Leading a Severe chocksone crack on Millstone Crag (not edge) with Adam in 1996 (?). The crux move was finger holds either side of the chockstone – just at the extreme of reach then feet up to waist height onto nodules either side of the crack which was about body width so you could just about squeeze into it. Of course once you lasso the chockstone (and find out its safe) it’s the most awesome feeling move but until then it’s about 20 ft up and SCARY.
Finishing the Yorkshire 3 peaks for the 1st time (followed by the second and third times)
Getting to the top of Mt Omu in Romania solo, finding the weather station was manned so I wouldn’t have to sleep exposed on a 2500m peak in early April and not dying. Then watching the lights in the villages below twinkle at 11pm in a distinctly Eastern European manner.
Favourite place for seeking solitude.
For now, my lunchtime runs into the Indian reserve. Used to be Stanage Pole in the Peak District.
Favourite place to take non-outdoorsy geeks for their first outing?
Wastdale because it’s spectacular yet “mostly harmless”. Here - the KVR for an A1 view and historical interest.
Favourite place to take ex-outdoorsy geeks that have been in the city too long or big southern jessies for a refresher course?
Same as above or Tryffan depending on experience and enthusiasm. Here I’d probably go back to Vancouver Island and climb Becher. Very accessible, not too hard and fab views of the Comox glacier.
List top three places have you felt most at peace in the outdoors?
Top of Stac Pollaidh in Assynt, Scotland on a summers day with hubby
Top of Pen-Y-Ghent, Yorkshire with Stuart Morcom and Roo, looking at the moors.
Running across the green pastures on Beinn-An-Fhiddeller, Assynt with my dad skipping, singing the “hills are alive” from the Sound of Music. It was after mum had been cleared of cancer and we were all very happy. This might also come under the next section where we thought mum would kill us both for being back three hours late because we couldn’t resist the final ridge of the horseshoe.
Give three instances where you scared yourself out of poop.
Mountain biking out to the Peak from Dan and Chris’ place on Sheffield’s coldest day for quite some time I imagine. Getting so effing cold my plaited hair froze and I nearly cried at my fingers. I slept for 16 hours afterwards.
Riding in the 3 Peaks cyclo-cross one week after recovering from deli-belly and running out of energy on the top of Whernside. I was so short on energy I couldn’t get on my bike without my legs cramping which meant I had to walk – prolonging the agony. The downhill was OK and I ate a banana at the bottom. I waived my support car by having been persuaded to carry on then nearly fainted at the next hill, at which point I hitched a lift off the Orrell’s and was happy to get back to the finish to sign off alive.
Zen Dawn HS lead in Anglesey with 15ft of run out, waves crashing into the undercut 40 ft below me and a relatively inexperienced Rach on the other end of the rope. (Forgive me for that if you read this but I don’t think we’d been climbing together more than one season at that point). It didn’t help that we saw a bloke fall on his tail bone before setting off on his lead before us.
List top 10 things about being an outdoorsy geek that you love.
Walks / bikes / climbs where you don’t see a sucker all day and you’re completely responsible for your own destiny and nothing else matters.
When the weather clears after a long hard slog and you realize that “this is the “why?””
Tea on a shitty day
List top 3 things about being outdoorsy that you hate. (there can’t be that many can there?)
Shitty weather that lasts so long even the most hardened geeks get sick of it.
AGNIs (all the gear, no idea) and over-competitiveness on the hillside. If you can’t chill, go back to London (or Calgary)
Bears
Other outdoorsy geeks that you admire.
Chris Bonnington
Mum and Dad for teaching me the ropes
Steve Astley – Gah! For founding IMC and giving me an outlet.
I don’t really have any other mountaineering heroes.
Best outdoorsy geek chomping material
Peanut butter sandwiches
Canadian Pure Fruit Bars (how they make pure sugar that’s good for you I don’t know but they’re FAB)
Malt loaf
Kendal mint cake – when truly done-for
What wouldn’t you eat on death’s door.
Egg sandwiches would probably make me sick and turn inside out
Dog poo.
The biggest luxury in my backpack is…
Chocolate.
Seasonings to make camping food taste like food.
Dry socks on wet days and swimwear on warm days
3 things: When I stop doing it, it…..
Hurts more.
Makes me appreciate what I’ve done and the fact that I’ve stopped.
After a while it would make me sad and I need to do it again.
Threading out the rope for:
Silver Lining, Grump, Franchini
jj said...
ohhhhhhhhhhhhh. nice. (i see another busy day was has in the office!) I'll get down to this today. good meme.
said...
Thank you - I'm seriously lacking some inspiration with my blog at the moment so I'll get on to this one asap. Looks like fun.