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Ian Campbell, born in 1938, was brought up in Birmingham where he trained as a metallurgist. He started climbing in North Wales in 1958 and was instantly attracted to the whole scene. He worked as an instructor in the early days of Ogwen Cottage, climbed extensively in Wales and went on to climb in other regions of the UK, the Alps and the Himalayas.In this article, Ian reflects on his climbing career and asks himself the question: "Would I do it again? If I were 18 today would I take up climbing?" Would he experience the way of life that he was so heavily drawn in by in the 50's, 60's and 70's? Has climbing nowadays lost its 'lifestyle' aspect that Ian so revered during the "Golden Age" of mountaineering?
Read more at http://www.ukclimbing.com/articles/page.php?id=6522
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In reply to UKC Articles:
A wonderful article, capturing a different age. And great pics of Mo Anthoine, Richard McHardy, and Joe etc.
A wonderful article, capturing a different age. And great pics of Mo Anthoine, Richard McHardy, and Joe etc.
In reply to UKC Articles:
I enjoyed the article. I also love being a climber in the 2000's. Great kit, easy access to a world full of crags, loads of psyched climbers around - what's not to like? You can still have an awesome climbing lifestyle, albeit very different to Ian's.
I enjoyed the article. I also love being a climber in the 2000's. Great kit, easy access to a world full of crags, loads of psyched climbers around - what's not to like? You can still have an awesome climbing lifestyle, albeit very different to Ian's.
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In reply to UKC Articles:
Nice read. Theres a lot to be said for modern climbing, good gear and cheap flights etc. I think the whole lifestyle thing is what you make of it and it depends on who your mates are. Climbing back then would have been good because of more stuff being unexplored but that comes at a price of not being able to fall off so its always swings and roundabouts.
Nice read. Theres a lot to be said for modern climbing, good gear and cheap flights etc. I think the whole lifestyle thing is what you make of it and it depends on who your mates are. Climbing back then would have been good because of more stuff being unexplored but that comes at a price of not being able to fall off so its always swings and roundabouts.
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In reply to UKC Articles:
Nice article, Ian. You may not feel you'd want to start out as an 18 year old full time climber in the world today, knowing what you know, but what about not knowing what you know? If you were as driven towards climbing as you were back then and the opportunity arose, who knows?
Nice article, Ian. You may not feel you'd want to start out as an 18 year old full time climber in the world today, knowing what you know, but what about not knowing what you know? If you were as driven towards climbing as you were back then and the opportunity arose, who knows?
In reply to UKC Articles:
A really interesting read with a deeply personal slant, thanks very much for sharing your climbing life. It probably resonates with lots of UKC users, I suspect.
He sounds like a modest and self-effacing guy who would be a great companion on the crag or in the pub, more articles like this please.
A really interesting read with a deeply personal slant, thanks very much for sharing your climbing life. It probably resonates with lots of UKC users, I suspect.
He sounds like a modest and self-effacing guy who would be a great companion on the crag or in the pub, more articles like this please.
In reply to UKC Articles:
I must thank Mick Ward for his help and encouragement in the preparation of this article.
I must thank Mick Ward for his help and encouragement in the preparation of this article.
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In reply to Gordon Stainforth:
I'm not so sure Gordon, it may take more effort to find 'adventure' but it is there, and often closer to home than you might think. I go soloing (or highballing ) in Northumberland on new lines on crags in the back of beyond - nobody is around. I find it's just as exciting as what I was doing in the 70s.
As we farts get older I think there's a tendency for the adventure to leave us behind, we inevitably change. The downside of getting older and wiser perhaps? (Note to self - I may not be getting wiser....) While it's never going to be the same as the 'good old days', nostalgia precludes that, it can still be very good, exciting and with the essential uncertain outcome.
Anyhow I must dash - I need to have some Epsom Salts and Philosan before I hit the pillow.
Steve.
BTW, I really enjoyed the article - such emotive photos.
I'm not so sure Gordon, it may take more effort to find 'adventure' but it is there, and often closer to home than you might think. I go soloing (or highballing ) in Northumberland on new lines on crags in the back of beyond - nobody is around. I find it's just as exciting as what I was doing in the 70s.
As we farts get older I think there's a tendency for the adventure to leave us behind, we inevitably change. The downside of getting older and wiser perhaps? (Note to self - I may not be getting wiser....) While it's never going to be the same as the 'good old days', nostalgia precludes that, it can still be very good, exciting and with the essential uncertain outcome.
