Issue #12 - Spring 2001

2

EditorialHi climbers, me again!

Despite the foot and mouthcrisis I hope you have all beencrankin� on the crags (whichare limited) e.g. WoodhouseScar and Ravensdale. Or youmay have been chillin� indoorswith the slightly drier optionof a training session. I knowthat team members such asAdrian Baxter, Adam Dewhurstand myself, have been hard atwork training forinternational competitions.This weekend saw us throughour first internationalcompetition this year in Italywhere I managed to get placedthird and climbers like RosieShaw and Bob Elliot climbedvery well too. At least theweather hasn�t been tooglorious, because that wouldprobably drive us into thetemptation of climbing on therestricted crags. �Tut tuttut, I hope u haven�t!�

Time seems to have beentaken from us as already theBICCS are finished and we arepreparing ourselves for thisyear�s BRYCS.

For a large majority of peoplethe Easter holidays meangetting out on to one of thebest bouldering playgroundsin the world � Fontainebleau!!

Well, for those that are going,see ya there and for those ofyou who are not, have a greatEaster and a smashin� summer.Hope you enjoy this season�sgripped! See ya later!

[Jemma Powell]

Please send suggestions for content forthe BMC website to anne@thebmc.co.uk

UIAA Youth MeetsThis year the BMC are helpingto support 10 disabled youngclimbers from Mayfield andCalthorpe schools inBirmingham attend theAdventure Camp run by OEAVin around Salzberg, Austriaon 15-21 July 01. Other UIAAYouth Camps in 2001 include:

Climbing FEDME 29 July–4 August,Picos de Europa, Spain

Applicants 16-22yrs, 2/3places per federation,climbing level minimum 4c inthe high mountains.

Climbing FFME5–12 August, French Pyrenees

Applicants 16-22yrs,2/3 places per federation,Climbing level minimum 4c inthe high mountains

Mountaineering and Climbing 4–11 August, Vitipeno/Serzing, Italy

Applicants 14-17 years old2/3 places per federationplus 1 youth leader.

Climbing UMF17–24 September,Crimea, Ukraine

(No age specified)

Youth Leader Training CoursesOEAV 14–17 June

Mountaineering with childrenand families.

For further information andadvice on application procedure contactoffice@thebmc.co.uk

Support for expeditions canbe applied for from the Andy Fanshawe Memorial Trust.

Contact Sue Waring on E-mail afmt_adm@hotmail.com Tel 01768 881623

HEY!We want you news, views andphotos for the next issue.Please sent articles on diskor by E-mail to:anne@thebmc.co.ukbefore the end of June � allphotos will be returned.

Risk and ResponsibilityParents and young participants

should be aware that climbing, hill

walking and mountaineering are

activities with a danger of

personal injury or death. Parents

and participants in these activi-

ties should be aware of and accept

these risks and be responsible for

their own actions and involvement.

The BMC publishes a wide range of

publicity and good practice advice

and provides training opportuni-

ties for members. Additional advice

and events are available to young

members and their parents. Details

about the BMC�s training and youth

programmes are available from the

BMC website and office.

Contents2-4 News

4-5 Photo Gallery see yourphotos in a magazine!

6-7 Hot RockzzzOut and About in Thailand

8-9 Who is Steve Bell?The mountainmeisterinterviewed

10 Access News

11 Sadie and the SceneSadie Renwick interview

12-15 Competitive EdgeTroll BICC 2001 and S7 BBC results!

Cov

er Pho

to

: Alex M

ess

en

ger on

Viking

s in H

eat

, Ton

Sai Be

ach, T

hailand

CA

lex Me

sse

ng

er Collec

tion

Design by Vertebrate Graphics www.v-graphics.co.uk

Competing in her first UIAAInternational event TROLLBICC Champion Jemma Powellended up standing on thepodium with a fantastic thirdplace in the Youth B category(for those born in 1986 or1987).

Equal first at the end of thequalifying round Jemma missedout on second place by asmidge, Jemma touched ahandhold that second placedclimber, Austrian AngelaEiter, managed to hang. Thewinner of the Youth BCategory was Tereza Kysilkovaof the Czech Republic.

