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Ali is one of the "new breed" of strong, young and adventurous Scottish climbers. A keen all-rounder, he excels in winter, has flashed 7c sport climbs, climbed New Wave A3+ big walls, and on-sights E5 trad.
In winter, achievements include: the first ascent of Migrant Direct (VII,7) in the Northern Coires; the second ascent of Ravens Edge (VIII,7) in Glen Coe; a repeat of Vertigo Wall (VII,7) on the Dubh Loch, and perhaps most impressive was his and Sam Chinnery's slick ascent of The Needle (VIII,8).
Ali comments that "for winter routes, technical rock scratching is fun, but proper mixed lines like Gemini or Vertigo Wall, where full winter conditions are a help instead of a hindrance are the business".
In the future, he is keen to get away from the "circus" type atmosphere of the Northern Corries and the Ben on busy days, and spend more time in inspiring, less popular areas such as the North-West.
Ali's motivation partly comes from keeping up a good mix of climbing types - sport climbs, long free routes and big wall aid routes. Climbs include first ascents in Peru and on Latok III in Pakistan; the Super Couloir on Mont Blanc du Tacul, several routes up to E5 on the Tre Cima (Dolomites), and big walls on El Capitan at Yosemite.
His ideal day out would consist of "a quality route, in a beautiful place with a good group of mates, as having a laugh is often more important than the difficulty of the routes you do".
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