UKBouldering.com
the shizzle => shootin' the shit => Topic started by: YorkshireTea on February 04, 2024, 06:46:04 pm
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Thinking Pollitt is the most extreme version I can think of, climbing your hardest then quitting next day but who else all but stopped when climbing at their hardest?
Moffatt basically stopped after the Ace? (haven't got my copy of revelations at my current place and can't remember exactly)
Did Malc climb much after doing Hunger in 2010?
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I think Jerry did Ard Ay 8A+ in South Africa the year after he did The Ace, but yeah I think he stopped climbing fairly abruptly around 2002. Pollitt is a good shout. I feel like there must be some more, but no one is coming to mind at the moment.
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Neil Carson springs to mind. Moved abroad to start a demanding job and then family. Always amazes me when people stop who are so keen. Neil Pearson is someone who is mad keen then isn’t and takes up cycling :sick: again. What happened to Matt Boyer. He was all over climbing media in the mags in the mid 80’s then nothing. Others like Ed Morgan who couldn’t get over injuries.
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I know non-famous climbers that stopped cold-turkey. From one day to the next.
An old climbing partner threw away his harness in the gas-station on the way home from the crag and has not climbed since.
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I think Jerry did Ard Ay 8A+ in South Africa the year after he did The Ace, but yeah I think he stopped climbing fairly abruptly around 2002. Pollitt is a good shout. I feel like there must be some more, but no one is coming to mind at the moment.
Good knowledge, sure I've also heard of more cases but can't think of them
Neil Carson springs to mind. Moved abroad to start a demanding job and then family. Always amazes me when people stop who are so keen. Neil Pearson is someone who is mad keen then isn’t and takes up cycling :sick: again. What happened to Matt Boyer. He was all over climbing media in the mags in the mid 80’s then nothing. Others like Ed Morgan who couldn’t get over injuries.
Forgot that was the case with Neil Carson, will have to rewatch your interview with him. Don't know of Neil Pearson or Matt boyer (excuse my young naivete)
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Rich Simpson!!
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Jason Myers. Elbow tendinitis forced retirement but then he transferred his energies into cycling and never looked back.
Pete Crew basically stopped and became an architect instead, I think?
Les Holliwell (twice)
https://m.imdb.com/title/tt2177745/
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Tom Proctor got tendinitis and took up caving.
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Non famous Mark Tomlinson had a great trip to Spain and climbed 8b, then quit because he couldn’t face trying to motivate himself for projects in UK. Or maybe it was because he was kicked off UKB? One or the other?
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Non famous Mark Tomlinson had a great trip to Spain and climbed 8b, then quit because he couldn’t face trying to motivate himself for projects in UK. Or maybe it was because he was kicked off UKB? One or the other?
Mark is infamous here surely? I miss him and miss climbing with him.
Tony Musselbrook. Did he join the army?
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Neil Pearson is someone who is mad keen then isn’t and takes up cycling :sick: again.
Tell me what your son's YouTube channel is about Simon? :worms:
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There was that guy who got recruited by the MI5.
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Basic Nik Plishkio another tendinitis victim.
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Stuart Cameron, Matt Smith (the original training guru).
Did Jasper Sharp suddenly stop?
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those three are great examples
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What happened to Matt Boyer. He was all over climbing media in the mags in the mid 80’s then nothing.
Matt moved to south west England, continued to climb intermittently until recently, keeping a very low profile.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BYeXeI4lQpe/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==
Andy Hall, Bristol dark horse and fellow Pindisports employee. One moment he was headpointing some of the earlier E6s in Britain (https://www.ukclimbing.com/logbook/crags/avon_gorge_sea_walls_area-29/the_aardvark_and_the_ferret-32545) the next he disappeared completely cutting all contact with anyone who climbed. Several climbing historians and guidebook writers have tried to track him down without success.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CW5-jrNoIZL/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==
Me (1984-1994) another tendinopathy casualty, then got a life. Commemorated by the misnamed Duncan goes to Clevedon (https://www.ukclimbing.com/logbook/crags/avon_gorge_sea_walls_area-29/duncan_goes_to_clevedon-31914) (should have been Weston).
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Neil Pearson is someone who is mad keen then isn’t and takes up cycling :sick: again.
Tell me what your son's YouTube channel is about Simon? :worms:
:'(
Another one to add to the list
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Malc Taylor got a job with them Webbo, not sure it was quite recruited… but definitely a talented Peak activist who gave up abruptly.
