe cragging, Alps, USA etc.
This is my year for getting back on E1s, if it ever warms up - the dreaded "white finger" can afflict me in White Ghyll in July! Was in Cogne in Feb and led a pitch as hard as any I've ever done on waterfall ice (that's only about IV+ mind) so thinking there's life in the old dog yet.
Whenever I cite old age as any kind of excuse I'm reminded by my pals (necessarily younger) of the type of phenomena described above - a bloke of 75 doing 7a at the wall or on the bolts or leading Right Wall or a VII in Scotland for instance. But I couldn't do them when I was 35 let alone 70!