CLIMBING NEWS
Moel Y Gest Quarry Sport Routes...
PRODUCT NEWS
Twid (aka: Mike Turner)
Q: Age and number of years climbing?
A: 42, climbed regularly since 14.
Q: Where were you born and where is home now?
Wallasey (5 minutes from ‘The Breck’, Merseyside sandstone bouldering Mecca!) Live now in Villar, Switzerland, occasionally in Wales and mostly out of my rucksack!
Q: If you had to write a brief climbing CV what would your ‘top ten’ best routes or boulder problems be and why?
A: Cave Man (E5, 700m, Curnos Norte. First big first ascent in Patagonia)
Rock is perfect for whole route. Climbed on first holiday with wife!
Blue Bell Traverse (V6/7A on The Breck, Wallasey)
Fantastic fingery climbing above broken glass and nettles. First climbed in thrown down EBs worn on opposite feet to have rubber. I was on the traverse when a long haired blonde French man called Patrick turned up. Breezed across. Edlinger himself...so must be worth a trip!
Perfect Monsters (E7, Mingulay, Scottish Hebrides)
Fantastic new route which finished at midnight in full sun. End of a perfect week on the island great weather 20+ new routes and lots of laughs.
Supa Dupa Couloir (VI 1000m, Citadel in the Kitchatnas, Alaska)
Fantastic first ascent (Piolet D’or nomination). 20 odd pitches of Point 5 type climbing in a remote range straight to a summit. Climbed with Finbar Sunders and Stu McAleese!
The Good the Bad and the Ugly (new route on the South Tower of Paine, Patagonia)
Survived 150mph winds with Stuart McAleese. Epic beyond belief. Right route, wrong time!
Endless Day (Baffin)
It was like climbing 1000m of Cenotaph Corner in the Arctic. 14 days on Portaledges. Summited in an incredible place. Jerry Gore forgot his harness! The replaced harness cost £1000 to freight into the remote spot! Most expensive harness in history.
Grains of Time (new route on Suri Tondo in Mali, Africa)
A 16 pitch free route on an amazing wall. First on the wall, which has now 6 others on it. Pleased to see Arnold Petite felt he needed 5 bolts in one of the pitches! (placed afterwards by him!)
Vitalstatistics (4 pitch E8, Thunderbird Zawn, Gogarth)
Still had no repeat. George and Leo have tried it! Thought it quite tricky.
Divine Providence (Mont Blanc)
At time hardest route in the range. Climbed with Dai Lampard over 3 days. Dai forgot his jacket so we carried a thick woollen blanket from the bivi hut. E5 6b with a monster sac at 4500m. Just a hoot and a good epic. Dai snored on the bivi! I was most pleased with my ability to drink Dai under the counter after the climb (only time)!
Hardback Thesaurus (E8, Wen Zawn, Gogarth)
It was done as Johnny climbed it without inspection and ground up. Strongest day climbing I reckon.
Q: There are many disciplines within climbing, but some folk believe: ‘Jack of all trades, master of none’. What say you?
A: Probably so. But felt happy to climb over 80 E7 rock routes (few on sight E7), climb a few at E8, F8a, grade VII ice (French), grade VIII mixed, A4+ aid, over 20 major new lines in the greater ranges, climb some of the hardest mixed and rock routes in the Alps. All while holding a full time professional job or running my own business.
Q: How do you split your climbing time between the different aspects of climbing/mountaineering, be it bouldering, trad, sport, DWS, winter, alpine, big walls or snowy mountaineering and how does this vary through the seasons?
Pretty much climbing or mountaineering most days of the year. Alpine 50%, Big Walls 10%, winter 50%, sport 25%, trad 25%, snowy mountaineering 50%!!!! God knows, each year is different. This year climbed in Mali, Alps, Lofoten, Colarado, Utah, Nevada, Alaska, Italy, Wales and it’s only August! Enjoying a spot of ski touring these days also, but it does feel like walking too much!