And Mark Leach, lost his Porsche 944 Turbo, found the law, became a lawyer.
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Another one to add to the list
Paul B??
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Nick Colton said he suddenly stopped completely for 15 years before starting again in the late 1990s after his children had got older. In 2002-ish I remember him saying he was going to Pembroke. He said he had been once before and had done the first ascent of Sun Lover on that first outing. His gear all seemed to date from before the 15year hiatus.
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My favourite story is the one of Craig Parnaby, almost doing a ground up ascent of requiem many years before that feat was put to bed, then just hung up his boots and became a doctor.
https://www.stonecountrypress.co.uk/2009/08/unsponsored-heroes-craig-parnaby_12.html
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I think my favourite tale, recounted by Sherman IIIRC, was of two un-named Swiss climbers who topping out on Salathe simply untied, dumped their gear on the ground, turned and walked away.....
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My favourite story is the one of Craig Parnaby, almost doing a ground up ascent of requiem many years before that feat was put to bed, then just hung up his boots and became a doctor.
https://www.stonecountrypress.co.uk/2009/08/unsponsored-heroes-craig-parnaby_12.html
Wow, I spent two weeks in Ceuse in 1996 with four of us getting there in a tiny Fiat. Craig Parnaby was the ring leader and only one of us familiar with sport climbing. He was already a medical student then I think. It's amazing to think someone so keen would just stop forever.
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I think my favourite tale, recounted by Sherman IIIRC, was of two un-named Swiss climbers who topping out on Salathe simply untied, dumped their gear on the ground, turned and walked away.....
Seems a bit premature when they could have saved themselves a couple of hours by abbing down the eastern ledges rather than walking all the way back down :)
I don't know him personally, but does Paul Smitton still climb?
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I think my favourite tale, recounted by Sherman IIIRC, was of two un-named Swiss climbers who topping out on Salathe simply untied, dumped their gear on the ground, turned and walked away.....
I've heard that one too, I think it was in one of John Long's books, How to Rock Climb perhaps?
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I don't know him personally, but does Paul Smitton still climb?
I believe so. Smitton was the kid winning the BRYCS when I was that age and the first house I bought in Lancashire was from his boss at the time. Our paths crossed because of this a couple of times (as his boss moved a few houses further up the road) and he was building a mega board at home.
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another strong climber who was always in the magazines was Adam Dewhurst. Anyone know if he still climbs? I remember he was mega active in the late 90s/ early 2000s doing really well in international comps
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What about Jamie Cassidy? Beat Malc to the FA of Directors Cut in the cave, but don't think I've heard anything else about him.
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What about Jamie Cassidy? Beat Malc to the FA of Directors Cut in the cave, but don't think I've heard anything else about him.
He was an IFSC routesetter, not sure if he still is. I’ve seen him at Longridge fairly recently - maybe 5/6 years ago.
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He still has a business selling really nicely textured volumes so I'd expect so?
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I think my favourite tale, recounted by Sherman IIIRC, was of two un-named Swiss climbers who topping out on Salathe simply untied, dumped their gear on the ground, turned and walked away.....
I've heard that one too, I think it was in one of John Long's books, How to Rock Climb perhaps?
[/qu, I'm in in
You're right Remus, it was JL,The story was called 'Wall Rats'.
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Does Robin Barker still climb? Likewise Neil Bentley? Last time I saw Neil he looked like a machine and was trying to talk me into entering a hill climb event having just bought a bike.
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Paul - take your copy of The Power of Climbing down to the Depot on a Tuesday evening and you’ll get a dozen signatures. It’s like some ‘90s club night.
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I think my favourite tale, recounted by Sherman IIIRC, was of two un-named Swiss climbers who topping out on Salathe simply untied, dumped their gear on the ground, turned and walked away.....
I've heard that one too, I think it was in one of John Long's books, How to Rock Climb perhaps?
So fiction?
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Paul - take your copy of The Power of Climbing down to the Depot on a Tuesday evening and you’ll get a dozen signatures. It’s like some ‘90s club night.
I'm not sure I could contain myself. :lets_do_it_wild:
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I think my favourite tale, recounted by Sherman IIIRC, was of two un-named Swiss climbers who topping out on Salathe simply untied, dumped their gear on the ground, turned and walked away.....
I've heard that one too, I think it was in one of John Long's books, How to Rock Climb perhaps?
So fiction?
Don't think so jwi, it was an elegy for big wall climbing BITD and the characters involved in a lot of who were recognised names.