There are five rounds makingup the UIAA European YouthCup 2001. The first one was inApatity (Russia) held over theweekend of 31st March. Theoverall EYC is decided on thebasis of best four resultsfrom five. The EYC 2001 culmi-nates at the Entre-Prises andBMC Festival of Climbing, heldat the Birmingham NIA on 7-9December 2001, where Jemmawill hopefully be competingfor the title in front of ahome crowd.

Photo: Emma Twyford, Jemma Powell, BMC President Derek Walker, Sadie Renwickand Rosie Shaw at the Liverpool BICC C John Arran

Jemma Powelltastes international VICTORYat UIAA European Youth Cup 2001

The BMC crag access databasehas seen a fair amount ofactivity over the last fewdays, and news of accessbeing reopened in several keylocations including Gogarth,Millstone Edge, and Lydstep inwest Wales is keenly awaited.It is understood that accessto key crags such as Stanage Edge is currently innegotiation.

See http://www.thebmc.co.uk/outdoor/access/fmd.aspfor confirmation of anyrestrictions.

British championships decidedTroll BICC and S7 BBC champions have now been crowned. TheBICC champions were a seemingly invincible Lucy Creamer, theman who strives to be more like Elvis, Chris �Biggles� Cubitt,Jemma Powell and Jamie Cassidy. Emma Twyford, Malcolm Smith,Lucy Creamer and Paul Smitton took the honours in thebouldering. See pages 6&7 for a full report.

Foot and Mouth UPDATE

3

MIGHTY aphroditeLucy Creamer makes the first ascent of her newM9 in the Uncomparagre Gorge, Ouray, San Juanmountains, USA. This route had been eyed up bylocals who had thought it best left for the nextgeneration. Lucy had only been doing this styleof climbing for a few days before using herconsiderable rock skills, limited ice experienceand strong will to secure this tremendous line.The route starts up the Jeff Lowe classic Dizzy With a Vision and then takes a poorlyprotected flared crack to the left, finishing onice at the top at around FrWI4.

In comparison, she said of her own route �itfelt about the same as onsighting F7c�. Lucyhad attended a Jeff Lowe masterclass beforecompleting this climb and others in Ouray andit just goes to show how the training, skillsand dedication required to be a top rockclimber are transferable to this medium.Before you hike off out there just rememberthat Lucy has not only onsighted 7c but hasalso flashed E7, an entirely more dauntingproposition in my book.

[Anne Arran]

Well done!

4

Lu

cy Cre

amer clim

bing

ice in

Ou

ray CT

im G

lasby

1. Old Man of HoyC John Arran

2. Maisie Fowkes atCable Bay, AngleseyC Steve Fowkes

5

photo gallery

1 2 3

45

6

Last issue we asked you tosend in your photos � here�sjust a small selection.

Why don�t you send in yourfavourite photo of you oryour friends out and about?

3.Stu Ingram on the Green Traverse, Stanage C Alex Messenger

4. Gritstone Heaven � Anne Arran on The Sentinel,Burbage North C John Arran

5. Buildering? :-)C John Arran

6. Flying Buttress Direct at Sunset, StanageC Alex Messenger

6

Phra Nang has been the number one exoticclimbing location for a number of years now,combining wild and varied climbing with a stunningbeach resort. The climbing is best known for itsoutrageous stalactite formations that seem todrip from the cliffs like melting wax and add anovel third dimension to the climbs. It is easy toescape the crowds and not see a soul in the lessfrequented areas. The only means of accessingthe Rai Lai peninsula is by long-tail taxi boatsthat run regularly from Ao Nang and Krabi.

The sports climbing ranges from Fr6a to 8c andcan involve a wade to get there or a boat,particularly if you wish to try some new routing.There are surreal experiences to be had climbingon the superb multi-pitch Thaiwand Wall whilelistening to Christmas carols below.Alternatively, hard core boulderers should checkout Phra Nang beach, with its amazing sunset andbizarre Buddhist shrine nestled in the cliff. Mostcomfortable times for climbing during the day are8am-11am and 4pm-8pm leaving lots of time forwatery fun.

Local accommodation· There are a great number of bungalows around

Rai Lai Bay, ranging from extremely basic tocomplete luxury. Many climbers choose tostay at Ton Sai Bungalows which are cheap andclose to the climbing. A log room withmosquito net can be less than £4 per nightper person but beware of monkey invasions.More secure and luxurious alternatives areavailable.

