[Jaspersharpe]

I've not always rated Ed Douglas and generally it's because he's veered too much into the flowery and verbose possibilities of a writer rather than just telling the fucking story. Which in writing about climbing is almost always all that's necessary.

I agree with Andy that that phrase was unnecessary and an indulgence but it barely raised an eyebrow as the article as a whole was bloody good.

I'm looking forward to his book about Moon. I just hope he holds back on the flowery shit and writes it as well as he obviously can. This article makes me feel positive that he can/will/might.

[andy popp]

Jon, you're right, it was a real lapse. If the rest of the article hadn't been so good it wouldn't have stood out so much. For some reason it really bugged me.

[Johnny Brown]

Someone should tweet him up about it. I wouldn't be surprised if it had been added by an editor.

[duncan]

Non-quality interview with Yuji Hirayama from Sarah "missing the point by several km" Stirling redeemed by completely quality picture of the man himself in full Yukio Mishima mode.

[SA Chris]

http://www.climbing.co.za/2014/11/magnetic-wall-evolving-story/

Nice bit of TM history plus new development.

[Muenchener]

Crags interview with Ron from circa mid-70s

Just who doesn't yo-yo? If you have to lower down off a runner to rest—just who does take all their runners out 'before trying again. You tell me. I always wear EB footwear and if not in shorts I wear 'Helly-Hansen polar  trousers and jacket, which is warm,hard wearing and allows total flexibility

The Footless Crow blog is generally a bit odd. Old farst rambling on about severes in mid-Wales, trying to be Jim Perrin without the writing sk1llz, but then the odd flash of John Redhead.

And this.

Ron ... Crags magazine ... Helly Hansen kecks .... hard to see how it could be more quality.

[petejh]

I thought this was a good though melancolic little piece by Andi Turner:
http://climber.co.uk/articles/climbers-voice/the-climbers-voice-on-the-fringe-of-tragedy.html

It had my spine shivering at the thought of Norbert Casteret alone, underwater, in the blackness.

Also thought it was good to see a magazine piece that questions, in an interesting way, how things are.
These sort of articles are conspicuous by their absence nowadays, when so much mag content seems to be centered around someone sponsored (or looking to be) conforming to the standard model of pushing their profile by writing unchallenging articles detailing where they've been climbing and calling it a destination article.

[Fiend]

Nice article, although I've always thought the Leek mafia scene looked pretty hearty with a down-to-earth appreciation of climbing.

[jwi]

Great article!

[Johnny Brown]

Agree, good stuff.

[Muenchener]

The Day I Sent Color Blind (5.13a R)

Interesting first person account of a hard trad headpoint. Ballnuts placed on the lead, and fallen on.

[mrjonathanr]

I thought this was a good though melancolic little piece by Andi Turner:
http://climber.co.uk/articles/climbers-voice/the-climbers-voice-on-the-fringe-of-tragedy.html

It had my spine shivering at the thought of Norbert Casteret alone, underwater, in the blackness.

Also thought it was good to see a magazine piece that questions, in an interesting way, how things are.
These sort of articles are conspicuous by their absence nowadays, when so much mag content seems to be centered around someone sponsored (or looking to be) conforming to the standard model of pushing their profile by writing unchallenging articles detailing where they've been climbing and calling it a destination article.

Great article.   Interested in your comment about mags - I don't read them anymore.

bye-the-bye   I dithered over Not To Be Taken Away a few weeks ago, wimping off onto mats from near the top jug before going back to do it. Yet I first did it calmly as a teenager. Above a beer towel. Progress?

[JackAus]

Just come across this.
Bryden Allen's 1963 FA of Balls Pyramid, 1800ft in the middle of the Pacific Ocean.

http://brydenallen.com/First%20Ascent%20of%20Ball's%20Pyramid.html

[krymson]

Not claiming this to be actually quality but there's not a lot of other options so I'll settle for this thread.

Heard of some guy in my area who had flashed a 7a+(5.12a), after only climbing 5 months. Having only just sent a 7a+ recently after more years than I'd like to admit I thought this was pretty incredible and felt like an interview was in order.

This is the result: http://taiwanrocks.net/fivetwelvefivemonths/

Feedback appreciated. be gentle please my ego is fragile

[Duma]

great stuff

[T_B]

Colin Haley's account of his and Alex Honnold's Torre Traverse Day trip Attempt (scroll down) is a highly recommended read. Total gripping!

http://www.colinhaley.com/chalten-2014-2015/

[Stu Littlefair]

Fuck me. That's badass.

[Wood FT]

Wow

[mrjonathanr]

I'm off to look for a yoga for alpinism course 

[french erick]

Wow

where is that pitch? Simply superb looking!

[duncan]

It's the crux pitch - 6c fist jamming - on the modern classic Rubio y Azul on the Media Luna (the sit-start to the SE ridge of Cerro Torre).
http://pataclimb.com/climbingareas/chalten/torregroup/medialuna.html

An incredible set of routes done in one season, exhausting just to read. What I find most amazing is that he comes back from this complete epic, but three days later he is hiking back up the hill off climbing again. I'd take months to recover physically and mentally if I was ever pushed remotely that far.

[slackline]

Not really about climbing but by a climber...

I thought Andy Kirpatrick's latest blog was really good (as is most of his blogging, even if it is rather revealing at times)

The Code of Me

[Muenchener]

Andy Cave's Desert Island Climbs

Wow.

 

[slackline]

Pumping Standstone by John Long

[Mike Highbury]

Does anyone have and can scan the articles on London urban climbing published in High, April and July 1985?

There's a reference to them in Dave Turner's sandstone guide and I'd really like to see them.

Thanks
Mike