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If it's Rock Jocks, Wall Dogs and Hang Rats, it's supposedly biographical.
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If it's Rock Jocks, Wall Dogs and Hang Rats, it's supposedly biographical.
Thanks Chris, that sounds right.Think it's in a collection called Rock Junction?
Many of his stories seem to appear ito be repeated n different anthologies.Away from home just now so can't check.
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Paul - take your copy of The Power of Climbing down to the Depot on a Tuesday evening and you’ll get a dozen signatures. It’s like some ‘90s club night.
It’s quite amazing who turns up from the 90s scene. robin, John Welford, Rich heap, Bentley, tim Freeman was there one week on a trip from Aus. His brother is there a lot.
Jon Court, si scully, lots of bens.
Amazing how many are still climbing.
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Saw Mike Lea rocking up at the works yesterday afternoon. 8)
(It's almost as though climbing is such a cool and deeply routed past time that it stays with people for their entire lives, thus makes it a point of conversation that some folks suddenly stop entirely :blink:).
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Everyone of us is nursing lots of aches and pains though. Bouldering is a pretty brutal sport in your 50s/60s.
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Rich Simpson!!
I had some fairly reliable evidence that he's climbing again. But keeps a low profile.
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Rich Simpson!!
I had some fairly reliable evidence that he's climbing again. But keeps a low profile.
Video evidence available on request I assume?
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Rich Simpson!!
I had some fairly reliable evidence that he's climbing again. But keeps a low profile.
Video evidence available on request I assume?
A quick Google brought up this account of his boxing career which made me chuckle.
with quiet confidence,Cambridge fans watched on as Rich Simpson took to the ring.Having over 60 bouts to his name,the Cambridge man was the sure favourite against the Oxford debutant.Although the Light Blue managed to knockhis opponent down late in the first round,the gulf in experience was unapparent.As the final two rounds saw Simpson tire, he resorted to‘dancing-on-ice’style pirouettes to evade further punishment;meanwhile Oxford’s Light-Middleweight pushed forwards to clinch the bout by a majority decision and put the Dark Blues ahead for the first time.
https://www.sport.cam.ac.uk/files/sportsyearbook2012.pdf
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It's great to hear Rich Simpson is climbing again. I hope he is enjoying himself. He may have been an abject pants-on-fire liar but he was always great fun at the crag.
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Hi didn't fully stop, but always respected Tyler Landman for pausing climbing to go become a doctor.
From legendary Dosage outings with Dave Graham, and nabbing Smiling Buttress, then off to med school in the states.
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Does Robin Barker still climb?
He burnt me off on Blind Date about 4 years ago. Bumped into him, and I think Welford, at Wharncliffe last year too.
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Does Robin Barker still climb?
He burnt me off on Blind Date about 4 years ago. Bumped into him, and I think Welford, at Wharncliffe last year too.
Those two and Jon Barton were also doing routes at Moat last autumn.
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Hi didn't fully stop, but always respected Tyler Landman for pausing climbing to go become a doctor.
From legendary Dosage outings with Dave Graham, and nabbing Smiling Buttress, then off to med school in the states.
Lets not forget the legendary Font trip!!!
He's got a good Instagram
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Does Robin Barker still climb?
He’s mainly a cyclist :jab:
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Hi didn't fully stop, but always respected Tyler Landman for pausing climbing to go become a doctor.
From legendary Dosage outings with Dave Graham, and nabbing Smiling Buttress, then off to med school in the states.
He made finals at the BBCs last year
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It's great to hear Rich Simpson is climbing again. I hope he is enjoying himself. He may have been an abject pants-on-fire liar but he was always great fun at the crag.
Hmmm, perhaps I had a very one-sided impression.
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From mine and shurt's experiences, I'm the same sided as Stone...
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He made finals at the BBCs last year
Did he actually stop or just competitions and replace that with being an absolute monster on a bike?
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In common with many people who haven’t quit climbing I find absolutely nothing appealing about road cycling (well cycling in general really but road biking in particular) and I can’t see that it has anything in common with climbing apart from taking place in the countryside and favouring the slimmer physique.
What do people think causes so many climbers to switch to it? Is it because it has so few similarities? Do climbers who approach climbing differently to me feel that it is similar? It’s always puzzled me.