Anyhow I must dash - I need to have some Epsom Salts and Philosan before I hit the pillow.
Steve.
BTW, I really enjoyed the article - such emotive photos.
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In reply to Gordon Stainforth:
I agree it probably was. I think the same people are around now as back then though, theres a lot of adventure climbers around. The 'golden age' lifestyle is happening now in caving, lots of british teams are going abroad and making big discoveries thousands of feet down its like in the 70s and 80s when skint brits went out to the alps and other places.
I agree it probably was. I think the same people are around now as back then though, theres a lot of adventure climbers around. The 'golden age' lifestyle is happening now in caving, lots of british teams are going abroad and making big discoveries thousands of feet down its like in the 70s and 80s when skint brits went out to the alps and other places.
In reply to UKC Articles:
Great article - loved it. It's a good question - would I be a climber in todays world? I really haven't the foggiest. As you point out, it's a very different world. What I do know, is that I still enjoy moving around on rock, even at an extremely easy standard and not very far. There's something sensual about it.
It's certainly the case that "the scene" is not there in any shape at all that we would recognise. It was rare to use a phone at all, for example! Arrangements were made days or even weeks in advance and then adhered to. Pubs were a relatively cheap form of entertainment. Parking was rarely an issue as no-one had cars so they tended to be driven packed with people. And, of course, there weren't so many people either
Perhaps another question - would I be a better climber, given todays training opportunities and the much better gear? I somehow doubt it - I always climbed at about the same standard whether on boulders, soloing, leading or seconding. So I might be a bit better but wouldn't ever make it to 6a.
Great article - loved it. It's a good question - would I be a climber in todays world? I really haven't the foggiest. As you point out, it's a very different world. What I do know, is that I still enjoy moving around on rock, even at an extremely easy standard and not very far. There's something sensual about it.
It's certainly the case that "the scene" is not there in any shape at all that we would recognise. It was rare to use a phone at all, for example! Arrangements were made days or even weeks in advance and then adhered to. Pubs were a relatively cheap form of entertainment. Parking was rarely an issue as no-one had cars so they tended to be driven packed with people. And, of course, there weren't so many people either
Perhaps another question - would I be a better climber, given todays training opportunities and the much better gear? I somehow doubt it - I always climbed at about the same standard whether on boulders, soloing, leading or seconding. So I might be a bit better but wouldn't ever make it to 6a.
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In reply to Red Rover:
One big difference – so that while there are indeed many hugely adventurous people still around, it's not quite the same kind of adventure – is that there is now so much more safety backup, particularly with communications. Now you can call up a rescue relatively/very easily, depending on where you are, whereas, in the 1950s and 60s (and until quite a lot later) you just couldn't. All you could do on a mountain if you were in trouble was flash torches, or send up flares. Which was a fat lot of good if you were out of sight of civilization. And no good at all in the 'land of the midnight sun', for example
One big difference – so that while there are indeed many hugely adventurous people still around, it's not quite the same kind of adventure – is that there is now so much more safety backup, particularly with communications. Now you can call up a rescue relatively/very easily, depending on where you are, whereas, in the 1950s and 60s (and until quite a lot later) you just couldn't. All you could do on a mountain if you were in trouble was flash torches, or send up flares. Which was a fat lot of good if you were out of sight of civilization. And no good at all in the 'land of the midnight sun', for example
In reply to Michael Gordon:
A very good comment Michael - what would I do without the deja vu ? I took up climbing then for the scenery, the fresh air, the adventure and the fact that we felt we were different. If I was 18 today I might well be a climber, but not for those reasons.
> Nice article, Ian. You may not feel you'd want to start out as an 18 year old full time climber in the world today, knowing what you know, but what about not knowing what you know? If you were as driven towards climbing as you were back then and the opportunity arose, who knows?
A very good comment Michael - what would I do without the deja vu ? I took up climbing then for the scenery, the fresh air, the adventure and the fact that we felt we were different. If I was 18 today I might well be a climber, but not for those reasons.
In reply to USBRIT:
Thank you Paul - the main part of my article was to show how much my climbing years meant to me and you have obviously picked up on that. We are of a similar age and I dropped out of the scene many years ago - but you continue to make first ascents and I am most impressed.
