UKC

Later that evening we're sat outside our tents fending off the midges with a bottle of Laphroaig. We don't speak a lot over and above idle banter. Never do. We differ in all our views from political to social. We come from completely different worlds. Gordon gets up to put a bedtime brew on and crouched over the wee stove he looks pensive........“ I was jist thinkin."


Read the story of A Jo by any Other Name's first lead here: http://www.ukclimbing.com/articles/page.php?id=630

In reply to Mick Ryan - Editor - UKC:

brilliant stuff! she's edited out some of the swearing though...

In reply to Mick Ryan - Editor - UKC:

I like it.

I'm amazed by how big a thing all these essayists - well that's not true, actually, the mother's-washing-line chap is certainly exempted - make of their first lead. Of course my story wouldn't win any prizes, but 'turn up on freshers' meet, follow one route, leader leads other routes and says instead of following why don't you lead it now, you lead it, life goes on' was pretty much it for everyone I knew when I was starting out. Ageism again, as another entrant pointed out.

jcm

In reply to johncoxmysteriously:

the way I looked at it was not so much about 'my first lead' (complete with fanfare) as I don't remember much about it but it as a point of opening up possibilities. It's not the event, it's how you explain it, that makes an interesting tale, surely?

An example of this, to my mind, would be Raymond Queneau's 'exercises de style' - the same story told in 100 different ways.

In reply to CJD:



Yeahhhhh wot shee sed!

In reply to johncoxmysteriously:

oops - 99 times.

In reply to johncoxmysteriously:

What you say was certainly true of my first actual lead (with proper gear and stuff) which was a single pitch severe at Polldubh. It was basically 'ok your turn'. No fanfares or angels singing.

Leading multipitch however seemed to mark a progression to climbing 'proper' in my mind. Wether that be some sort of mistaken egotistical belief on my part or wether its true for a lot of people I don't know, but it certainly felt like a much bigger step, much bigger achievement than anything beforehand. Perhaps this is why my memories read as they do.

Thank you both

In reply to johncoxmysteriously:

It would be nice to relate that something that would turn out to have a stranglehold on your life started with some sort of epiphany.....I reached for the ledge, the clouds parted and a ray of sunshine...

In reply to A Jo by any Other Name:

Yes, I suppose I am overlooking the point that in essay competitions a person is not upon oath.

My first multi-pitch lead - actually this isn't true, I led some of One Step in the Clouds earlier in the day, but anyway - was the evening of my third day climbing, when I thought it would be cool to do a Severe called Oakover (I think) at Tremadog. I arrived at the belay, put a sling round a tree, clipped myself to it by means of my only screwgate krab, carefully did up the gate, and brought up my second. Only then did it become apparent that the gate had jammed and neither of us could undo it. I was irretrievably anchored to this tree.

I lowered my equally novice partner back to the ground and he went and got More Experienced Climbers. Several of them stood around laughing, and one or two soloed up, tried to undo it, and soloed back down. It got dark. The minibus was waiting. Jokes - unfunny, I thought them -, were made about calling the fire brigade, and/or getting some butter from the hut.

In the end a desperate effort on my part succeeded in undoing the gate, and all was well, but it was a humiliating half an hour or so.

jcm

In reply to A Jo by any Other Name:

A really good article Jo.

Thought it caught context, personaility and moves beautifully.


J

In reply to A Jo by any Other Name:

I enjoyed that, you really brought the story alive.
jk

In reply to Mick Ryan - Editor - UKC:

Only just read this one. Really good piece of writing, draws you along. Doesn't feel like 500 words, which is probably a good sign. I think we have about two or three contenders in my view, and this is one of them, but it depends what the judges are after.

I had written one up, but I can't find any pictures of me climbing to accompany it! It was a good exercise though, haven't tried any writing aside from factual stuff for years.