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Lots of things that appeal to the middle aged gent; you start something new after plateauing at climbing for quite a while and rapidly progress. When initial progress drops you can make gains by dropping a load of cash. It's actually pretty social, and can involve a lot of cafe and tea stops. It means you can fill a lot of time out the house not actually doing anything productive other than riding around in circles. You can choose your level of suffering dependant on your mood.
I got quite into it for a while, and did a couple of etapes and other rides, but when kid's activities started eating into free time, I stopped due to the amount of time needed to be out on the road to improve, and started running instead.
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I think Sean Myles stopped completely, and pretty suddenly.
I suppose I should admit (to myself) that I've stopped, though certainly not suddenly and even less by conscious decision.
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What do people think causes so many climbers to switch to it? Is it because it has so few similarities?
I suspect that it scratches a similarly obsessive itch. That said, it’s clearly the Devil’s work and those who indulge should be forever cast into the darkness.
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What do people think causes so many climbers to switch to it? Is it because it has so few similarities?
I suspect that it scratches a similarly obsessive itch. That said, it’s clearly the Devil’s work and those who indulge should be forever cast into the darkness.
It is the ideal thing to do when you find yourself living in East Yorkshire.😳
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Already cast out, then :devil-smiley:
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Between Hell and Hole is Hull :)
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If I had to stop bouldering then I'd do Weightlifting five times a week I think
Never understood the appeal of cardio lol
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Cycling is OK but its a real mental thing as well as physical. You can ride up a hill slowly or quickly, you still get to the top all the same. To really give it everything you've got to be very mentally determined or in a race; I was always too tempted to slow down a bit before I really maxxed out.
The nice thing about climbing is that as soon as you stop trying you fall off and have to begin from the start again so there's never any question (providing we're not talking about necky trad etc) about not trying your hardest.
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In common with many people who haven’t quit climbing I find absolutely nothing appealing about road cycling (well cycling in general really but road biking in particular) and I can’t see that it has anything in common with climbing apart from taking place in the countryside and favouring the slimmer physique.
What do people think causes so many climbers to switch to it? Is it because it has so few similarities? Do climbers who approach climbing differently to me feel that it is similar? It’s always puzzled me.
Possibly because its so much easier on their ageing creaking upper bodies? And because most people learn to ride bikes as kids, so entry is easy. I shall admit that after 2 years of arm/shoulder injuries* and almost no climbing, I recently got myself a MTB to do the local trail centres and scare myself silly on some downhill. Its fun, and f*cking exhausting, but climbing it ain't. Has also reaffirmed I have precisely zero interest in road cycling.
*I do also see the irony in taking up MTB because of injury...
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Never understood the appeal of cardio lol
I was the same from age 18 to 48. Swore I would never run again after I finished military service. Also though my grumbly knee wouldn't tolerate it. Now I run about 1000km a year, and the physical and mental aspects are really beneficial for me, even just getting a half hour run in at lunch.
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*I do also see the irony in taking up MTB because of injury...
This! MTB is so much more dangerous than rock climbing. Its not even close. More dangerous than skiing as well for my money. I did a days MTB at a wedding in Scotland and spent most of it petrified.
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The biggest danger of MTB is the danger to your wallet...
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Mountain biking can be dangerous or relatively safe depending on who you are. Cross country seems as boring as road cycling to me, but if that's what you're into, it won't be so bad. I was only ever interested in downhill and freeride, where broken bones are all but guaranteed. The risk only increases as you improve; before you know it, you're hitting 50 foot jumps at over 30 miles per hour with sturdy trees only a few feet to either side... I sacked it off after one too many head injuries, which will probably have consequences in later years and I feel guilty about them. One of my mates I grew up riding with is currently at 'Dark Fest' in South Africa going upside down on jumps as big as 110 feet!
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Don't know, you (or I at least) can have a great day doing technical downhill with your wheels never really leaving the ground. Not risk free, but reduces the consequences considerably.
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Obviously I'm rubbish so the risk is higher, but even if your wheels don't leave the ground (mine certainly didn't!) the risk of a broken wrist or similar seems absolutely miles higher than most roped climbing. Maybe comparable to bouldering and the risk of a sprained or broken ankle.
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I found out about Turkish Get Ups originally when googling for shoulder injury prevention/rehab and reading about shoulder rehab/dislocation-prevention from MTB crash people.
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I know loads of boulderers and only a couple who have broken ankles. I know loads of downhillers and probably only a couple who haven't.
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This! MTB is so much more dangerous than rock climbing. Its not even close. More dangerous than skiing as well for my money. I did a days MTB at a wedding in Scotland and spent most of it petrified.