· At peak season (around Christmas) accommoda-tion is in high demand, it is worth investigatingstaying in Surat Thani and �commuting� by long-tail boat.

Top Nick Sellars on CaféAnderman Fr 7b Ton Saibeach C Adrian Berry

Above Deborah Wright jumpsfor it � C Adrian Berry

Left Miles Gibson climbing a tree Fr ? C Adrian Berry

7

King Climber’s Route Guide 1998

The guide uses a combination ofhand drawn topo�s with tradi-tional descriptions. Thedescriptions point out usefultips such as using extra longquickdraws, or my favourite�Nice if you�re tall and yourname�s Tom�. If not then onabout the 3rd clip, you�ve gotto pull a 9D move!�.

The guide has usefulinformation on getting to thegeneral area, and then findingnot only crags, but also shopsand things to do on rest days.The maps are clear and veryuseful, especially the one ofthe local town of Krabi. On thesubject of finding crags, I willgive this tip: when trying tofind Diamond Cave North Face(area 30), don�t hike for ages�through the rubberplantation�, as you will alreadybe there.

The one aspect of the guidethat caused the most delightwas the over-grading. Someroutes are graded two gradesabove what they really are,leading to the opinion that thesystem used is peculiarly local.This of course is not somethingthat climbers generally complainabout, it being more pleasing toattribute the dramatic surge in

performance to one�s ability.However, just about everyroute at Ton Sai needs to comedown a grade at least, butwhilst it lasts get a quickonsight of Phet Maak (8a) orshould that be 7c?

The best reason to buy thisguide is that you�ll need oneand this is the only one that�sup to date. Another goodreason is that the proceedshelp to maintain (i.e. replace)the rotting bolts. Lastly, thebook provides income forlocals, which translates as avested interest in preservingclimbing access � there is no�Thai Mountaineering Council�.

Other fun activitiesTree climbing, elephant riding,snorkelling, diving and PADIcourses, climbing instruction,jungle hiking, sea canoeing,deep sea fishing, caving, nightswimming with the fluorescentalgae, fire eating(?) bugcrushing, dancing �

• Follow in the footsteps of Leonardo Di Caprio• The ideal place to convince your parents to go to …

out & aboutin Thailand

Surat Thani

Phuket Krabi

Phangna

Ranong

Songkhla

Yala

Hat Yai

Ban Tha Kham

Rai Lai

Gulf ofThailand

AndamanSea

SouthernThailand

Malaysia

Mya

nmar

Thailand

Getting there

· An airport is due to open inthe local town of Krabi, butthe best bet is to fly toeither Bangkok (most fun) or Phuket (closer). Flightscost from £189 (exceptional)to about £500.

· Once in Thailand, you need toget to Krabi. If you have achoice between coach andtrain, choose the train.

· From Krabi, a long-tail boatride will take you Rai Lai bay.

[Anne Arran & Adrian Berry incorporatingwww.climbingmedia.com fact file]

Adrian Berry on Jai Dum at Ton Saibeach C Adrian Berry collection

8

The Jagged Globe website www.jaggedglobe.co.uktells us that Training is what we are doing nowwhen we go down the wall, climb outdoors, go on aDuke of Edinburgh expedition, go to the Alps,Scottish winter climbing etc. � all in preparationto go to incredibly beautiful places like AmaDablam, visit the Dragon Mountains in Africa, trekalong the Silk Road or climb Everest. Good forsome, it certainly helps to plan and gain the skillsto get where you want to be, whilst of coursehaving as much fun as possible.

Everyone has different needs and perhaps youare thinking, well what about me achieving myambition to climb say Right Wall in Llanberis Passor come first in a round of the British IndoorClimbing Championships. Well whichever path youtake climbing is often about following yourdreams and instincts. Steve certainly did thiswhen he was 18 by taking the plunge to not go touniversity and just go climbing (very unpopularwith parents). He hitched to the Alps andsurvived on £80 for 6 weeks � the money raised byselling his bike and guitar.

Where did you start climbing?I went on a weekend climbing course on the �Tors�on Dartmoor. Then I did a 26-day, all maleOutward Bound expedition in Eskdale - and itrained a lot. I think it�s very important thatpeople get the chance to experience lots ofoutdoor activities when they are young.