> Super Read ... The Golden Years
Thank you Paul - the main part of my article was to show how much my climbing years meant to me and you have obviously picked up on that. We are of a similar age and I dropped out of the scene many years ago - but you continue to make first ascents and I am most impressed.
In reply to Gordon Stainforth:
I agree that there is definitely less adventure in the full sense of the word nowadays. The main reason for this, arguably more so than the better gear and the amount of people partaking, is INFORMATION, from detailed route descriptions to conditions reports to reliable weather forecasts for most places in the world. Nick Bullock wrote an interesting blog piece recently about the quest for information hampering the quest for adventure.
I agree that there is definitely less adventure in the full sense of the word nowadays. The main reason for this, arguably more so than the better gear and the amount of people partaking, is INFORMATION, from detailed route descriptions to conditions reports to reliable weather forecasts for most places in the world. Nick Bullock wrote an interesting blog piece recently about the quest for information hampering the quest for adventure.
In reply to Gordon Stainforth:
I suspect every generation is more or less the same, people going out and having a go on big stuff, its just the technology, accents and hairdos that change a bit. If mobile phones etc have taken some of the adventure out of it then its not an entirely bad thing because it makes it less serious, you can always leave your phone in the car if you want but people dont so that says something. I've been exloring a cave where rescue is impossible or would take a couple of weeks and that does add a certain spice that you dont find rock climbing especially in the UK but on the other hand it makes it a lot harder to commit and achieve what you wanted, I declined a place on the big push team that discovered a lot because there was a couple of points where a stretcher wouldnt get past. Maybe thats what going up the big climbs in norway felt like in the 60s and 70s.
I suspect every generation is more or less the same, people going out and having a go on big stuff, its just the technology, accents and hairdos that change a bit. If mobile phones etc have taken some of the adventure out of it then its not an entirely bad thing because it makes it less serious, you can always leave your phone in the car if you want but people dont so that says something. I've been exloring a cave where rescue is impossible or would take a couple of weeks and that does add a certain spice that you dont find rock climbing especially in the UK but on the other hand it makes it a lot harder to commit and achieve what you wanted, I declined a place on the big push team that discovered a lot because there was a couple of points where a stretcher wouldnt get past. Maybe thats what going up the big climbs in norway felt like in the 60s and 70s.
Oh the great days in the distance enchanted, when Wales and not Sheffield was the centre of the climbing universe, and what evocative photos. Great article.
I particularly appreciated your remarks about Ron James. As you know, I came into climbing late when I was almost 30 and I served my apprenticeship under Ron. It was hard but oh what training! Munich in winter in the pouring rain, Cloggy with the spring below frozen, but also the Dolomites. It wasn't just guiding but a mental switch-on climbing some of the most coveted routes of the time there, whatever the weather.
And that coupled to an immense longing for the hills is why I have never stopped, so I can't answer the question you pose.
In reply to Removed Userboje:
Ian,
What an interesting life you've had. Are you still in Vancouver? Do you give slide shows?
Jon
UBC Varsity Outdoor Club
Ian,
What an interesting life you've had. Are you still in Vancouver? Do you give slide shows?
Jon
UBC Varsity Outdoor Club
In reply to UKC Articles:
A great and poignant read.
As a 'lifer' myself I am a bit intrigued by your admission you might not have gone down the same road again give your time over - but what would you have done with all those years then?
Chris
A great and poignant read.
As a 'lifer' myself I am a bit intrigued by your admission you might not have gone down the same road again give your time over - but what would you have done with all those years then?
Chris
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In reply to Chris Craggs:
I was left with the same question. I wasn't really sure from the author why he was questioning whether he would do the same thing now.
> As a 'lifer' myself I am a bit intrigued by your admission you might not have gone down the same road again give your time over - but what would you have done with all those years then?
I was left with the same question. I wasn't really sure from the author why he was questioning whether he would do the same thing now.
In reply to Chris Craggs:
Thanks for the nice comment Chris.
That was not the impression I was trying to convey and I have no regrets about I did - unlike some well-known climbers (who I won't name here) who described their climbing time as "wasted years). I did state in the last paragraph " My climbing years were the best of times and I would do it all again".
I was trying to say that if I was coming through today as a young person would I take up climbing and even I am not sure of the answer. Climbing has certainly changed in the last 56 years, but then so has everything else !
The main purpose of the article was to show much my climbing years meant to me and I hope that comes over.
TobyA - I hope this also answers your question.
Thanks for the nice comment Chris.