Should be noted that how scared you are doesn't necessarily have anything to do with how dangerous it is. Plenty of people shit themselves top roping or abseiling but that doesn't make it in any way dangerous.
Of course, MTB still may well be more dangerous! Just that we can't really trust ourselves to be the best judges of that based on how scary it is
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Should be noted that how scared you are doesn't necessarily have anything to do with how dangerous it is. Plenty of people shit themselves top roping or abseiling but that doesn't make it in any way dangerous.
Of course, MTB still may well be more dangerous! Just that we can't really trust ourselves to be the best judges of that based on how scary it is
This is so true.
I think Alpine climbing is the ultimate case where people tootle along, everything feeling fine, then get wiped out.
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This! MTB is so much more dangerous than rock climbing. Its not even close. More dangerous than skiing as well for my money. I did a days MTB at a wedding in Scotland and spent most of it petrified.
I know way more people who have gotten permanent disabilities from MTB than from climbing, and I know more climbers than mountain bikers. On the other hand, several people I knew died climbing, but none died biking.
(Convenience sample, I know)
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For all those "I know MTBers who got injured"...how many picked it up in later life?
From my mates who all started at 14/15 there were surprisingly few injuries over the years, even after 10+ years of downhill racing, dirt jumps and general arsing about.
Those who picked it up later...wrists, ankles, collar bones, head injuries.... probably 1 in 3...
I have only had mates die skiing.
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The only one I know who started with MBT very young competed in downhill since his teens. He said that he counted on getting at least one fracture per year and that the trick is to stop biking before you get an open complicated fracture. In his estimation climbing was much safer.
Climbers who like/d scary climbing and took up MBT in their middle age seem to be very prone to end up in a coma or other injuries that insurance companies measure in percent...
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I've taken to two friends with head injuries to A&E, one climbing and one biking. Inconclusive.
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I have only had mates die skiing.
In northern Sweden about 97% of the population do or have done alpine sking in some form. But very enthusiastic skiers from the North I know also have an alarming injury- and death-rate. But again, this is often conditioned on already being a trad/alpine climber (so are probably risk-takers to start with).
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What do we think is the most dangerous "extreme" sport in terms of fatality and injury rate? I'd guess fir fatalities probably Wingsuiting and for injuries mountain biking, mostly because you don't get injured Wingsuiting probably, you just die
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Although actually given the fatality rate, it could be proper 8000m+ mountaineering. What's the fatality rate for that outside of Everest? Probably double figure percentage points
Edit: crikey 32% for Annapurna
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For all those "I know MTBers who got injured"...how many picked it up in later life?
From my mates who all started at 14/15 there were surprisingly few injuries over the years, even after 10+ years of downhill racing, dirt jumps and general arsing about.
Those who picked it up later...wrists, ankles, collar bones, head injuries.... probably 1 in 3...
I have only had mates die skiing.
I started as a kid and I don't think I know a single person that I rode with who hasn't broken bones and been knocked unconscious.
Unsurprisingly, this lad I used to ride and compete with has had his fair share of visits to A&E (clip from just a few hours ago):
https://www.instagram.com/p/C3FYgx-MBgB/
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On topic, have we had John Gill yet?
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On topic, have we had John Gill yet?
In an interview in 2008 he said he was no longer bouldering but enjoyed traversing just above the ground and he hoped to get back to easy soloing. He was in his 70’s then.
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On topic, have we had John Gill yet?
In an interview in 2008 he said he was no longer bouldering but enjoyed traversing just above the ground and he hoped to get back to easy soloing. He was in his 70’s then.
Has he considered mountain biking?
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I was primarily a mountain biker until I was 18 and I ended up in A&E 7 times I think, only once from climbing thus far. I would argue that for a lot of people the try hard aspect is shared between cycling and climbing, I used to go out and do hill sprints on a single speed until I threw up, although I also knew a lot of people who just wanted to go and potter round some hills. I think it quite reflective of how obsessive a personality you have.
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For all those "I know MTBers who got injured"...how many picked it up in later life?
From my mates who all started at 14/15 there were surprisingly few injuries over the years, even after 10+ years of downhill racing, dirt jumps and general arsing about.
Those who picked it up later...wrists, ankles, collar bones, head injuries.... probably 1 in 3...
I have only had mates die skiing.
I started as a kid and I don't think I know a single person that I rode with who hasn't broken bones and been knocked unconscious.
