Climber Magazine

SPLASHDOWN
Here at Climber Towers (not really a tower but it sounds grander),
I occasionally get invites to events, including climbing competitions. Recently an invite came through to go and watch a diverse bunch of climbers go big on a leaning 17m wall, or fall off trying into the waters of the docks at London's Canary Wharf. Sounds fun! Oh boy, was it fun – a mixture of thrills and spills, ‘synchronised’ climbing and just a great vibe and place to catch up with old friends. When I was given the chance to try the wall for myself at a pre-event evening
I respectfully (sensibly) declined – deep water soloing isn’t for me. You can see a photographic essay-style report in The North Face Climb Festival in this magazine to see what I mean…
Elsewhere in this issue and back to dry land, we have a feature celebrating another giant of climbing in what’s proving to be a popular series. This time it’s Jim Birkett and the routes he left behind across the Lake District. Jim spent a lifetime working in Lake District quarries, work which honed his phenomenal strength. In the ‘30s and ‘40s, Jim would produce over 50 new routes around the Lakes, with many classics.
A Mecca for adventure is the Ll n Peninsula on the tip of north Wales. This quiet climbing backwater has often had a reputation for gnarly hard routes on poor rock and whilst this is true on certain crags (and I experienced that on my fi rst visit in the late ‘80s), it would do the area a disservice to say it was the norm. Far from it, there’s plenty for
‘normal’ climbers at all grades and on good rock too. Plus the location and setting are pretty special. There’s now a new guide from the Climbers’ Club, Pen Ll n, documenting several hundred routes. Check
out the article, treat yourself and head away from the honeypots of
north Wales.
Enjoy this issue and until next time, be safe.
David