That was not the impression I was trying to convey and I have no regrets about I did - unlike some well-known climbers (who I won't name here) who described their climbing time as "wasted years). I did state in the last paragraph " My climbing years were the best of times and I would do it all again".
I was trying to say that if I was coming through today as a young person would I take up climbing and even I am not sure of the answer. Climbing has certainly changed in the last 56 years, but then so has everything else !
The main purpose of the article was to show much my climbing years meant to me and I hope that comes over.
TobyA - I hope this also answers your question.
In reply to UKC Articles:
There is certainly lots to be said for walls/gear and cheap flights but for me,the difference between when I began and now is that even in the 70's climbing was seen as odd/anarchic but now it is mainstream with middle class people having climbing wall parties for kids etc. I liked being nonconformist, dossing in caves and yes even being smelly! I know you can still do that but the overall sense is that climbing is more sanitised. Would I do it all again? Well ..no regrets about the good times,friends and places that climbing has taken me to but if I were going to university now, I am not sure I would head to the mountaineering club in fresher's week.
Perhaps climbing is just a microcosm of the wider world and most aspects are now sanitised...... at least in the richer countries.
There is certainly lots to be said for walls/gear and cheap flights but for me,the difference between when I began and now is that even in the 70's climbing was seen as odd/anarchic but now it is mainstream with middle class people having climbing wall parties for kids etc. I liked being nonconformist, dossing in caves and yes even being smelly! I know you can still do that but the overall sense is that climbing is more sanitised. Would I do it all again? Well ..no regrets about the good times,friends and places that climbing has taken me to but if I were going to university now, I am not sure I would head to the mountaineering club in fresher's week.
Perhaps climbing is just a microcosm of the wider world and most aspects are now sanitised...... at least in the richer countries.
In reply to Jonny2vests:
Thanks for the comment Jon - I now live in the Okanagan. Thanks for the invitation but unfortunately I don't do slide shows.
> Ian,
> What an interesting life you've had. Are you still in Vancouver? Do you give slide shows?
> Jon
> UBC Varsity Outdoor Club
Thanks for the comment Jon - I now live in the Okanagan. Thanks for the invitation but unfortunately I don't do slide shows.
In reply to Removed Userboje:
Thanks! Yes, just about everything is different I guess - it has changed enough since I started in about 1990.
I was always interested in reading about Mo Anthoine, if I remember correctly he was born in Kidderminster. I grew up in small town that is Kiddy's neighbour and it always gave me hope that if a Kiddy lad could go off and climb around the world, then so could I! Of course you can occasionally even climb in Kiddy itself http://www.ukclimbing.com/images/dbpage.php?id=162696
Thanks! Yes, just about everything is different I guess - it has changed enough since I started in about 1990.
I was always interested in reading about Mo Anthoine, if I remember correctly he was born in Kidderminster. I grew up in small town that is Kiddy's neighbour and it always gave me hope that if a Kiddy lad could go off and climb around the world, then so could I! Of course you can occasionally even climb in Kiddy itself http://www.ukclimbing.com/images/dbpage.php?id=162696
In reply:
That was great, thanks for sharing it. I appreciate your honesty, and the little doubt at the end.
Too many climbing histories are written by talented and lucky stars who gloss over the bad bits and lack any perspective, as if they're afraid to be honest about what it was really like. It's good to have an alternative story, but from someone who was still in the thick of it all.
Things like your car crash change lives forever and are not something we factor in when we are young. In researching and writing up climbing histories I've often found similar events ( or sickness, or family tragedies) that were never known but had far-reaching effects. I'm glad you seem to have come through yours.
It's a recurrent theme to ask why people climb, but it's often more interesting to ask why they stop.
That was great, thanks for sharing it. I appreciate your honesty, and the little doubt at the end.
Too many climbing histories are written by talented and lucky stars who gloss over the bad bits and lack any perspective, as if they're afraid to be honest about what it was really like. It's good to have an alternative story, but from someone who was still in the thick of it all.
Things like your car crash change lives forever and are not something we factor in when we are young. In researching and writing up climbing histories I've often found similar events ( or sickness, or family tragedies) that were never known but had far-reaching effects. I'm glad you seem to have come through yours.
It's a recurrent theme to ask why people climb, but it's often more interesting to ask why they stop.
In reply to earlsdonwhu:
Thank you earls.... I think that sums things up pretty well.
