UKC

Has anyone got any photos of Big Jim climbing? it was a different world then and I’m sure many photos exist in photo albums gathering dust, or the few older guidebooks and magazines. 

Sadly I was too young to climb with him properly at the time but wow did he make it look easy! #legend #totalcontrol 

There were posters of him climbing T-Rex and Left Wall all over the place. Presumably some of the posters and hopefully the original photos are available somewhere.

I remember one of him soloing The Axe (E4 6a) It was an ad in the mags for something.

Time flies. A tragic loss.

I have an ever dwindling supply of posters of Jimmy on The Axe. Drop me a line if interested in a copy.

I was walking up to Cloggy fairly early one morning with Fast Eddy and met Jim and Paul Williams coming down after Paul had taken the photo's of Jim soloing The Axe. Jim was buzzing and as ever Paul had a lot to say.

Cover shot of the 1989 Cloggy guide.

At this point, somebody should recount the 'Big Jim' Pete's Eats story, for younger viewers.

.....or the Left Wall chalkbag/chalk mark story.

Edit: Or the A55 roadworks story.

33 years went fast.

Ill never tire of watch Total Control. The way he just latches on, skips his feet up and never stops moving, I could watch all day.

The look on his face at the top of Silly Arete, watery-eyed yet bursting with happiness in the autumn sunshine, sums up a whole world of rock climbing.

I already did last time you offered. You never sent it...

Resend and we can try again. Collection in-person supercedes me having to post stuff out - so if you're in Sheffield it's job done.

Edit: I've just searched my emails but can't see anything from you. How did you contact me?

Brilliant photos. Odd seeing him on a rope!

I used to run into Jim quite often.  At that time he was just another, slightly above average, unassuming climber doing the same routes we were doing and in the same style. His group and my group hit it off instantly and we got on very well and shared many an apres climb drink together. He then seemed to disappear from the scene for two or three years.  When we next ran into him he had acquired a lot more muscle mass and an incredible amount of bottle. He had moved into the next league but remained the same likable, unassuming character that we knew. I have lost several friends to climbing over the years but his death rattled me a little more than some of the others. RIP Jimmy your talent and memories of our friendship remain with me to this day. 

Al

There's a photo in Paul Williams's Snowdonia guide (I think) of Jimmy leading The Mau Mau on slate with the caption 'Big Jim Jewel v The Mau Mau: no contest!'

I’m sure everyone has seen this before but worth watching many times nonetheless. Stevie’s introduction is a great stream of consciousness and insight.

Jimmy in Total Control starts about 7 or so mins in...

youtube.com/watch?v=wdm9uGj4lZM&

That picture of Vector with no chalk. How nice! I can recall chatting with Jimmy at the top of Vector after he had just soloed it twice in no time at all. He actually fell past a good friend of mine when climbing on Pant Ifan. Such a sad loss.

I vaguely remember him as the skinny bloke at Ceunant parties.  Then, a couple of years later, there he was doing stuff like Total Control and looking like the Hulk in the photo of him soloing the Mau Mau.