the shizzle > chuffing
Historical Nuggets
andy popp:
--- Quote from: remus on January 14, 2024, 06:04:03 pm ---To whet the whistle, Gordon Jenkin recently donated the diaries of Arnis Strapcans to the Mountain Heritage Trust, and I was able to have a browse through them, scan a few pics and take a few notes. He was a prolific climber in the south west throughout the 1970s before he sadly died in the alps in 1980. If you've spent any time trad climbing down there you'll likely be familiar with some of his routes: Main Wall Eliminate at Avon, The Exorcist on Lundy, Heart of the Sun, Atmosfears etc.
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Amazing stuff. I started climbing in 1978, in the Avon Gorge, where Arnis Strapcans' reputation loomed large. He has always been an almost legendary figure to me as a result.
duncan:
--- Quote from: remus on January 14, 2024, 06:04:03 pm ---
To whet the whistle, Gordon Jenkin recently donated the diaries of Arnis Strapcans to the Mountain Heritage Trust, and I was able to have a browse through them, scan a few pics and take a few notes. He was a prolific climber in the south west throughout the 1970s before he sadly died in the alps in 1980. If you've spent any time trad climbing down there you'll likely be familiar with some of his routes: Main Wall Eliminate at Avon, The Exorcist on Lundy, Heart of the Sun, Atmosfears etc.
His diaries and first ascent write ups are amazingly well written and well worth a browse (click 'more' under pics and vids): https://climbing-history.org/climber/1808/arnis-strapcans
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These are great. As Andy says, a legendary figure in Bristol climbing circles. I seconded Atmosfears in the 90s when I was going well: it was bold, a bit loose, steep for Avon, and would have been hard even with two rest points. I'd love to do Wall of Prey.
Tony:
Just to highlight that Arnis, alongside Mick Fowler, also contributed some impressive routes to the Outer Hebrides, e.g. Panting Dog Climb on the seldom visited but extremely impressive Creag Dubh Dibidale, https://www.ukclimbing.com/logbook/crags/tamnasbhal-10837/panting_dog_climb-139450
andy popp:
--- Quote from: duncan on January 14, 2024, 10:02:33 pm ---I seconded Atmosfears in the 90s when I was going well: it was bold, a bit loose, steep for Avon, and would have been hard even with two rest points.
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Out of interest, I took a look on UKC - Atmosfears has a total of nine ascents logged, not all of them leads.
remus:
--- Quote from: Tony S on January 14, 2024, 10:56:29 pm ---Just to highlight that Arnis, alongside Mick Fowler, also contributed some impressive routes to the Outer Hebrides, e.g. Panting Dog Climb on the seldom visited but extremely impressive Creag Dubh Dibidale, https://www.ukclimbing.com/logbook/crags/tamnasbhal-10837/panting_dog_climb-139450
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Thanks Tony, I've made a note of this ascent on ch. Amazing breadth of climbing he did in the period he was active!
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