> There is certainly lots to be said for walls/gear and cheap flights but for me,the difference between when I began and now is that even in the 70's climbing was seen as odd/anarchic but now it is mainstream with middle class people having climbing wall parties for kids etc. I liked being nonconformist, dossing in caves and yes even being smelly! I know you can still do that but the overall sense is that climbing is more sanitised. Would I do it all again? Well ..no regrets about the good times,friends and places that climbing has taken me to but if I were going to university now, I am not sure I would head to the mountaineering club in fresher's week.
> Perhaps climbing is just a microcosm of the wider world and most aspects are now sanitised...... at least in the richer countries.
Thank you earls.... I think that sums things up pretty well.
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In reply to UKC Articles: it's a great article Cam, one which evoked many memories - some of them bittersweet! Perhaps a mention of the Wallasey wouldn't have been out of place! Their anarchic attitudes contributed much to the social scene in Llanberis in the 50s and 60s! Remember that you, me and Mo were members!!
Re the rhetorical question you posed in the conclusion to your article - I think the social context in which you found yourself would be a major factor. With the right mates you would be able to carve out a niche for yourself in the climbing world. It could be as you wished it to be! For instance, as you know, my lad lives in Sheffield. He is one of o close-knit group of climbing mates. They belong to no club but climb in Wales, the Lakes, the Peak and Europe as the spirit moves them. Free spirits! I think that, despite your denials, that's what you would be doing if you were a youth again!!
Re the rhetorical question you posed in the conclusion to your article - I think the social context in which you found yourself would be a major factor. With the right mates you would be able to carve out a niche for yourself in the climbing world. It could be as you wished it to be! For instance, as you know, my lad lives in Sheffield. He is one of o close-knit group of climbing mates. They belong to no club but climb in Wales, the Lakes, the Peak and Europe as the spirit moves them. Free spirits! I think that, despite your denials, that's what you would be doing if you were a youth again!!
Just read your wonderful piece Cam - great stuff of course. Good to see Harry in there, and wonderful to see the discussion it initiated. That period was the best of times, but then we would say that! And we’d be right, of course!
In reply to chasanhar:
Thank you Fox, I think you are correct in that I may well fit in with such a group and enjoy the climbing. However, as I tried to convey in the article I don't think that now I would be prepared to put my career on hold and work for sub minimum wages , just for the joy of being in the mountains.
> it's a great article Cam, one which evoked many memories - some of them bittersweet! Perhaps a mention of the Wallasey wouldn't have been out of place! Their anarchic attitudes contributed much to the social scene in Llanberis in the 50s and 60s! Remember that you, me and Mo were members!!
> Re the rhetorical question you posed in the conclusion to your article - I think the social context in which you found yourself would be a major factor. With the right mates you would be able to carve out a niche for yourself in the climbing world. It could be as you wished it to be! For instance, as you know, my lad lives in Sheffield. He is one of o close-knit group of climbing mates. They belong to no club but climb in Wales, the Lakes, the Peak and Europe as the spirit moves them. Free spirits! I think that, despite your denials, that's what you would be doing if you were a youth again!!
Thank you Fox, I think you are correct in that I may well fit in with such a group and enjoy the climbing. However, as I tried to convey in the article I don't think that now I would be prepared to put my career on hold and work for sub minimum wages , just for the joy of being in the mountains.
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In reply to pneame:
Thank you Peter - you have made some nice comments on my photos and now on my article.
I am about ten years older than you but we have followed the same path, climbed at a similar standard and seem to be on the same wavelength - certainly on the question I pose. I'm not sure either.
You pose a very interesting question, would we be better climbers today with all the advantages ?
To be pedantic, what is a better climber ? If I was starting today the first thing I would learn was how to fall off (anathema to you and me) and to always have the phone handy to call the rescue team.
Sorry, it is late and I have had a few beers so I will sign off.
> Great article - loved it. It's a good question - would I be a climber in todays world? I really haven't the foggiest. As you point out, it's a very different world. What I do know, is that I still enjoy moving around on rock, even at an extremely easy standard and not very far. There's something sensual about it.
> It's certainly the case that "the scene" is not there in any shape at all that we would recognise. It was rare to use a phone at all, for example! Arrangements were made days or even weeks in advance and then adhered to. Pubs were a relatively cheap form of entertainment. Parking was rarely an issue as no-one had cars so they tended to be driven packed with people. And, of course, there weren't so many people either
> Perhaps another question - would I be a better climber, given todays training opportunities and the much better gear? I somehow doubt it - I always climbed at about the same standard whether on boulders, soloing, leading or seconding. So I might be a bit better but wouldn't ever make it to 6a.
