JimBee

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Hey! I’ve been trad climbing since 2005 but my passion for the outdoors started years before when my father took me to Harrison’s Rocks and Snowdonia as a child. In the UK my favourite discipline is trad and in the Alps I really like alpine ridge routes.

In winter I try to escape the British gloom for some sport climbing in Spain. I've also done plenty of caving in the UK & Crete, mainly vertical pots using SRT, and I’m a South East Cave Rescue Org volunteer.

Grades: I’m comfortable on trad VS and will climb HVS or E1 if it’s a nice line. I onsight French 6a+/6b sport and work 6b+ routes. On southern sandstone I climb UK 5b/5c, and in the Alps AD routes.

I’ve climbed at Southern Sandstone, Peak District, Lakes, Swanage, Portland, Dartmoor, Cornwall, North Wales, South Wales Valleys, Gower, Wye Valley, Yorkshire Dales, Fort William, Skye, El Chorro, Costa Blanca, Majorca, Sardinia, Arco, Chamonix, Ecrins, Gunks, Grampians and Arapiles - always keen to try somewhere new!

Mountain Training: I’ve recently started preparing for my RCDI assessment. Below I've summarised my instructing and coaching CPD to help find more opportunities:

2025 May: 'Improving Movement' - coaching course MT CPD, Stanage, Peak District
2024 May: MT Rock Climbing Development Instructor (RCDI - training), Eryri, North Wales
2022 April: UK Coaching 'Safeguarding and Protecting' course online classroom.
2021 Dec: Outdoor First Aid ITC Certificate (valid to 2024)
2020 Sept: BMC 'Supporting Novice Club Members - Advanced Skills' Workshop, PYB
2019 June: MT Rock Climbing Instructor (RCI - pass), Peak District.
2019 May: BMC 'Supporting Novice Club Members' Workshop, PYB
2019 May: MTA ‘Bridging the gap between SPA and RCI’ Workshop, Hutton Roof Crags, Cumbria.
2019: MT Indoor Climbing Assistant (ICA - pass), The Tower Climbing Centre, Leicester.
2019: Assisted instructors setting up top / bottom ropes, abseils and coaching groups on Dartmoor crags.
2018-2019: Assisted instructors on Basic Skills courses, The Reach climbing wall, London.
2018 Dec: MT Foundation Coach (FC - training), Boulder Brighton.
2018 May: BMC Fundamentals of Climbing 1 & 2, Mile End Climbing Wall, London.
2018: Assisted instructors setting up bottom ropes and coaching groups of adults and children on Southern Sandstone.
2018 March: Kent Sport 'Safeguarding and Protecting Children & Vulnerable Adults' course.
2009: MT Rock Climbing Instructor (RCI / SPA - training), PYB.
2004-2015: Taught vertical caving (Single Rope Technique) to Reading University Caving Club students.
2005-2006: Learnt to trad climb with Melbourne Uni Mountaineering Club at Arapiles and the Grampians, Australia.
2003: Climbing wall instructor (in-house trained) at an American summer camp, Pennsylvania.

Alpine: In 2008 I did a 6 day alpine autonomy course through Icicle Mountaineering, it covered all the usual skills and finished the week on the Domes de Miage traverse (PD), a great learning experience. Most of my alpine experience is in single axe territory on the popular tourist routes around Chamonix, but hope to venture into more adventurous terrain in future.

I'm technically sound in the mountains and keen to have some more adventures. I really enjoy climbing with new people, alpine newbies or someone more experienced. I’ve used the UKC forums to find partners before, here’s some alpine routes I've done unguided:

Mont Blanc via Gouter Ridge 4,810m Chamonix PD- 2017
Pointes Lachenal & Cosmiques Arête linkup, Chamonix AD 2017
Mont Blanc via Gouter Ridge (upto Vallot Refuge) 4,300m, Chamonix PD- 2015
Gran Paradiso (via Ferrata ridge) 4,061m Italy PD+ 2015
Cosmiques Arête, Chamonix AD 2017, 2015, 2008
Pointes Lachenal traverse, Chamonix PD 2015
Petite Aiguille Verte NW-NNE traverse PD 2015
Vallee Blanche snowboard descent - classic route 2015
Petite Aiguille Verte NW ridge, Chamonix PD- 2009
Dome & Barre Des Ecrins 4,102m Ecrins PD+ 2008 my 1st 4K summit.
Roche Faurio 3,730m Ecrins PD- 2008
Approx. 20 Via Ferrara in the Ecrins and Dolomites 1995-2006
Roadside ice falls WI2/3 Canmore, Canada 2007

Gear: Trad rack with Camalots and Dragonflies, 2 x 60m 9.1mm tri-rated Beal Jokers, 50m 8.5mm tri-rated Beal Opera, 40m 9.8mm single, G12 crampons, Grivel Air Tech Evo axes, 5 ice screws. Static ropes 50m, 30m, 25m.

Best Climbing Experience
A Dream of White Horses HVS 4c at Gogarth. Amazing route, we were the last party of the day when we climbed it in July 2018 and the light was incredible.

Favourite Climbing-Related Discussion Topic
Gear - anything to do with it, but best of all spending other people's money on it.

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Interests Outside Climbing
Snowboarding & Caving

About My Photography
iPhone.

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