The Scene … I climbed mainly in the South Westand reached HVS / E1 level on rock pretty quicklybefore hitting a plateau. No one was reallytraining at this time but the culture was to soonchange when Pete Livesey transferred his trainingtechniques from other sports to climbing in themid 70�s, but even in the late 70�s training forclimbing was something few people admitted to. Inthe South West, sea cliff climbing lends itself tonew routing, but you often encounter loose rockand there were a few people interested in boldday-out climbing. Then, climbing seemed moreadventurous � and dangerous - than it is now.Sometimes I�d be so gripped about the prospectof a scary route that I couldn�t even eat mybreakfast! We were certainly very aware of therisks, and falling off was something that you justdidn�t do, which no doubt held back my leadinggrade. Also, I was part of the �clean hand gang� atthis time, a group of mainly south west basedclimbers who refused to use chalk.

who is

SteveBell?Top L. The nor th face of the Monch,

Bernese Oberland, Switzerland C Steve Bell

Above Learning Curve #1, retreating accross a wetglacier without a rope … NOT recommended!C Pete Thekton

I first met Steve in 1996 when he turned up at theFoundry Climbing Centre and bought the buildingnext door to house his business Jagged Globe,then Himalayan Kingdoms Expeditions.Jagged Globe runs professionally led mountain-eering expeditions throughout the world (nicejob!). He has climbed the highest mountains in allcontinents. What�s more, he can assist peoplelike you or me in organising private expeditionsto almost anywhere � pretty cool huh!

[interview by Anne Arran]

Look Out for Alpine Skills advice for parents

9

Improving After this the logical step forward wasto move to Sheffield and lived in a squalid housewith the likes of �Strappo�, Leigh McGuinley andChris Gore. Once I started doing a few pull-ups(on the quiet!) my leading grade quicklyprogressed, but I reached another plateau atE3/E4. One hot August day in 1978 I did Vector(E2) at Tremadog. Making the moves up the ochreslab my sweaty palms nearly slid me into space,

and the feeling spoiled theenjoyment of a fantastic climb.It was then that I defected tothe �white hand club� andstarted using chalk.

The great escape – The Alps … �There were nobarriers in those days to going off to the Alpsand just doing it. Seeing the scale of the placewas extremely motivating. Selecting gear was asimple choice because there wasn�t any choice. Ienjoyed reading the Rebufatt book because therewere routes to aim for and I was inspired bybooks written by top climbers like Messner andJoe Brown. The historical significance of theroutes we were climbing was important to me anddoing a challenging route to the Alps � and beingin control - was an all-consuming experience. ButI was more in tune with the technical difficulty ofthe climbing rather than basic Alpine skills. Weoften didn�t rope up to cross glaciers and knewvery little about snow conditions and weather.�

We joked about oranges or ‘orages’ …�Deciphering the French weather forecast wasalways a challenge. We knew that Orage was theFrench word for cloud, and we did our best tocatch the good weather, but when it got bad wehad an epic and we cursed the oranges.

I learned about using a rope on the glacier andavoiding objective dangers through hard won expe-rience and a few lucky escapes. Later, I learned alot from more experienced friends like Roger Mearwho was older than me, a good climber and reallyorganised. When we did the Eiger he plannedeverything meticulously, pre-packing the meals inseparate plastic bags and assessing what equip-ment to take. It was a real eye-opener, as was thehoist he rigged up when an anchor gave way and Ifell off our bivy ledge. That was a laugh � Icouldn�t move, trapped inside by sleeping bag likea netted fish suspended above a 3000ft drop.Even-so, it wasn�t until I started training to bean IFMGA Guide some ten years later, that Irealised how little I actually knew about climbing.�

But we were pretty self-sufficient, learningthrough necessity and by our mistakes. Welearned how to place pegs, cut snow-bollards andabseil down routes without leaving any of ourprecious gear behind. Gradually, we got better atroute finding and we got lost less often. Theywere great days, interspersed with boozy nightsat the Bar National in Chamonix, listening to HotelCalifornia on the Juke Box and fantasising aboutthe girl in the Javelin advert which graced virtu-ally every climbing magazine of the era.

