South of the Border and outwith the Scottish climbing scene, few may recognise Guy Robertson's name and yet he has become one of the most respected Scottish winter protagonists of recent years.
Although generally laid-back there are many sides to his quirky personality. Guy is a thinking man at heart but has on occasion acquired a reputation for being confrontational on topics he feels passionate about, some might even say a little headstrong!
But this is not to be demeaning in any way for this quirkiness is a key part of his complex personality. Chatty conversation flows from old favourites such as climbing ethics and other interests such as the arts, literature, environmental issues and even fine cuisine.
Right out of the blue he will burst into an animated display, waxing lyrical, in a manner that both startles and amuses his audience. He enjoys spinning a good yarn and can look quite the part, dressed in his charity outlet, tan-coloured jumbo cords and thick knitted hat, proudly perched on the crown of his head, not to mention a roll-up hanging from his mouth. Yes, there's definitely a touch of the Patey in him.
I caught up with Guy recently in a stark Highland hotel in Dingwall, home to his new workplace. Over a dry, turkey sandwich and pot of stewed tea we chatted about his attraction to climbing, who and what influenced him, his climbing here and abroad and his thoughts on the future of Scottish winter climbing.
"Fred was definitely old school - grab a few things, go out and see what you
could do, a bit like Patey and McInnes."
In the beginning…
Up until the age of 17, Guy lived with his family on Royal Deeside near Aberdeen. He then moved south to study at Edinburgh University for six years between 1988 and 1994. During this time, Guy made friends with Fred Brown who introduced him to his first climbing experience.
Together they ventured into the mountains for their first climb, a snow gully on Ben Lawers - Guy, armed with his "big Stubai ice axe and a pair of second hand crampons" and Fred dressed in his "big, red boiler suit that had been steeped in dubbin and silly little straight axes."
At that time, both thought winter was what climbing was all about. It was all they knew and it wasn't until later that they became aware of the distinction between technical rock climbing and mountaineering. Over the following two to three years, Fred became a great influence to Guy, who now laughs when he thinks of him, "yes, Fred was definitely that old school - grab a few things, go out and see what you could do, I guess a bit like Patey and McInnes".
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First ascent of Four Corners Direct, VI,8, Creag an Dubh Loch
Pic: Robertson Collection See Larger Pic
It wasn't long before their interest turned to another aspect of climbing. On a day when the pair had nothing better to do, Fred suggested nicking some of his old man's climbing kit. The "old man", Doc Brown, was in fact something of a famous Lakeland character and armed with a bunch of his old, stainless steel pegs, krabs and a dodgy old rope, Fred and Guy hit the quarries around Edinburgh for their first real taste of rock climbing.
In those early climbing days after reading, "One Man's Mountain" he would follow the adventures of the great Scottish climber and pioneer, Tom Patey. He enjoyed Patey's humour and adventurous nature and also respected the man's quiet competitive nature and bothy lifestyle. Bothying played a big part of Guy's own climbing experiences, so much so that he comments, "in fact, it was probably as much about getting away and living under a stone for ten weekends in a row, as it was about actually getting any climbing done!"
While still at university, the need to earn some cash during uni holidays, led to Guy trying for a summer job at the infamous Kingshouse Hotel in Glencoe. According to a friend, "it was always full of climbers and the place to be". It sounded perfect, an ideal opportunity, especially as Guy's chief aim was to learn to climb. On his arrival, he asked to speak to the manager and was greeted by "Big Iain" Nicholson, a renowned Glencoe climber. "He gave me the once over and told me that he'd climbed Everest and that was me, I was like, I want to work for this guy, I want to be like him!"
"With Davy it was all about mountains and adventure and telling a good route
as much as it was about climbing one."
Working as a bar tender at the Kingshouse, also provided Guy with a great opportunity to meet climbing characters that he'd read so much about - folk such as Brian MacKay, the Creag Don't and some of the latter day Creag Dubh. Davy Gardner, a multi-talented, well-known figure from the 60s and 70s became a regular climbing partner. Guy remarked, "with Davy it was all about mountains and adventure and telling a good route as much as it was about climbing one". His climbing experiences with Davy were rich and he often had the pleasure of hearing stories of the first, second or third ascents of the lines they were doing. Their first new climb together was on the Buachaille. Davy pointed out a line to Guy saying it was unclimbed and did he want to do it? "He pointed me up it and we did it. It wasn't particularly hard, HVS or something but I remember when I got to the top of that I thought, hey this is pretty cool, it's even adventurous," said Guy.
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The Shroud VII,6 in full glory - Guy approaching icicle
Pic: Cubby Images See Larger Pic
There is no doubt that the likes of Fred Brown, Patey's writings, Davy and the others, has left a strong impression on Guy and to a large extent influenced his traditional approach to climbing which has lasted to this day.
After university, leaving with a degree in science and management studies, Guy headed to London for his first job. Although he didn't particularly enjoy city life, living close to Harrison's Rocks and indoor walls did have a positive effect on his climbing standard. He also visited areas like Cornwall, Pembroke, Wales and the Peak District which he may not have done had he remained in Scotland. However life in the big city wasn't really his cup of tea and climbing partners with similar aspirations were hard to come by. After two years Guy was back north with a new job, working as a co-ordinator for the "Clean and Green Campaign" with Aberdeen City Council.
South of the Border and outwith the Scottish climbing scene, few may recognise Guy Robertson's name and yet he has become one of the most respected Scottish winter protagonists of recent years.
