UKC

Chris Hamper was diagnosed with Parkinson's Disease after a long career of enthusiastic climbing and training. In this article, Chris describes his diagnosis and his determination to keep climbing with this degenerative disorder, which significantly affects motor control.

Read more

In reply to UKC Articles:

Bloody hell Chris. I never thought you could make me cry! A very thought-provoking article indeed.

'My strength was always my strength...' Doubt anyone could argue with that. Only thing I'd add is that your inner strength seemed commensurate with your (all too evident) outer strength.

Just do what feels right. From your article it seems that, right now, climbing is the right thing for you to do.

All best wishes (and apologies for the past).

Mick

In reply to UKC Articles:

Thanks for this. It is inspiring: a tale of great courage and determination which ought to be a lesson to all of us about life and its course.

Lovely pics too!

In reply to UKC Articles:

Ahh 'Christmas' (Hi Hilary),
I'll second Mick Ward. Am balling my fckn eyes out, though please don't feel embarrassed or uncomfortable...
What a beautifully written article. See! Told you you had a wonderful turn of phrase... and I wasn't stuttering when I s, s, said that.
Well, what does,,, can,,, an old friend say in this circumstance? 'Dreadfully sorry to hear this,,,' smacks of 'poor me' - not your style. Shamefully I didn't quite grasp the gravity of your condition during our emails earlier this year (2015) then again, you made somewhat 'light' of things.
How we laughed during those fantastic days down 'Smee Dale' and the fish and 'chips' we shared that week in Cornwall - ha! Precious Time. Am channeling Pat Benatar; (Pen Trwyn, E something six something - always thought that name would come in handy... sorry you copped it Chris!).
Have any of the medicos suggested sunshine? And surf? Isn't it dark in Norway nine months of the year? Its very sunny and warm in Upsidedownland plus, your daughter's at Uni here. Don't send her money for the flight home,,, come visit yourself (key's under the mat)...
Best in all things Chris.
Oh, and 7-something with a bung hand is still pretty blimmin' good you know!
A. x

In reply to UKC Articles:

What a fabulously encouraging article - to horribly misquote the late Yogi Bera "you ain't beaten until you're beaten" and it sounds as if you are a long way from that.
I feel generally encouraged and admire your courage. And your wry writing style.
An initial diagnosis of motor neuron disease - good grief, I'd have curled up into a ball and hidden in a corner. As your medics say "at least it's not that".

In reply to UKC Articles:

What a great article. Puts so much into perspective. Why we climb, what it means to us, how we cope with the challenges, both lesser (many of us) or greater ( as so well articulated by Chris) we may have for all sorts of reasons. Most of all this article provides an incredible inspiration to just climb for as long as we can, as best we can, with as much passion and energy as we can muster. Easily the best thing I have read on UK climbing.

In reply to UKC Articles:

Really thought provoking and inspirational article. Self confidence and inner strength was never in short supply during the time that we climbed together in Leeds and its looks like you're putting that to good use now. Good luck with the Re-hab. Terry

In reply to UKC Articles:
I don't think I've ever read anything quite like this. Very honest, very determined, very moving.

Chris, we used to occasionally meet at the wall (Birmingham or Warwick Uni, probably, with Jon de M and Ian Parsons of this parish) way back in the late 70s/ early 80s. You were way better than me then and still are! I wish you well, you will still do great things.

I get the message. I'm going to go out and get something done. Today.

In reply to UKC Articles:

Lazy Bastard! Not. On a more serious note, rhythm can help keep the shakes at bay. You see this in musician's with PD who rattle up to the stage and then become completely controlled in playing their instrument. From a training perspective, you can use music (or beeps) to entrain the rhythm and hopefully quell the shakes and the immobility in order to get more form a training session. There's a solid scientific literature on this in walking rehab (climbing and PD isn't such a big field) but the principles should apply. Vin (53 year old without PD who does 8a - if 8a means belaying for a mate).

In reply to UKC Articles:

Brilliant. Best climbing related thing I've read for a long, long time. All the best.

In reply to UKC Articles:

Wow Chris, a bit of mixed emotions reading this. I often wondered what you were doing and if you still climbed, now I know. It is a habit we just can’t kick. Great to hear that. At the same time, it is in your words , inspiring and frightening. Keep hanging on in there, this is something you are good at. The mental attitude is more important than the physical.