When he was 20, Steve climbed the North Face ofthe Eiger in winter after spending a week on theroute. �By then, I�d been climbing for nearly fiveyears and was no longer a teenager. Perhaps I hadgrown up ��

“I’ve always found it easier to climb boldroutes than harder, well-protected lines’’

Above L. Learning Curve #2, falling up to your neckin Randkluft C Jon Grubb

Above R. Real adventure, bivying in the glacier.C Jon Grubb

R. On Bonatti Pillar C Chris Gibson

Next R. Spindrift on Droites N.Face C Pete Thekton

Far R. Steve Bell at 18

and young climbers in the next issue of gripped?

10

Over the past two months the foot and mouthoutbreak has resulted in a hive of extraactivity at the BMC office, from the peopleanswering queries on the phone to Alex, ourweb guy, who has been busy setting up the footand mouth �Location Watch� on the web site.The �chaos� in the office has been smallcompared to the big impact that the foot andmouth outbreak has had on outdoor educationcentres, outdoor shops and other peoplereliant on business from climbers, hill walkersand mountaineers. Many businesses in theLakes, Snowdonia and other mountainous areashave seen a drop in business of 50%, with someexperiencing an 80% decline. This has left manypeople struggling and has brought to theattention of the media the importance of thenatural environment to the UK�s multi-billion

pound tourist industry.

In the BMC office we have been trying toregain access to many areas; in an attempt toalleviate the financial impact of foot andmouth on the outdoor trade, as well as thefrustrations of many people who can�t go outand enjoy the countryside. Over the last fewweeks things have moved forward a bit withaccess established to some key climbing areas,particularly in North Wales, with climbing nowavailable at Gogarth and Tremadog.Unfortunately there is still no access to manyof the upland and moorland areas in Englandand Wales, but if you live in or near Scotland,many mountains are now open for you to enjoyin the Highlands and Islands.

What is foot and mouth?Foot and Mouth disease is an acuteinfectious viral disease causing fever,followed by the development ofvesicles (blisters) chiefly in themouth and on the feet. It is probablymore infectious than any other disease

affecting animals and spreadsrapidly if uncontrolled. It affectscattle, sheep, pigs, goats, wildand domestic cloven hoofedanimals (such as deer) andelephants, hedgehogs and rats arealso susceptible.

How is the disease spread?It can be spread by air, animals, car tyres, andof course climbers and walkers. But the peoplemost likely to spread the disease are thosewho are in contact with livestock.

Can I not go anywhere? There are some places where you can climb orwalk at present, but many Local Authoritieshave made declarations under the Foot & MouthDisease Order, prohibiting movement in thecountryside except on public highways.Contravention of the order can result in a fineof up to £5000.

Is there a list of possible areas to climb? At www.thebmc.co.uk there is a list of majorclimbing crags, which are known to becurrently open. The list is kept as up-to-dateas possible and at the moment the informationchanges on a daily basis.

[Claire Bond]

Foot & Mouth answers to your questions …

C BMC collection

Sadie Renwick is currently lyingin a comfortable 3rd place inthis years TROLL BICC andrecently dropped a place to 4that the S7 British BoulderingChampionships (BBC).

She knew where she went wrongthough! She is amongst an everincreasingly strong clan whichincludes Jemma Powell, EmmaTwyford and Rosie Shaw. Emmaand Jemma certainly provedtheir strength in the Edge LostArrow Bouldering League with anexcellent first and third placesin the women's event to nodoubt surprise Lucy Creamerwho seems to be head andshoulders above most of thewomen at the moment.

Sadie has been climbing forthree years since she wastwelve. She started at a kids�birthday party at Alien Rock,Edinburgh. Her favouriteclimbing place is �any wherewhere she has a laugh� but islooking forward to sunshine inBuoux in the South of France inthe summer.

Buoux is a famous crag thatsports many single and multi-pitch pocketed limestoneclassics such as Rose deSable 7a, La Jonction 6a+,Oscourt 7b+ and for the superfit and strong, le Minimun 8band Chouca 8a. Buoux lies ashort drive south of the townof Apt, north of Marseille inthe South East of France. A caris essential to get the mostout of this area. There is a

good train, and coach servicebut the closest you can get isAvignon to the west, from hereit is possible to get a bus toApt. There is a convenientairport at Nice with flightsthere from Easyjet.