Unsurprisingly, this lad I used to ride and compete with has had his fair share of visits to A&E (clip from just a few hours ago):
https://www.instagram.com/p/C3FYgx-MBgB/
Guess that just goes to show how unscientific a "random selection of mates" is as a way of assessing these things :lol:
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On topic, have we had John Gill yet?
In an interview in 2008 he said he was no longer bouldering but enjoyed traversing just above the ground and he hoped to get back to easy soloing. He was in his 70’s then.
I was going to say that I didn't think Gill stopped in the sense meant in this thread.
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Steve House.
Enormocast interview with him where at the end he’s asked “what does your climbing look like nowadays” and he talks about how he no longer climbs due to it triggering PTSD. I found it quite difficult to listen to but equally quite inspiring how he’s found a way to move on.
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In common with many people who haven’t quit climbing I find absolutely nothing appealing about road cycling (well cycling in general really but road biking in particular) and I can’t see that it has anything in common with climbing apart from taking place in the countryside and favouring the slimmer physique.
Happy to discuss this but perhaps on another thread.
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Or maybe in PMs :lol: ;)
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Steve House.
Enormocast interview with him where at the end he’s asked “what does your climbing look like nowadays” and he talks about how he no longer climbs due to it triggering PTSD. I found it quite difficult to listen to but equally quite inspiring how he’s found a way to move on.
Haven't listened to it but I remember when he took a horrible fall on a relatively easy route on Mt Temple and almost died waiting for the rescue. Good excuse to stop.
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For all those "I know MTBers who got injured"...how many picked it up in later life?
From my mates who all started at 14/15 there were surprisingly few injuries over the years, even after 10+ years of downhill racing, dirt jumps and general arsing about.
Those who picked it up later...wrists, ankles, collar bones, head injuries.... probably 1 in 3...
I have only had mates die skiing.
I started as a kid and I don't think I know a single person that I rode with who hasn't broken bones and been knocked unconscious.
Unsurprisingly, this lad I used to ride and compete with has had his fair share of visits to A&E (clip from just a few hours ago):
https://www.instagram.com/p/C3FYgx-MBgB/
I've ridden BMX and MTB since I was a kid, they are way more dangerous than climbing. I had one of my worst crashes at about 10mph. There's too many variables involved especially in DH, jumping is a bit more calculated & safer IMHO.
**Edit sorry for dragging this off topic**
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Steve House.
Enormocast interview with him where at the end he’s asked “what does your climbing look like nowadays” and he talks about how he no longer climbs due to it triggering PTSD. I found it quite difficult to listen to but equally quite inspiring how he’s found a way to move on.
Haven't listened to it but I remember when he took a horrible fall on a relatively easy route on Mt Temple and almost died waiting for the rescue. Good excuse to stop.
I had PTSD after reading his book! By rights he shouldn't be around
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Climbers who like/d scary climbing and took up MBT in their middle age ...
:wave: This is basically me. :lol:
My perception is that I’m much more likely to injure myself MTB. I think the chances of dying are higher from climbing, but still low.
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On topic - what about Pete Livesey? I know he famously gave up climbing and got into running (after earlier having been into caving?), but not sure how sudden it was?
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Steve House.
Enormocast interview with him where at the end he’s asked “what does your climbing look like nowadays” and he talks about how he no longer climbs due to it triggering PTSD. I found it quite difficult to listen to but equally quite inspiring how he’s found a way to move on.
Haven't listened to it but I remember when he took a horrible fall on a relatively easy route on Mt Temple and almost died waiting for the rescue. Good excuse to stop.
Changing from Alpine climbing to cragging makes sense to me (I did the same).
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Stone - House has stopped completely including cragging (he does ski).
I mentioned the podcast as I thought what he says about that is pretty interesting.
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I went surfing when I stopped - often saw Jerry on the East coast
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Peel or Moffatt (I think they both do). As much as I love it, it's too unreliable here to commit to doing it only.
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Caving was always an interest for the 60s/70's stoney and yorkshire lot.
I'm not sure Livesey, Procter stopped to go caving or visa versa.. they were always done in tandem. Caving was a good alternative when the crags were wet.
Geoff Birtles and Bob Dearman were both into their caving too.
I did however, practially stop climbing overnight, when I discovered caving.. which I persued for a decade or so, and have now pretty much hung my wellies up and am back climbing.
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So on a sunny, spring evening with the birds chirping you would … go down a cave?
