James McHaffie (UK)
In an era of self aggrandisment and bragging it's good to know there are still guys out there, under the radar who are going out, doing it and in the process clocking up the most amazing pedigree. James is one of these guys....
With probably more hard onsites to his name than anyone else in the UK he's one of the guys I most admire and always inspires with his cool attitude and cooler ascents. James has been sponsored by Red Chili for many years and has just renewed his deal with Wild Country and with his onsite and trad climbing skills he's perfect to provide feedback for all our new gear.
In his own words:
"I was born in the Lake District and I started climbing when I was 15/16. Having been to a climbing wall and enjoyed the movement and challenge I asked my dad to take me out (who was a famous Lake District climber).
We did lots of classics like Troutdale Pinnacle (HS) and Overhanging Bastion (VS) in wild weather and I got hooked. Soon after I started I got into a habit of soloing partly for the ‘buzz’ but also for speed and convenience.
I dedicated the majority of my time to ‘ticking’ the classics and have done most of the 2/3 star routes at VS and above in the FRCC guide books to the lakes and everything in Hodge Close quarry.
The last 5/6 years I have lived in Wales, having studied environmental science I now work at Plas Y Brenin for my sins.
While living in Wales I’ve climbed a lot/majority of the E5s, E6s and E7s at most of the major venues - from Gogarth, to the Llanberis Pass; on the Lleyn Peninsula, in Ogwen, and at Tremadog as well as Cloggy and on the Slate, as well as most of the slate sport routes. (So in fact most of North Wales then! Ed.)
I enjoy fell running when I’ve got the time, love being in the outdoors and enjoy having a mission. I intend to work in the outdoors for the near future and have afew ‘vague plans’ on top of this."
Climbing CV
I've onsighted a great deal of E6s and E7s all over the UK and ground upped more. The E7s include routes such as Bells the Bells (Gogarth), Ghost Train (Pembroke), Fetish for Fear.
The E6s include routes like Conan the Librarian(twice), Western Union, Souls, Linden and Coronary Country superclassics. My climbing aspirations are to keep doing great routes in great places. Favourite venues are gogarth, the quarries, cloggy and all the lakes’ crags.
Put up loads of new routes new routes such as:
The Nose (E8 6c) 1st ascent on Eigg, The Ego has Landed (E8 6b) Eagle Crag, Borrowdale, Hockclock (E7 6c), Swing with the groove (E6, 7a), Serpent Vein (8b) Dinorwic quarries, Sauron (8b) Dinorwic quarries
Repeated some routes such as:
Hellish (E8 6c) 2nd ascent, Trauma (E8/9 7a) 4th ascent, Bleed in Hell (E8 6c), My Piano (E8 6c), The Very Big and the Very Small (8b+) 3rd ascent, Onsighted some 8a’s in Spain, flashed 8a in Uk.....
Read More about James's ascents at the links below:
http://www.ukclimbing.com/news/item.php?id=47686
James showing his climbing prowess on a couple of desperates below...