Climbers like Neil Gresham,Malcolm Smith and Ruth Jenkinsspent lots of time there aroundEaster in the mid 90�s. The cragreaches up to 150m, and has over500 routes covering steep pock-eted walls, and utterlydesperate sandbag slabs. Therock is a curious glaze of roughlimestone over a sandstonebase. There are a wide range of�secteurs� making up the crag, afew of which are banned, butthere is scope for an easy daywith beginners, as well as manyof the hardest sports climbs inthe world.There are also otherexcellent crags near by includingChateau Verte and Orgon Canal.With a campsite at Bonnieux andmany Gites de France in thevicinity it makes an ideal holidaydestination for anyone into hardsports climbing.

Lynn Hill climbed OrangeMechanique at nearby Cimai 8b+in the early 90�s and has goneon to do routes in themountains including a hard freeascent of the North Face of theRussian Tower in Ak-Su valley,Kyrgyzstan. Sadie is inspiredby Lynn�s all-round ability andalso by Malcolm Smith�s abilityto �climb sick hard problems� � aren�t we all?

Sadie is no slouch� she trains 4times a week andenjoys toast butter andmarmalade. Her ambitions areto get bigger muscles andpull harder.

Katie is the Area YouthCo-ordinator for South Scotland andhas done a tremendous job helpingthe young climbers in her area.

[An interview with Sadie Renwick by Katie McQuade]

11Sadie Renwick going strong at the S7 BBC C John Arran

Yep, it’s that time of year again…� the time of year that means getting up at 5 in themorning and sitting for hours in freezing cold isola-tion. The 2001 British Indoor Climbing Championshipshad begun. The first round was in Liverpool, atAwesome Walls, a fairly new wall in a big old church.

Isolation (a place where you go so that you can�t seeother climbers) opened at 8.00 am, and climbingstarted at 10.00. I was first out and very nervousbut did OK and reached the final. There were only 6girls this year, which was a little disappointing,compared with 18 boys. In the boys� newcomerJamie Cassidy went through to the final in 2nd place.

When the final came, the boys had to join the men andwomen on the back wall , which overhangs for whatfeels like forever (about 12 metres). Jamie Cassidycame through to finish 1st and Stewart Watson camein 2nd. In the girls� it took a super final to splitJemma Powell and Emma Twyford, but in the end Jemmawon. In the women�s, Karin Magog finished 1st, just

Next it was The Foundry’s turn inSheffield to host the B.I.C.C.

[we hand over to Graham Desroy]

Round 4, The Foundry, Sheffield,17th March 2001

Nice to be back at the Foundryagain decorated by all those niceimages of myself, good to seethey haven�t lost any of theircharm � moving swiftly on to theaction �

In qualifying rounds, only thejunior girls running to predictedform. The junior boys had areachy mean groove exercise �only Adam Mulholland out-thoughtthe route setters and snatcheda sneaky no hands rest. To addinsult to injury he theneliminated 4 nasty moves andtopped out. Paul Smitton was theonly other top out, but by theharder, planned route. The JuniorGirls� final took them via thearête onto the edge of the steepheadwall. Its slopey holds sawthem all off but it wasSadie Renwick from north of the

border who put sassenachs in theshade to score her first BICCvictory. However, Jemma�s secondplace means she is alreadyconfirmed as the Troll BICC 2001champion.

In the junior boys�, first outTom Lawrence had route settersthinking that they�d boo-boo�edas he cruised up to within a holdof the top. But Tom was on aflier � all the other finalists fellshort until Paul Smitton, with grimdetermination, nailed the lastmove, clipped and took his secondoutright win this year. The scary,senior women�s route offered direconsequences if you failed acrucial clip. Even after reversinginto a �safer� position, April Marrtook the fall of the series. Therest made the clip to lead them upthe arête and into a similar lineas the junior girls. Anne Arran,Abigail Egan and Alison Martindale(groovy shorts) all fell within amove of each other with Anne justahead of Abi on count back.

Despite very wobbly moments onthe lower arête, and much oooingand ahhhing from the crowd,Lucy Creamer won by a considerable margin.

The men�s route took a directline up the fierce roof and head-wall with gnarly moves rightabove the lip before a nasty leadto the top. Kris Clemmow was thefirst to experience the horrorsbut a fine effort left him fadingfast at the top lip. FavouriteGaz Parry tried novel clippingpositions but never got into theright gear. �Lil� Bob proved thatheight was no handicap andimpressed - all failing eventuallyat the gnarly moves right.Adam Dewhurst despite his bestefforts made a good job of theroute to finish above Bob, andSteve McClure gave the route agood savaging before being blownoff the penultimate move. And soto Biggles aka Chris Cubitt, whoeven found time to wave to crowden route. Chris cruised, stuckthe top moves, and topped animpressive route.