Thank you Peter - you have made some nice comments on my photos and now on my article.
I am about ten years older than you but we have followed the same path, climbed at a similar standard and seem to be on the same wavelength - certainly on the question I pose. I'm not sure either.
You pose a very interesting question, would we be better climbers today with all the advantages ?
To be pedantic, what is a better climber ? If I was starting today the first thing I would learn was how to fall off (anathema to you and me) and to always have the phone handy to call the rescue team.
Sorry, it is late and I have had a few beers so I will sign off.
In reply to Removed Userboje:
I sometimes wonder this with regards to the various pioneers in the Lakes, Scotland etc from the days of hemp rope and few runners. What one can almost say with certainty is that they would be climbing a harder grade nowadays than back then (due to the massively improved equipment) but would they still be great/leading climbers? Many of the early ascents were feats of incredible boldness without being too technically difficult (as they had to be climbed in complete control). So it's arguably very much a different skill set.
> You pose a very interesting question, would we be better climbers today with all the advantages ?
> To be pedantic, what is a better climber ?
I sometimes wonder this with regards to the various pioneers in the Lakes, Scotland etc from the days of hemp rope and few runners. What one can almost say with certainty is that they would be climbing a harder grade nowadays than back then (due to the massively improved equipment) but would they still be great/leading climbers? Many of the early ascents were feats of incredible boldness without being too technically difficult (as they had to be climbed in complete control). So it's arguably very much a different skill set.
In reply to Removed Userboje:
"fear of falling". There, Ian, I think you have encapsulated my climbing career. Even on a top rope. It's likely something about relinquishing control or some other psychiatric condition. Although this was modified by an absolute certainty that nothing bad could happen when I was young. Now, I know very well that (a) it's very inconvenient being injured and (b) if it's bad enough it affects a lot of people, not just yourself.
Even with good gear (bolts, for example) I could never let go to the extent that modern climbers do. And on cell phones - one of the things that I like about the US is that you can be very far away from decent cell reception. A GPS, on the other hand - I really like those!
As Michael Gordon says - different skill sets in different environments and with different resources. That's probably what would always be attractive. There's no one "right way" as is evident from this forum!
> To be pedantic, what is a better climber ? If I was starting today the first thing I would learn was how to fall off (anathema to you and me) and to always have the phone handy to call the rescue team.
"fear of falling". There, Ian, I think you have encapsulated my climbing career. Even on a top rope. It's likely something about relinquishing control or some other psychiatric condition. Although this was modified by an absolute certainty that nothing bad could happen when I was young. Now, I know very well that (a) it's very inconvenient being injured and (b) if it's bad enough it affects a lot of people, not just yourself.
Even with good gear (bolts, for example) I could never let go to the extent that modern climbers do. And on cell phones - one of the things that I like about the US is that you can be very far away from decent cell reception. A GPS, on the other hand - I really like those!
As Michael Gordon says - different skill sets in different environments and with different resources. That's probably what would always be attractive. There's no one "right way" as is evident from this forum!
Post edited at 18:31
In reply to UKC Articles:
Well, came late to this and found it a gem of a piece. Just read the Boysen book and there's enjoyably little overlap. Whoever said this was a poignant read summed it up for me. And yes life today is more sanitised.
Great read Mr Campbell.
Well, came late to this and found it a gem of a piece. Just read the Boysen book and there's enjoyably little overlap. Whoever said this was a poignant read summed it up for me. And yes life today is more sanitised.
Great read Mr Campbell.
In reply to UKC Articles:
Good to read your article,C am. It certainly brought back some memories for me. I have always rated the 2 years I spent at Og Cot, followed by the year long trip to Nz as the happiest time of my life. The friendship, climbing, drunken shenanigans and all-round sense of fun could not have happened in any other time or venue. In fact, I am still in touch with most of the friends that I made during my climbing years, those that still occupy their perches, that is!. Cheers, Mate
Good to read your article,C am. It certainly brought back some memories for me. I have always rated the 2 years I spent at Og Cot, followed by the year long trip to Nz as the happiest time of my life. The friendship, climbing, drunken shenanigans and all-round sense of fun could not have happened in any other time or venue. In fact, I am still in touch with most of the friends that I made during my climbing years, those that still occupy their perches, that is!. Cheers, Mate
In reply to UKC Articles: Great article Cam brings back many happy memories they were good days.
