Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
he had a leather jacket that lasted him through Leeds that was rarely off his back.
He even climbed in it.'
It went with the motorbike he had brought to Leeds. Not many people dared
climb on the back with Alex. Although he was naturally someone who tried to be
safe, he was also very inconsistent. That also was true of his climbing.
Luck smiled on most of the Leeds club during those years. Long falls were com-
monplace and most of our equipment was basic. Few had more than half a dozen
runners. Equipment had to be pooled for serious routes. Many of us still had a se-
lection of real nuts with the threads filed out and threaded with slings. Equipment
was now improving and we snapped up new gear as we could afford it. MOACs
were the most prized, a two-size-only range of British nuts that were a precursor to
to hang over flakes made up the rest of our climbing rack. The placement of pegs
was completely taboo except for Scottish winter climbing and the Alps. In the USA,
the early 1970s was the transition period between the use of any pegs for protec-
tion and the widespread availability of a range of small wires. The arrival of a more
sophisticated approach to protection was something American visitors like Steve
Wunsch and Henry Barber brought to Leeds.
The club rarely missed a chance to go climbing, even after late night parties and
through the damp and dull winter months, climbing was happening. Many cold
wet days were spent on the gritstone and the high crags of Wales and the Lake Dis-
trict, excellent experience for the future in persevering.
Under the tutelage of John Syrett, Alex learned a lot about perseverance and de-
termination. Syrett was a master of spotting unlikely routes and always ap-
proached them on sight, which almost inevitably meant falls and failures before
success. Alex was a reliable and long-suffering 'rope boy', willing to put in many
idle hours belaying Syrett to watch a master at work. What Alex lacked in skill, he
repaid in interest with his unflappable manner. Whatever was going on inside,
Alex rarely revealed his feelings even
in extremis
. Mostly, he came to the crag with
a wisecracking and competitive spirit, which spurred the rest of us on.
During his first year at Leeds, Alex worked hard at all aspects of his climbing and
improved dramatically. He progressed from climbing Severe (5.5) on rock to lead-
ing E1 (5.9 or 510a/b) in his second year. He never pretended he was a great leader
and would always hand the lead to his partner if he were not feeling confident. He
did have moments of inspiration.
I remember him romping up a number of mid grade Extremes in the Lakes in
miserable conditions. As with many aspiring rock-climbers, his first Extreme was
Brant Direct
in the Llanberis Pass. Although not terribly difficult, it was a cold and
