Climber Magazine Sep/Oct 19 Back Issue

TAKING IT EASY
The temperature is rising yet again as I write this, an air-conditioned offi ce would be nice, I’ve just come back from a delightful climbing trip/holiday to the Ariège in the French Pyrenees where on the fi rst day the thermometer was touching 40 degrees. All plans of cranking out a few hard routes (relative to my modest ability, of course) quickly went out of the window and a more leisurely approach was taken. Normally this would frustrate me but, on this occasion, it made the trip. The area is home to an abundance of superb lower grade climbs on either bolted granite or limestone crags with a stunning outlook. Some of the routes are amongst the best I’ve climbed and although hot they were manageable. Yes, you could get up super early for cool temps but where’s the fun in that. Have I found my niche when it comes to climbing trips after this? You bet.
Talking of lower grade sport climbing, the easy climbs feature is based at Dancing Ledges at Swanage on the English south coast and perhaps a great place to get used to climbing in hot weather, when I climbed there it was 30 degrees. Head there in the spring or autumn, if I was you, when the conditions are better. For something cooler, in every sense of the word, Noel Dawson again excels himself with an inspirational article all about the 1962 British Women’s Jagdula Expedition. This was made up of six talented women who shared a thirst for adventure and kicked out the typical stereotype of women in that era, venturing into the unknown and coming away with successful summit ticks to boot. You can read more about this In Jo Scarr’s book Four Miles High, for which there are plans for a re-release in the near future. With books in mind you can read an exclusive extract from First on the Rope, a new English version of the French fi ction classic, Premier de Cordée, by Roger Frison-Roche.