Troll British Indoor ClimbingChampionships Results 2001

Graham Desroy, Ex British team manager courtesy of the BMC website and Troll www.troll-climbing.com12

beating Alison Martindale with superb performancesfrom both. No one topped the men�s final but GazParry finished 1st and Adam Dewhurst came in 2nd.

So that was Liverpool � the next round was at theWelsh International Climbing Centre whereJungle Hallows won the boys� (You should have seenhis grin!) Jemma won the girls� (again!).Steve McClure matched last year and won, Gaz coming2nd. Lucy Creamer won the women�s.

Next, to Bristol � another church where routes arehard, isolation is cold and it all starts too early!All this didn�t put Paul Smitten off, he went on towin his first BICC this season - in style.

Gaz Parry won again � with his other results he�s ina good position to win the series. Jemma won again,to no one�s surprise, with Emma coming in second.As in Wales Lucy won the women�s and Karen camesecond.

[Rosie Shaw]

Well, it was all go at Leeds … The final positions were juggledonce again with a few disappoint-ments for some who lost out by awhisker, in particularGareth Parry for the men�s titleand Emma Twyford who narrowlylost out to a rapidly improvingSadie Renwick.

Senior Men

1 Chris Cubitt 3352 Gareth Parry 3273 Steve McClure 3004 Adam Dewhurst 2655 Kristian Clemmow 2216 Richard Bingham 1987 Robert Elliot 1968 Adrian Baxter 1899 Guy Dixon 18510 Roddy Mackenzie 137

Senior Women

1 Lucy Creamer 4002 Karin Magog 3113 Abigail Egan 2654 Alison Martindale 2555 Anne Arran 2436 April Marr 1947= Lucinda Hughes 188

Abigail May 1889 Katy Holden 17110 Elinor Curry 148 Junior boys

1 Jamie Cassidy 3602 Paul Smitton 3273 Stewart Watson 2754 Ian Hollows 2535 Adam Mulholland 2266 Tom Lawrence 2257 Ashley Clarke 2108 Chris Whiteman 1869 Aaron Nattrass 14510 Michael Reedie 142

Junior girls

1 Jemma Powell 4002 Sadie Renwick 3103 Emma Twyford 3054 Rosemary Shaw 2165 Victoria Hurley 2086 Hazel Duff 200

13Helen Twyford reaching for the top C John Arran

14

Malcolm Smith was hardcorestrong. Those years of beaveringaway in his attic in Scotlandcertainly came off. For all thoseof you who doubt this watch theSlackjaw Film short of Malcolmdoing his hardest problem on asick, steep board. Awesome!

He entered what could have been alacklustre comp and made itsparkle. Thoughts of how are youholding that hold and surely notspring to mind. After completingthe hardest problem in the final Iheard routesetter extraordinaireMr Vickers say � do you want toknow how to do it the easy way?�Malcolm smiled and listened; itwas good to see these tips beingpassed around. I went on a route-setting course with GraemeAlderson and subsequently came2nd in the Foundry BICC, my bestposition of the series. It musthave been good training, no seri-ously it probably was because ithelped me to consider using theholds in all sorts of ways youwouldn�t normally have the pres-ence of mind to do on a routeunless you lie in the natural whizcategory of Lucy or Jemma.

A now familiar format saw climbersattempt twelve allotted problemsat their leisure, collectingpoints for each top-out or bonushold reached. The climbing in allcategories was tough, with manyproblems going unclimbed. Fullmarks for quality though, asdiverse and genuinely creativemoves peppered the walls on allsides. Gareth Parry looked verystrong in the final, pulling out allthe stops to top three problems.Malcolm proceeded to dispatch allfive, all on-sight save for one fallon the last when victory was inthe bag.

I�ve rarely seen Malcolm so firedup (apart from last years S7 compand the year before�s!!) andrarely seen anyone anywhereboulder as well and as powerfullyas he that day. It wasmagnificent.

