Climber Magazine Nov/Dec 20 Back Issue

GETTING OUTDOORS
n this issue, I have penned an article on one of my all-time favourite crags, Lawrencefi eld in the Peak District. My association with it goes back many years to the days I fi rst started climbing in the late eighties. These were the days before the type of climbing and bouldering walls we see now – for me it was the old YMCA building on Broomhall Road in Sheffi eld that had a brick edge and concrete set up with thin gym mats to take the brunt of any fall. These could be from 20 feet if you weren’t careful but I was bendy back then. So what’s this got to do with Lawrencefi eld I hear you ask? It was about climbing on rock in the winter months. We only ever went to the YMCA in the evenings, prefer-ring to get outdoors at any opportunity. This meant fi nding somewhere sheltered but climbable in anything but a downpour – sometimes even that didn’t stop us, we were keen in those days – and Lawrencefi eld ticked the boxes. This was our go-to place and we had a great time there with hot pads in our chalk bags to warm freezing hands and lots of clothing to beat the cold. I bought a second-hand jacket that was two sizes too big but it was warm and you could wear another jacket under it – we even did a new route there called The Big Red Jacket in its honour.
It’s interesting when you look back at your climbing ‘career’ and the progression you’ve made (or not) over the years, which tees up another feature. Angus Kille has written about his progression, from starting with rudimentary gear and little idea to climbing E9, including The Indian Face on Cloggy and, just as we go to print, a rare repeat of Mission Impossible
(E9 7a) in the Ogwen Valley, North Wales. The article gives a fascinating insight into his mindset and is well worth putting the kettle on for.