On reflection I must agree with you we had the best time to be a climber,you could camp almost anywhere,you could leave your gear and nobody would touch it,I have often left my tent up in Idwal on a Sunday gone home and it was still there when I returned on Friday.
I don't think I had a weekend at home for about seven years we just lived for the hills.
We made close friendships and they still exist to this day 50/60 years on.I don't think if I was 18 again I would be able to repeat my time.
On reflection I must agree with you we had the best time to be a climber,you could camp almost anywhere,you could leave your gear and nobody would touch it,I have often left my tent up in Idwal on a Sunday gone home and it was still there when I returned on Friday.
I don't think I had a weekend at home for about seven years we just lived for the hills.
We made close friendships and they still exist to this day 50/60 years on.I don't think if I was 18 again I would be able to repeat my time.
In reply to UKC Articles:
A great reminiscence! I was born five years later than Ian but started climbing a year earlier, in 1957. I've had a modest but more or less continuous climbing career for 57 going on 58 years now. I was a high school teacher, then a graduate student, then a college professor, married and raised a wonderful daughter. There were years when I climbed almost every day in June, July, and August and almost every weekend the rest of the year. There were other years when I might have climbed just once a month. But something kept me at it, and still does, even as age and infirmity creep up and my abilities decline. The last few years have been the hardest, with a ruptured ACL (my first real climbing injury) and now a pinched nerve. But I think, god willing, there are some routes left to do still before I dodder off into the sunset.
It is true that things now are very different, but once you are on the rock, it doesn't seem as if all that much has changed, other than the fact that the grade at which gripping experiences occur keeps going down. I live near a climbing area, the Gunks in New York State, and although I can still find new things to do there, many climbs are old friends. There are days when I find myself pulling on a hold that first accepted my grasp half a century ago, and I remember it, and it remembers me, and we have a bit of a chuckle about how we can't keep meeting like this.
As for all the new stuff, I'm thankful for it. It has made climbing easier and safer, and so allowed me to keep going when I might have otherwise felt things were getting beyond me. Its a bit of a drive for me to get to any good sport climbing, but if it was closer I'm sure I'd do a lot, and climb better on everything for it.
I do miss many of the same things Ian misses. Avoiding crowds has become an increasing challenge, for example. But I've also met and enjoyed my time with parties on routes, so the solitude we prize is not the only way to be in the climbing world.
Of course one cannot return to one's youth in the present. But I think I'd love climbing just as much as a fourteen year-old today as I did on my first climb on the Grand Teton in 1957. Much about climbing has changed, and regrettably for those of us who had a different type of experience, but on the other hand the essence of the activity is really the same as ever.
A great reminiscence! I was born five years later than Ian but started climbing a year earlier, in 1957. I've had a modest but more or less continuous climbing career for 57 going on 58 years now. I was a high school teacher, then a graduate student, then a college professor, married and raised a wonderful daughter. There were years when I climbed almost every day in June, July, and August and almost every weekend the rest of the year. There were other years when I might have climbed just once a month. But something kept me at it, and still does, even as age and infirmity creep up and my abilities decline. The last few years have been the hardest, with a ruptured ACL (my first real climbing injury) and now a pinched nerve. But I think, god willing, there are some routes left to do still before I dodder off into the sunset.
It is true that things now are very different, but once you are on the rock, it doesn't seem as if all that much has changed, other than the fact that the grade at which gripping experiences occur keeps going down. I live near a climbing area, the Gunks in New York State, and although I can still find new things to do there, many climbs are old friends. There are days when I find myself pulling on a hold that first accepted my grasp half a century ago, and I remember it, and it remembers me, and we have a bit of a chuckle about how we can't keep meeting like this.
As for all the new stuff, I'm thankful for it. It has made climbing easier and safer, and so allowed me to keep going when I might have otherwise felt things were getting beyond me. Its a bit of a drive for me to get to any good sport climbing, but if it was closer I'm sure I'd do a lot, and climb better on everything for it.
I do miss many of the same things Ian misses. Avoiding crowds has become an increasing challenge, for example. But I've also met and enjoyed my time with parties on routes, so the solitude we prize is not the only way to be in the climbing world.