Come the finals and Emma Twyforddemonstrated great poise andtechnical ability on verticalproblems, landing the Girls�title. Rosie Shaw finished a well-earned and no doubtconfidence-boosting third place.It was good to see some new facesin the qualifiers like LucyTurner, Francesca Delvin andLucy Griffiths all from Sheffieldgiving it a go with serious determination.

Paul Smitton and Jamie Cassidylooked very strong and werefighting hard for success. Thetitle eventually went to Paul butthere was little to choosebetween them. Third placedfinisher was Jack Rowlands, aname we may hear a lot more of infuture and was apparently hisfirst ever competition!

Lucy climbed tenaciously as usualto secure the title with Clairethreatening to zip past on thefinal steep boulder problem butwas faced with an unfeasible slapto finish second and KatherineSchirrmacher was very closebehind in third. The nightlife ofHull was on offer afterwards butwe made an escape to experiencethe somewhat limited outdooroptions on Sunday.

[Anne Arran]

Want to try these events?

Why not enter BRYCS � try one round if you are not sure �it�s fun!

Top Malcolm Smith crankin�Above Paul Smitton cutting loose C John Arran

15

Senior Men1 Malcolm Smith2 Gareth Parry 3 Nick Sellars 4 Tom Sugden 5 Neil Bentley 6 Neil Travers 7 Ian Bitcon 8 Stuart Littlefair 9 Mark Croxall 10 Justin Plumtree

Senior Women1 Lucy Creamer2 Claire Murphy 3 Katherine

Schirrmacher 4 Jo Gordon 5 Alison Martindale 6 Rachel Seymour 7 Lucy Atkinson8 Lucy Hughes9 Anne Arran 9 Rosie Taylor

Junior Male1 Paul Smitton2 Jamie Cassidy3 Jack Rowlands4 Stewart Watson 5 Tom Lawrence 6 Ashley Clarke 7 Chris Whiteman 8 Mark McQuade 9 Glenn Wilson 10 Todd Cuthbertson

Junior Female

1 Emma Twyford 2 Jemma Powell 3 Rosie Shaw 4 Sadie Renwick5 Lucy Alice Griffiths6 Lucy Turner 7 Helen Crowther8 Francesa Delvin9 Laura Preston

• The gripped? magazine All the news, information andgossip from the world of young climbers including up andcoming competitions, approximately 4 times per year.

• Exclusive gripped? members’ events - Last yearPlas y Brenin and others hosted a range of BMC gripped?events and a series of short drop in sessions on a variety ofclimbing and mountaineering related topics. Look out forregional youth meets near you.

• Discounts on BMC Publications Discounts on BMCevents Including competitions like the 2001 British RegionalYouth Competition Climbing series, festivals and Next Steptraining weekends visit our new shop on www.thebmc.co.uk

• Insurance - Up to £10,000 personal accident and up to£3,000,000 personal liability insurance.

• Access to BMC information service and specialisttravel insurance cover. Useful information on where youngpeople can climb around the country, advice on training,buying equipment and climbing outside can all be found onwww.thebmc.co.uk

• BMC Summit Magazine

All for only £9 !!!

BMC Youth Membership - what you get:

How to Join To become a member of Gripped? you should be under 18 and have a keeninterest in climbing, mountaineering or hillwalking. Just fill in the slipbelow and send a cheque, payable to British Mountaineering Council tothe address below.

British Mountaineering Council 177-179 Burton Road, Manchester M20 2BB

Name ......................................................................................................................

Address ......................................................................................................................

......................................................................................................................

......................................................................Post Code .........................

Tel: (..........) ...................................... Date of Birth ....... / ....... / .......

I confirm that I am the parent/guardian of the above named person and consent forthem to become a junior member of the British Mountaineering Council. I also confirmthat I am aware that climbing and mountaineering are activities with a danger ofpersonal injury or death.

Parent/Guardian�s Signature: ..........................................................................

Name: .................................................... Date of Birth ....... / ....... / .......

H B CLI M B I NG EQU I PM E NT BA NGO R GWYN E DD WA LE S LL57 4YH

TE LE PHON E 01248 370813 FA X 01248 371150

E -M AI L: post@hb.wales.com I NTE R N E T: ht tp://www.hb.wales.com

A D R E N A L I N T E S T E D

T H E S P I R I T O F C L I M B I N G