More so that biking nowadays… it just took over (my life)… 🙄

I was a mountain biker (24 years) before I was a climber (20 years) – blimey they’re both a long time :-/

Climbed up to leading HVS/E1/soft E2 (as long as it wasn’t steep!), lots of bouldering (up to 7a). But that was when I had the massive luxury of time. Move away from crags, followed by kids, made climbing a very occasional occurence.

Climbing back on the agenda now, but in a very relaxed way taking my 6 yr old cragging. Which means I don’t really climb much, just mess about with ropes and boulder a bit. VERY nice to get back out to crags though… thinking about doing some actual training so the irregular bouldering is a bit less pathetic 🙂

Thats alot less than I thought there would be…..

THEBOYDONALD on UKC.

Come on, there must be a lot more of you…………

you are forgetting that most STW types are broad of beam, middle aged IT nerds who only just manage to trundle around a trail centre with a skill compensating bike. They are not the sort to climb an E7 or do mixed winter routes 😀

I’m on UKC, topo but its a sprawling mess of a forum and their police are too keen on chastising for posting in the wrong category. Cannae be arsed with it and haven’t climbed too much recently since my climbing pal went-a-travelling. Peaked at E3 leads – miss the scaring myself, I do. Have the Old Man of Stoer planned for Easter which I’m well looking forward to.

If any Edinburgh types fancy some evening climbing this summer….

Did plenty of climbing in the 80’s. Biking for last 2 or 3 years, with an annual weeks holiday to Spain relaxing on easy sport climbs.

So is 3 pebble slab HVS or E1? There, feels like UKC now.

So is 3 pebble slab HVS or E1? There, feels like UKC now.

E1 as a solo otherwise not worth bothering with 😀

Mrs Mc and I got into biking as something to do when it was too wet and cold to climb but not cold enough for ice. One thing led to another and Mrs Mc discovered that mountainbiking was actually quite nice when it was dry and sunny so we ended up choosing bikes over crags more and more. Then came kids, promotion etc meaning less and less time. Haven’t climbed much for the last ten years although still members of the club. Still intending to get back to it ‘soon’. Hoping to do some (bolted) routes with the kids in France this summer.

It was E1 when I did it, so I’m sticking with that. It certainly felt like E1 when I did a little jittery slip on the easy finishing slab 😉

Jimmy, i’ll be your wingman any day!

Been biking more over the last couple of years but get more excited about scaring myself sh1tless on long winter routes! I prefer the seriousness of climbing but biking is a good fix for a bit of adrenalin.

More of a climber than a mountain biker these days.
Last year was a biggie for me: first mountain multi-pitch, first HVS (albeit a ‘repeat’) and first sports trip (Kalymnos – absolutely fantastic place).
Usually ‘training’ 3 times a week but currently frustrated as strained a ligament in my lower back (and, er, keep tweaking it down the wall…)
Have plans for this year too: on sight HVS, lead E1 and 6b. Also got my eye on Northumberland Wall (!) oh and the County as well. And a return trip to Kaly too.
Can’t wait to get back climbing properly again…

Does it count if one climbed 15 years ago, before one got fat? 😳

Another long time (early ’80s) off and on climber here too. I’ve never been very good, the usual vs/hvs kind of standard, but then I’ve always been more interested in the whole ‘day out at the crag’ atmosphere of climbing rather than grades. But living in south London is not really climbing central, so mountain biking is my main sport.

Seem to be climbing more than biking these days. Never been overenthusiastic, but comfortably climb in the 6s – aiming to get to 7s this year. And now Reading wall has opened it makes training easier. 🙂

Good to hear Kalymnos is good for climbing – hoping to get out there in October. Did Majorca a couple of years ago and got sandbagged several times!

Used to climb a LOT though never got particularly good despite all the hours I put in. Lead E2 comfortably and softer E3 multi-pitch routes (Supercharger, Cougar, Black Spout Wall, Haystack, Shibboleth) but hampered by a serious shoulder injury in the late 90s and never really recovered the form. Still dabble and would love to get back into it properly but it would need a patient build-up to get back to strength and conquer The Fear of being on a strung-out lead.

Truly the best days of my life though…

Regular Route 5.9, Fairview Dome by stuartie_c, on Flickr

Crescent Arch 5.10b, Daff Dome by stuartie_c, on Flickr

South Face, Charlotte Dome. King’s Canyon NP, California. by stuartie_c, on Flickr

Time for Tea, E3, 5c. The Embankment, Millstone Edge by stuartie_c, on Flickr

21 years climbing so far. E6, 8a, V8, Scottish VI etc.
10 years MTB so far. Can barely track-stand, pull a wheelie or get down a steep hill without dabbing.

Why don’t MTBers session (boulder) more??

Ah, but what have you lot ever done on grit? (is that ukc enough?)

Ah, yes. Regular Route on Fairview Dome :)) great memories! Climbed it with Nat Allen in the early 80s.

In contrast, had the rather marginal Johnny Dawes on the phone last week for help with his autobiography/memoirs…
…what has he done on grit..? 😉

Ah, but what have you lot ever done on grit? (is that ukc enough?)

Living in Yorkshire, it’s mostly all I’ve ever done on crags, it never made a man out of me, but I suppose it did make other rock seem a little bit easier. Never attempted Yorkshire Limestone.

I used to climb a lot. Lots round Fort William where I’m originally from, some in The Lakes, Wales and a bit in France. Led up to E1.
Then I had a child and went to University and got a proper job. Came back to climbing again for a couple of years then discovered mountainbiking and found out that biking in manky weather is less unpleasant than climbing in manky weather and have never looked back. Recently sold my rack. Have kept winter/ice kit (boots, crampons, axes) in case anyone offers to take me ice climbing some time, I didn’t do much of that, but enjoyed it a lot and would be willing to be dragged up something again sometime.

I had a MASSIVE crush on Johnny Dawes in his Llanberis/Stone Monkey era. *swoons*
Oh and a girl-crush on Catherine Destivelle.

I’ve always switched between climbing and riding. Currently I’m in a climbing mood – I’ve ridden once since Christmas…

I was up in Scotland a lot over the winter, but am mainly bouldering now due to a combination of having lots of bouldering projects and time to climb in the week when my partners aren’t free! Off to Wales at the weekend and hoping it’ll be dry…

Oh – and it’s E1.

Jojo, an old climbing girlfriend was amazing to watch, she had no obvious strength, easily beaten in an arm wrestle, yet could whizz up anything with simple style and technique, overhangs, anything, stuff that we could only manage a few feet off the gound. To this day, I still cannot compute her strength v’s ability/technique, she didn’t appear to climb within the laws of physics. I wanted to have all her babies, but I wasn’t worthy. 😐