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On topic - what about Pete Livesey? I know he famously gave up climbing and got into running (after earlier having been into caving?), but not sure how sudden it was?
It appeard abrupt and complete, like Moffatt. The armchair psychologist in me sensed both stopped climbing when they thought they were no longer contenders. Livesey became a very high standard orienteer and had been, as you say, a bold exploratory caver.
Si Reed gave up on Mecca Extension and started running. I was a sedentary supporter of his Bob Graham Round, a great day for a vicarious fell-runner like me.
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I went surfing when I stopped - often saw Jerry on the East coast
This.
I struggled for several years after getting back from the disaster on South Georgia. Stuff I would later recognise as PTSD and I didn’t climb in any way again until ‘96 ish, almost four years later. The first year, the frostbite recovery meant rock shoes were just too much, anyway.
I didn’t meet Jerry, but I was on friendly greeting terms with Andrew Ridgeley, who was down Watergate most days there was a break.
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Wonder how much royalties he actually gets every Christmas.
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So on a sunny, spring evening with the birds chirping you would … go down a cave?
Yep. . 'fraid so. Perfect climbing weather was spent scrotting around muddy abandondoned led mines and caves.
I was climbing really well at the time too.. headpointing E7, nearly onsighting E6.
I'd always loved caving in scouts, always a deep seated fascination with the various holes and miles around castleton growing up, so when I met a few lads that gave me a gateway and skills to start exploring them, I was instantly hooked. Took me a long time to get back to being anywhere half decent at climbing when I started again. Ho Hum, don't regret anythying really, was fun times, and I still have a few projects that never got concluded that I might one day get back to, if my body allows. But for now, I defintely prefer being on the crags.
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I think I've said this elsewhere on the forum but Ian Cummins who taught me how to climb turned to caving. When I was at his funeral/wake all of the cavers were saying they'd been over to Wales for a stag-do and had all declined the day activity of MTBing to go caving instead as it was unjustifiably dangerous. This did make me chuckle a bit.
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The only one I know who started with MBT very young competed in downhill since his teens. He said that he counted on getting at least one fracture per year and that the trick is to stop biking before you get an open complicated fracture. In his estimation climbing was much safer.
That is what I observe here in the Pacific North West. Teens who climb start indoors, are more likely to graduate to outdoor bouldering than, say, runout trad, and generally experience a pretty low risk sport. If they get into mountain biking instead, which many do, the injuries come fast and frequent. It is expected.
Until a few years ago, there was a trend here for older climbers to give up climbing in favour of mountain biking. That seems to have stopped now, maybe because the understanding of the risks of MTB has grown. Some of the old guys who gave up climbing for mountain biking are now giving up mountain biking for gravel biking, whatever the fuck that is (they get to buy a new bike, at least).
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I think I've said this elsewhere on the forum but Ian Cummins who taught me how to climb turned to caving. When I was at his funeral/wake all of the cavers were saying they'd been over to Wales for a stag-do and had all declined the day activity of MTBing to go caving instead as it was unjustifiably dangerous. This did make me chuckle a bit.
I met Ian at Goldsborough in '08. He'd spent the whole night caving, but proceeded to do Beth's Traverse first go and comprehensively burned me off on other stuff.
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I never caved with him, but I was inspired by plenty of his trip reports and know plenty who did go underground with him. He was a hard caver and continued to climb some pretty gnarly things in his wellies too.
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The only one I know who started with MBT very young competed in downhill since his teens. He said that he counted on getting at least one fracture per year and that the trick is to stop biking before you get an open complicated fracture. In his estimation climbing was much safer.
That is what I observe here in the Pacific North West. Teens who climb start indoors, are more likely to graduate to outdoor bouldering than, say, runout trad, and generally experience a pretty low risk sport. If they get into mountain biking instead, which many do, the injuries come fast and frequent. It is expected.
Until a few years ago, there was a trend here for older climbers to give up climbing in favour of mountain biking. That seems to have stopped now, maybe because the understanding of the risks of MTB has grown. Some of the old guys who gave up climbing for mountain biking are now giving up mountain biking for gravel biking, whatever the fuck that is (they get to buy a new bike, at least).
Mountain biking in the gravity focused disciplines is hard to measure against climbing. It’s very rare for somebody to get killed and you almost never get those tendon and muscle injuries that are a constant in climbing, however broken bones and head injuries are all too common.
IMO its a very hard sport to learn as physical training will only have lead to marginal improvements and there’s very few ways to practice without exposing yourself to danger. It’s like trying to improve at climbing while only being able to on sight runout trad routes.
