UKC

I have just been watching Leo Dickinson's DVD 'Out of the shadows and into the sun' again. I first saw this with Cliff Phillips at the Royal Festival Hall ages ago., when I think Leo Dickinson took the film on tour. I had no knowledge or experience of climbing and it blew mind away. Since then knowing some climbers (now retired), reading books, reports etc I have continued to admire you guys - admittedly from my armchair, and hope that even in later life they (Cliff etc) have been able to continue that life and freedom. 

I think Cliff's possibly on Mars...

Pete Minks is no longer with us.

Undoubtedly, or somewhere similar. I remember him asking me to help to pin out a large white sheet so that aliens could easily see him and whisk him away.

This sounds like an interesting story

Eric Jones' book "A Life on the Edge" is available and worth a read.

Are you SA (nee J)?

Or away with the fairies. Not seen him for 15 years at least.

I don't think Jon's reply is very helpful.  I haven't seen Cliff for many years but even 30 years ago he was struggling with mental health issues.  Others will know better but suffice to say he isn't the person he was. He was very good to me when I was a teenager and I have fond memories. Eric Jones is arguably the best known Welsh climber and as many here will know went on to solo the Eigerwand a few years later.  At an age when most retire he found new adventure sports and ran a popular cafe and campsite near Porthmadog.  There is a book ( Gwasg Carreg Gwalch the publisher) and a couple of years ago a poignant film on BBC Wales (?) called Eric's Last Climb.  Now happily "retired" I believe but still out on two wheels.  Pete Minks emigrated to the USA, working at  ski resort in the High Sierra but sadly died a few years ago.

Just uploaded a mid-80s photo of Cliff to my gallery, somewhere in the slate quarries.

Last time I saw Cliff he asked me to develop a roll of black and white film for him, which I agreed to do, thinking there’d be some good action shots on it.

The roll arrived through the post the following week. Bloody daisies!

Great bloke; we had some good times. Hope he’s well.

Not really, Cliff’s life was full of episodes like that, but his most impressive act was falling off soloing Black Spring on Diana’s Mot, crawling to the road with a broken pelvis (I think) and driving to Nant Peris where he was found collapsed over the wheel!

The reporting of that incident in the climbing press at the time was interesting. It sounded like Cliff asked for help from other climbers who refused.

The reporting of that incident in the climbing press at the time was interesting. It sounded like Cliff asked for help from other climbers who refused.
That’s what he claimed. Who knows. Very good effort getting to the road from there.

Really? To me it is virtually impossible to believe climbers would refuse to help someone who had fallen off Black Spring (HVS 5a) soloing. (I know you're talking about the press)

Thank you all. Great to hear of Eric Jones doing kind of what I imagined the older Cliff would do, and am searching out the book, but sad news poor lad of the latter. If he is still around hopefully he has some kind support or help, or maybe just going it alone is more like Cliff. I worked in mental health myself, but sadly now more support than years ago.

He came to mind after I dug out my Dickinson DVD (grandchildren: what's a DVD grandma?) after being reminded about north Wales and the normal dangers in life, after the death of those 4 young men from Shropshire who, while camping in November, lost their lives on the Tremadoc road. It reminded me about Risk and wherever and how it is anticipated, faced, feared, avoided, thankfully you guys continuing to push it all at times. It is interesting hearing your thoughts, thanks.

I was going to make a donation in memory of his kindness and good company (sorry if you are still around Cliff ironic heh?) to the Llanberis Mountain Rescue, but if anyone knows of a climbers charity, I will donate to them. 

And no I am not  SA (nee J) but JP (nee C). 

cheers

couldn’t agree more!

I think the piece went something like he asked for help and got the response “if Doug Scott can crawl down off the Ogre you can make it down from the Mot” or similar.

I’ll try to find it later.

P

Forgot to say. I passed a few messages with Trevor Hodgson a couple of years before he sadly passed, and he said The Captain (Cliff) had been seen a few times in llanberis recently (10 years back?)

P

Surely Doug's little crawl was after Cliff's solo "tumble"

Frigging years after. Cliff was fully recovered by '78 when we did the A-one slab with him. He shoplifted a monster Toblerone to celebrate!

Thanks a lot for the further details! And help

That's what my memory tells me, but hey - could be wrong of course. 

I've just checked and I realised I don't have any C&Rs from that period any longer - I *think* it was in C&R.

I seem to recall someone's crack in the reports at the time along the lines of "He doesn't just solo his climbs, he solos his own rescues too!"

Cliff tried to sell me a pair of 'modified' lightweight leather boots, maybe Saussois, or something similar. The 'modifications' consisted of putting them on a sanding belt and planing off most of the vibram sole until there were absolutely flat - no rocker at all. He claimed that it made them stiffer for face climbing. Of course it had had the opposite effect and they were bendier than before. I think he'd realised that he'd just ruined a perfectly good pair of boots and was trying to offload them!

I last saw Cliff about 7-8 years ago. He was sitting outside Pete's Eats.

I can remember that quote in one of the magazines probably around 1979 but it referred to a climber, can't remember who, who fell off a route at Craig Pant Ifan at Tremadog and crawled down to the road. The quote was from his mate and it was reported in a fairly lighthearted way. I am sure there was more to the story than that. Funny the things that you remember!

Ahhhh! I’ve obviously conflated the two! Thanks for that. 
P

Sorry to be a party pooper, but the quip was actually quoted in Mountain 10, July 1970, which I have in front of me. 'The accident occurred on a Tuesday night with the pass deserted, so there was little hope of rescue.'

The only soloing accident I'm aware of on Pant Ifan was Jim Jewell's on Poor Man's Peuterey, which had a less happy outcome.

Not quite sure how it could be quoted in 1970 when Doug Scott's accident occurred in 1977?

I didn't say it was someone soloing, he was climbing with his mate, just can't remember the name.

I think you're a bit confused tbh. This thread is about Cliff Phillips, who fell soloing in 1970, and crawled back to his car. When this was reported an unknown wit made the quip about soloing his own rescues.

I have no idea what Doug Scott or Craig Pant Ifan have to do with anything.

Not confused at all, I think we are obviously just referring to different quips that have already been mentioned in the thread.

That’ll be my bad memory confusing things.

Got it now - two different tales.

To confuse things further…

I think the ‘if Doug Scott can crawl off the Ogre… you can crawl off Tremadog’ quote was reported in Mountain, or Crags, somewhere around 1980. And the climber involved was Pete Gomersall.  

I thought Cliff fell off Black Foot, while soloing. Not Black Spring.

I thought Cliff fell off Black Foot, while soloing. Not Black Spring.

Saw him about the same time in the Vaynol. Cost me a pint!