Of course one cannot return to one's youth in the present. But I think I'd love climbing just as much as a fourteen year-old today as I did on my first climb on the Grand Teton in 1957. Much about climbing has changed, and regrettably for those of us who had a different type of experience, but on the other hand the essence of the activity is really the same as ever.
In reply to JohnIreland:
Thanks John - we seem to be pretty much in agreement.
> Great article Cam brings back many happy memories they were good days.
> On reflection I must agree with you we had the best time to be a climber,you could camp almost anywhere,you could leave your gear and nobody would touch it,I have often left my tent up in Idwal on a Sunday gone home and it was still there when I returned on Friday.
> I don't think I had a weekend at home for about seven years we just lived for the hills.
> We made close friendships and they still exist to this day 50/60 years on.I don't think if I was 18 again I would be able to repeat my time.
Thanks John - we seem to be pretty much in agreement.
In reply to UKC Articles:
OMG. Flicked on this by chance. Brings back memories. Of going up to North Wales in the back of Ron James' van. And indeed of Trevor Jones who was actually at the same school in Birmingham. Yeah, I think it was an era that will never be repeated - almost innocent. It all seems so much more professional nowadays. Even safe! Beginning to wonder why I am still around!
OMG. Flicked on this by chance. Brings back memories. Of going up to North Wales in the back of Ron James' van. And indeed of Trevor Jones who was actually at the same school in Birmingham. Yeah, I think it was an era that will never be repeated - almost innocent. It all seems so much more professional nowadays. Even safe! Beginning to wonder why I am still around!
In reply to altirando:
Thank you for the comment - I feel I should know you, at least by name. Would you care to add an ID ?
Thank you for the comment - I feel I should know you, at least by name. Would you care to add an ID ?
In reply to Gordon Stainforth:
>Now you can call up a rescue relatively/very easily, depending on where you are
Yes, but as you have alluded yourself, mobile coverage isn't exactly global is it? There is plenty of opportunity to get yourself in adventurous difficulty out there. I've done plenty of stuff where if it had all gone tits up the only one who would rescue me is me. I'm sure lots of people would say the same. I think you need to get out of the idea that all adventure died the day you hung your boots up, because it didn't.
>Now you can call up a rescue relatively/very easily, depending on where you are
Yes, but as you have alluded yourself, mobile coverage isn't exactly global is it? There is plenty of opportunity to get yourself in adventurous difficulty out there. I've done plenty of stuff where if it had all gone tits up the only one who would rescue me is me. I'm sure lots of people would say the same. I think you need to get out of the idea that all adventure died the day you hung your boots up, because it didn't.
1
In reply to Willi Crater:
Well of course all adventure didn't die, and there is probably still some close to home. But by and large you have to make a bigger effort to really get away from things, and that means that a good bit of your weekend-type climbing is not going to have the same feel as it did, say, forty years ago, and in some cases the change is truly dramatic.
There are far more people at my local area on a mediocre weekday than there used to be on a glorious fall weekend years ago. There's an iphone app that has route diagrams superimposed on aerial cliff photos as well as shots from the ground of the first pitch so one can get started without confusion. And of course there is a grading system that gives not only the difficulty of every pitch but also describes the level of protection you are likely to find. And a guidebook to warn you about specialized gear you might need. And yes, you can phone in a rescue call.
Mind you, I'm not complaining, it is what it is. But let's not pretend it the general level of adventure is somehow the same as ever.
.
Well of course all adventure didn't die, and there is probably still some close to home. But by and large you have to make a bigger effort to really get away from things, and that means that a good bit of your weekend-type climbing is not going to have the same feel as it did, say, forty years ago, and in some cases the change is truly dramatic.
There are far more people at my local area on a mediocre weekday than there used to be on a glorious fall weekend years ago. There's an iphone app that has route diagrams superimposed on aerial cliff photos as well as shots from the ground of the first pitch so one can get started without confusion. And of course there is a grading system that gives not only the difficulty of every pitch but also describes the level of protection you are likely to find. And a guidebook to warn you about specialized gear you might need. And yes, you can phone in a rescue call.
Mind you, I'm not complaining, it is what it is. But let's not pretend it the general level of adventure is somehow the same as ever.
.
In reply to rgold:
Thank you again for such a great comment - I had not realised that the I-Phone had become such a part of modern day climbing.
Thank you again for such a great comment - I had not realised that the I-Phone had become such a part of modern day climbing.
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