I think the other big difference is as you progress in climbing, a run out route still has the same consequences even if it is harder, the danger has increased only because the margins for error got smaller. MTB the speeds get faster, the jumps get bigger, the rock features get taller and steeper all while the margins get smaller.
I picked it up after I could no longer climb due to injury about 12 years ago and at 47 I’m riding the hardest I ever have. Rapidly approaching a level where to keep progressing the consequences will be too high for me personally but I doubt that would damp my enthusiasm overall.
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Concur with MTB more likely to hurt you than climbing. I compare mtb DH to riding a motorbike fast on the road - loads of natural features to hit, unpredictable environment, speed is the incentive inherent in the activity, speed leads to smaller margins. I always feel at risk of spannering myself on a bike, rarely on a climb.
Thinking about the 2 activities in a risk of harm assessment using a 'likelihood of hazard x consequences of hazard' framework, I'd categorise them something like:
Climbing (intermediate level trad or typical alpinsm/winter climbing) = low likelihood (2) x high consequences (4 or 5) = 8 - 10 level of risk
MTB (DH, intermediate/advanced) = high likelihood (4 or 5) x medium consequences (3 or 4) = 12 to 20 level of risk
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IMO its a very hard sport to learn as physical training will only have lead to marginal improvements and there’s very few ways to practice without exposing yourself to danger. It’s like trying to improve at climbing while only being able to on sight runout trad routes.
This is, of course, exactly how generations of climbers tried to improve at climbing. It might not be very good at getting you to 9A or 9b, but it can still be very effective (especially, but not only, at getting good at on sighting runout trad).
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Peel or Moffatt (I think they both do). As much as I love it, it's too unreliable here to commit to doing it only.
JP don't surf :lol:
Nor has he ever given up climbing, lives in Spain and climbs several times a week. Still cranking in his late 70's!
Has anybody mentioned Basher? Mecca then off to Switzerland and work. Back here and was climbing again in recent years.
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Has anybody mentioned Basher?
And, unless I missed it, no-one has mentioned Ben Moon. I think he stopped pretty abruptly and for quite a long time, though obviously started again.
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Concur with MTB more likely to hurt you than climbing. I compare mtb DH to riding a motorbike fast on the road - loads of natural features to hit, unpredictable environment, speed is the incentive inherent in the activity, speed leads to smaller margins. I always feel at risk of spannering myself on a bike, rarely on a climb.
Thinking about the 2 activities in a risk of harm assessment using a 'likelihood of hazard x consequences of hazard' framework, I'd categorise them something like:
Climbing (intermediate level trad or typical alpinsm/winter climbing) = low likelihood (2) x high consequences (4 or 5) = 8 - 10 level of risk
MTB (DH, intermediate/advanced) = high likelihood (4 or 5) x medium consequences (3 or 4) = 12 to 20 level of risk
I wonder if there’s a tendency for people to get “overbiked” quite quickly and charge down something they shouldn’t. Maybe akin to someone getting a new pair of climbing shoes and thinking it allows them to climb E6.
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I'm not convinced that's the issue. I rode MTBs a lot before I climbed and returned to it a few years ago and my impression is that it always feels like there's a high chance of low-medium level injury. Even on my gravel bike I got bogged down in some sand after a gate (during the prolonged dry period last year in the UK) and managed to land on a large lump of gritstone, right in the ribs (after taking the decision not to stick my arm out and break my collar bone).
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IMO its a very hard sport to learn as physical training will only have lead to marginal improvements and there’s very few ways to practice without exposing yourself to danger. It’s like trying to improve at climbing while only being able to on sight runout trad routes.
This is, of course, exactly how generations of climbers tried to improve at climbing. It might not be very good at getting you to 9A or 9b, but it can still be very effective (especially, but not only, at getting good at on sighting runout trad).
I think you are commenting in your capacity as someone with outstanding talents at on-sighting runout trad!
I'm very much at the other end of that spectrum. My only hope at vaguely competent trad climbing would be as an adjunct to being prolific at climbing more compatible with my lack of moral fibre.
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Even on my gravel bike I got bogged down in some sand after a gate (during the prolonged dry period last year in the UK) and managed to land on a large lump of gritstone, right in the ribs (after taking the decision not to stick my arm out and break my collar bone).
Entire UKB looks on, unsurprised, as PaulB nearly picks up another harrowing injury