Tommyzero has been a controversial figure at the forefront of the sharp end for some time now. From his controversial upgrading of Southern Sandstone routes that broke into new grades, to his exchanges with Dave MacLeod over poor technique. First Lead Magazine (FLM) was itching to find out that infamous year of 2007 and of course his first lead, The September Siege of Almscliff.

FLM: Tommyzero, thanks for letting us talk to you. Can we start with the controversy surrounding your climbing in 2007? It was quite a year for you. The Southern Sandstone routes you upgraded to (unconfirmed) four stars and critique that Dave Macleod offered of your indoor climbing technique. Let's start with....

Tommyzero;...Let me stop you there.... There are legal reasons why I can't talk about some of these things. I thought I was here to discuss my first lead anyway?

FLM: Sorry, you know what climbing journalism is like. Lets talk about Almscliff and the infamous September Siege of Birds Nest Crack HS 4b, two stars, your first lead.

Tommyzero: Almscliff was where I was shown the ropes, or rather where I learnt 'trad' and did my first traditional lead. But it dominates my memory for another reason. It was my first time on grit. The first time you touch grit it hits you like a thunderbolt. You have never touched anything like it before. It said strange things to my fingers. I come from a background of Southern Sandstone where the language of friction is a desperate dialect to decode. Grit seemed so much colder.

FLM: So you could say that grit was a bit of a revelation to you?

Tommyzero: Yes. Yes, very much so.

FLM: Talk us through the route.

Tommyzero: We settled in for the day. I knew we were in for siege tactics. I'd be shown how to use the gear, watched and seconded a few other routes. It all passed in a blur. Suddenly I was tying in and about to climb my first lead. Questions raced through my mind. But it's like what they say about grades, there are only two that matter. Those you can climb and those you can't. My two questions where, how and why did I get here? Of course by the time you top out these things are irrelevant. I suppose what is left to say is that the transition from the ground up is always the most interesting part for me. It is what keeps me coming back.

FLM: So what is the most important thing you learnt on that first lead?

Tommyzero: That leading brings about a quality of freedom and possibilities to my sense of reality. With each lead, from the ground up towards the sky, with no rope in front of your face and gear too far beneath your feet, you are a legend in your own life.

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