DANCE O'ER THE BORDER
Crimpmaster Cubby leads his posse to some rock action in and out of the Northumbrian discos. 4 Real!
It is no coincidence that I should find myself in Northumberland after watching Stick It, the new bouldering video. I was recently given a copy and after watching it I was not altogether sure of my initial thoughts. To be slightly vain I suppose the footage of myself climbing at Glen Nevis did not over impress me, more through my own inability, rather than from a filming perspective.
However, not letting this overly influence my opinion I came to the conclusion that Stick It showed bouldering for what it is, a kind of what-you-see-is-what-you-get approach, enhanced by some excellent and cleverly selected music, with some superb stand alone sequences. The one of Malcolm Smith on the Bowder Stone being just one example.
Is this video going to be a success? Well, I had to go into Fort William to do some shopping. At the cash out desk at Woolworths, a girl caught my eye with the sort of stare that leaves you feeling slightly uncomfortable, then she said,
"Are you Dave Cuthbertson from that Stick It video?"
Well, I know Fort William is a climbing town but not in the sense that Chamonix is, where even the postie on-sights 8a, or solos the North Face of Les Droites on their day off!
The majority of the population in Fort William are not outdoor people and for the check-out girl to ask if I was in the bouldering video did come as a bit of a shock. But then she explained:
"Steven Purdon is my husband. He watches that video again and again, it drives me nuts. One night he played and rewound it five times in a row!"
I went straight home, sat down with a drink and watched the video for a second time. It's excellent. The only thing that you don't really grasp is just how impressive some of these problems really are. And there's only one way to find out though - and you might even surprise yourself!
I was sitting gnome like beneath the roofs at Back Bowden Doors, watching the rain and the larches bending and blowing in the wind. I was trying very hard to piece together a problem that I had done more than ten years ago, and frankly I was getting my butt severely kicked.
Still, I was enjoying myself, being on my own, lost in thoughts and without the competitive pressure of the new kids on the "bloc". But somehow it didn't seem right, it didn't seem right that I was enjoying myself and having fun. For this was the day of the devastating terrorist attack that has shaken the entire world. In a strange almost surreal way everything seemed pointless, almost pathetic in light of the atrocities that were committed in America.
To change the subject, for my sins I was back down in Northumberland at the weekend for some more gruelling punishment. Only this time I was with a little team that rather curiously consisted mainly of ScottishOutdoors.com contributors - Dave MacLeod and finance, Claire, Guy Robertson, Phil "6b" Ebert, Jo George, myself and Mr Ultra Enthusiastic, the ScottishOutdoor.com man himself, Alan Matheson (known to some of us as The Paymaster).
In some respects for me it was slightly nostalgic. When I lived in Edinburgh, car loads of us would descend upon the County putting up new routes and problems, which as always, according to the locals, had been done before. In fact the only credit we ever got, (and that was seriously frowned upon), was for introducing chalk to the County.
Even the first free ascent of Monty Python's at Kyloe In was thought to have been done via the crack, rather than the direct start, which was certainly not the case. I wondered if that friendly rivalry between Jocks & Geordies still lived on, but as far as I could see, and with the exception of Malcolm Smith, few Scots were making an impression on County soil, for the time being at least.
Our most luxurious reside for the weekend was the Wooller campsite. Wooller is typical of so many Northumbrian towns, appearing to be quiet and respectable and adorned with little cafes and pubs. But at weekends a strange transformation takes place and everyone goes a bit wild and loopy. People travel far and wide for a night out in Wooller, even from Newcastle, which is really saying something.
Friday night is a relatively respectable night at the Black Bull disco. A sort of retro 80s joint that attracts all age groups. In some respects I suppose it's a substitute for the once traditional weekend Barn Dance where the whole family would join in. Saturday night however, is the night that Wooller goes barking mad! Apparently fights are guaranteed, and a substantial back up squad of police are usually in force to keep the peace. So far we hadn't partied beyond Fridays!
The County has always been a favourite venue of mine and after a long lay off I was intrigued to witness so many climbers, just like little extracts from the videos stomping across the moor, complete with fold away beds strapped to their backs, carrying a long pole with a toothbrush attached to the end of it. The uneducated could be excused for thinking that Bowden Doors has been designated as some sort of refugee camp!
Bouldering has at last come of age. Here is yet another side to our rich and diverse pastime where everyone can excel and push themselves to their own limit in relative safety. Aren't crash mats brilliant? I'm sure I wouldn't be half the wreck I am today, had we crash mats in the past, but bouldering is a sport that can be enjoyed by climbers operating at all levels, not just the elite, and it's gregarious, competitive and fun.
Anyway, Sunday saw our posse at Bowden Doors, stretching their wrecked joints into some sort of workable shape after a finger-wrenching, arm blasting session at Back Bowden on the Saturday. Seeing all these people having fun really brought it home to me that this is the reason why we climb. I've often been asked that question - "why do you climb?" as I'm sure you have.
But when confronted with the question, no matter how much preparation or thought I make, I can never really describe what it is about climbing that is so special. I suppose it is a very personal experience and everyone is just that little bit different.
Anyway, Alan, who is a transformed traditionalist and now a grunge, trend setting bouldering guru (!), has been transfixed by that Bowden classic, Y-Front. His obsession began two weeks ago and it has become a project that he was determined to execute before the weekend was over. I left them to it to warm up elsewhere and returned after half an hour.
Well, before I could even see the team, I could hear Alan, chirping like a parrot on a perch. The big fat rat that had been relentlessly gnawing at his stomach over the last two weeks had at last been fed! As if walking on air, he strutted around as high as a kite. Not only had he done the problem, but he'd burned off his companions into the bargain. It was "sent" as they say in America and Alan could barely contain himself.
Now that he had entered into the realm of Northumberland 6a and was half way to completing a 6b, will he manage to hold down his job, or will he jack it all in and go on a world bouldering tour! Please don't, Alan - the climbing world of outdoor writers needs you.
This 'why do we climb, because it's there theme' -always makes me think of a story by Jim Curran, that great raconteur, author and co-producer of Rock Queen - an autobiography of Catherine Destiville. When asked the question after her lecture, what is it that gives you so much satisfaction in climbing?, the French climber Catherine Destiville was heard to say in her best English, "eet eez so many things, but most of all - a penis"!! Of course that is a French pronunciation of the word happiness.
As for the video, if my Woolworth's experience is anything to go by, which was incidentally only a couple of days after its release, it must surely be a huge success. Not only it is very entertaining, but you can play back and get the beta on all sorts of problems.
Cubby
21/9/2001