And 8a? Shouldn’t be a problem for you again , you were probably doing that 35 years ago at Kenilworth Castle. Can you still do the front lever btw?

In reply to UKC Articles:
Thanks for all the comments and good to hear from old friends. Keener than ever to get on that 8a, pity it's nearly winter.
An advantage of having a still withered left side is that it weighs less so front levers, albeit lopsided, are not a problem. The other week my left leg swelled up for no apparent reason, fat ankles is something I could never get used to.

In reply to UKC Articles:

Hi Chris, great article.

I remember you from the Leeds Uni wall circa the mid 70’s, small world eh ?

I googled you and the last sentence of one the articles that surfaced was along the lines of ‘Life is wonderful and I never buy lottery tickets’.

Good on yer my friend.

This is almost (not quite) the first time I have come across a climber with Parkinson's. I have had Parkinson's diagnosed for eight years now, I am now 67, but don't climb at your standard Chris, but I do VS, and occasionally harder. Up until 2-3 years ago was leading E1 on a good day. I am more of a trad climber and because of yoga excerise and climbing did not feel abnormal. I am currently in city of rocks Idaho, in USA. Be interesting to chat with, find out about others experiences

In reply to UKC Articles:
Fantastic article. My wife was diagnosed with Parkinson's 7 years ago. I mentioned this article to her and here's her response. I think there's a subtle message hidden in there for me......
There's no cure but the surgery has been very positive and the NHS in Sheffield is bloody marvellous.


I too have parkinson's &, after deep brain stimulation surgery, am trying to pick up my climbing (indoors at least) but my bloody husband keeps pissing off to the climbing wall without me! Perhaps i should go to norway & climb with the inspirational chris? Can relate to everything he says about balance & left side weakness.

In reply to UKC Articles:

Hi Chris

You wont remember me but certainly recall you very well. I was one of the callow youths at the sports centre in Coventry where I was a student (for my sins) back in the mid eighties. I had become hooked on climbing at University (then Poly) and thought that after three months of brick edge cruising I was pretty good (ha!). Then you started turning up and I started to appreciate just how crap I was ( or more likely how good you were!). It was a pretty dismal wall by modern standards but you managed to find ever more inventive ways of demonstrating the gulf between the truly talented and the rest of us. And then you turned up with a new pair of rock boots called Fires (or Feee-Rays as we called them), only the third or fourth pair in the country, as recently used by a certain Gerald Moffat on Masters Wall on Cloggy. We all stood agog as you demonstrated (many times) how you could rub the soles together and they would defy gravity and stick together !! - God status had been acheived

Thirty years later I am still climbing, sliding down the other side of the bell curve of grades but scrambling backwards to slow the descent as much as possible. Thanks for the inspiration, at the early stage of my climbing obsession, your talk of E5's and E6's when that was at the bleeding edge of what was possible in climbing, certainly fuelled my climbing passion even though I was struggling to conquer HVS in those days

Keep on fighting the fight and maybe I'll see you at the crag, you wont have a clue who I am but I will know you !

In reply to UKC Articles:

Nice writeup. An ex-colleague of mine (not a climber, late 40's) has Parkinsons. He tends to 'seize up' if he's a bit late with his drugs. He has taken to going out on the razzle (pubs, clubs) and listening to music - he says the music stimulates his brain into producing more dopamine which improves things for him.
HTH,
Mark

In reply to UKC Articles:
Hello Chris , Mark Hamilton here AC . I loved your article however was sad to see you have been diagnosed with parkinsons .I have very fond memories of us surfing in AC and the time we spent together. I always found you very funny ! Sarah is well as is our daughter Martha who is 11 and hoping to go to AC . I am still getting wet , more often in the shower than in the surf . I am working at the international school of Monaco teaching sport , Watersport , sport science and whatever else they decide to give me tomorrow , which they tend to do . I am covering a Russian class on Thursday !! I have posted your article with some of my climbing friends . I still climb a bit and have been invited up in the hills here . The snow has arrived if only on the caps of the mountains . Sarah and i should come over to visit at some point . How are Inge and Arne ? I hope their well , say hi . Look after yourself . Perhaps see you soon . Are you in the uk at all ? Mark Hamilton .