Q: Top three favourite crags and why?
A: Gogarth - always an adventure.
Dinas Cromlech - are there better routes than Left Wall, Right Wall or Lord of the Flies anywhere else?
Huntsmans Leap, Pembroke - atmosphere and not far to the cafe.
Q: Do you have any heroes, climbing or non-climbing?
A: John Middendorf. His route on Greater Trango is possibly the most impressive climb on the planet.
Anybody who can drink a dozen strong pints of beer and climb E6 the next day.
Q: Most impressive/inspiring ascent you’ve witnessed?
A: Simon Hall climbing/failing on Miura, a VS in Wen Zawn, Gogarth. We were all 15; he took an 80 footer into the sea, went under and reappeared. Walked off with a bruised knee. Good effort. He gave up climbing shortly afterwards! Good thing.
Also the A4 Pitch on Greater Trango by Steve ‘Big Balls’ Mayers.
Q: What is the narrowest margin you’ve experienced between success and failure?
A: A few pitches to the top of South Tower of Paine. Got caught in a bad storm at the top of the wall. 4 weeks of hard effort piped at the final hurdle.
Q: What is your biggest fall?
A: Zero on Suicide Wall. Got committed at the top of the route on a hot summers evening without any chalk, after work epic. Went 80 feet, just stopped short of the deck. RPs did the trick! Had chance to scream twice.
Q: Top three favourite books/authors?
A: Ian Rankin crime stories, Scarpetta crime and Alun Richardson (outdoor guru).
Q: Top three favourite bands or musical artists?
A: Green Day, New Model Army and Abba.
Q: Who are your regular climbing partners, and what is it that you like or dislike about climbing with them? (Go on, spill the dirt!)
A: Daughter Elin (aged 3/4), bit sloppy on the belaying, slurps her milk and only likes dressing in pink dresses.
Dai Lampard (aged 53/4), bit sloppy on the belaying, slurps his beer and only likes dressing in pink Ron Hills.
Louise wife, never sloppy on belaying, slurps her white wine and soda and only likes dressing in pink.
Q: Who was your mentor/who influenced you most as a young climber?
A: Father took me climbing at an early age. Climbers down The Breck took me under their wing. Taught me about partying and living out of the back of vans. Climbing was fun but obsessive.
Q: Who or what gives you inspiration these days?
A: Reading about climbers having fun in inspiring places. Mostly folk you never see in the comics.
Q: Top three favourite pieces of DMM kit, and why?
A: Phantom krabs - unreal the weight, makes a huge difference to weight of rack.
Micro nut 0 - goes in all the time on every rock.
4CUs - so light you carry even more.
Q: If you could do it all again, would you do it differently, if so, how?
A: Win the lottery and climb even more.
Q: What training, aside from just climbing a lot, do you do?
A: Mental preparation over a good bottle of wine or pint of fine ale. Go to a wall a couple of times a year just to remember how awful they really are!
Q: Top three favourite climbing guidebooks?
A: Gogarth, Ben Nevis and Red Rocks.
Q: What other interests do you have outside climbing?
A: Skiing, surfing and general things with daughter. Hide and seek, etc.
Q: Other sponsors?
A: Wife, Convergent.
…and a few easy, quick fire choices:
Q: Camper van or tent?
A: Tent.
Q: Wine or beer?
A: Depends what I have drunk first. Beer on wine is fine; wine on beer is a bit....
Q: Flapjack or custard cream?
A: Difficult call but flapjack.
Q: Apple or banana?
A: Easy, Banana.
Q: Tea or coffee?
A: Coffee.
Q: Dogs or cats?
A: Cats.
Q: And lastly, catch phrases: Frank Sinatra’s was “I did it my way”, Eric Morecombe's was "What do you think of the show so far?” What is yours?
A: Pull hard and live dangerously!
(Photo: Turner collection)