James Pearson (UK)

Since he joined the Wild Country team James' climbing level has kept moving up and in the last few seasons his ascents of The Groove E10 7B, The Walk Of Life E9 7A, and many other routes including the 2nd ascent of Gerty Berwick E10 have made him a household name in the UK and across Europe. Wild Country are proud that James uses our gear and that James is an ambassador for Wild Country across the globe.


More about James

Born within a stones throw of some of the worlds best crags, and five minutes from the Wild Country factory, it’s no surprise he has made a name for himself on ‘gods own rock’ - gritstone. But James also seems to have the ability to raise his game on all rock types and James loves doing new routes and has made journeys to some obscure places to do so already and I’m sure more will come.

A traditional climber first and foremost he’s also getting a more than worthwhile bouldering pedigree, with his steely fingers pulling down a number of classic hard problems to date and his sight set on many more. James is still pretty young and if his climbing moves on as fast as it has to date he’ll be cranking E15 in no time…but until then just watch this space for more quick ascents of E8’s E9’s and E10’s.

James sent me this rather modest summary of his climbing (up to 2009):

"I started climbing in 2001/2002. I mainly bouldered for the first year and then gradually started to get in to trad. My first hard route was Kaluza Klein E7 6C at Robin Hoods Stride. I wore a skateboarding helmet and boots that were too big for me with socks. After that, I bought some proper shoes and started doing more of the routes which really attracted me. The grades were a bit of a jump to "The Zone" E9 6C, "Smoked Salmon" E7 7A, and "Knocking on Heavens Door" E9 6C. I continued to dabble with bouldering and sport climbing but never really got hooked, probably because I was so weak.

In the autumn of 2004 I went on a 3 month roadtrip round the US. I mainly bouldered on this trip, got a bit stronger and did the Buttermilker at the Buttermilks my first 8a+ V12. Back home on the grit, I felt pretty good so decided to have a look at Equilibrium E10 7A, Neil Bentley's masterpiece at Burbage South. This had had only two ascents and I thought it would be a cool tick to have - but at this point I didn’t really think I would do it.
However, it took me only 4 days to repeat Equilibrium, making it the quickest (and youngest) ascent by a long way. I felt really good about that and headed off to Fontainebleau for 2 weeks where I repeated Big Dragon V12.

Summer 2005 came along and I felt a little stronger, so I went to America again and this time things clicked quickly and I had a very good trip! It was great for me to go back on problems that were too hard to do the previous year and do them easily, it made me feel a lot stronger and got me psyched. Annoyingly, there were still some problems out of my reach: I tried "Black Lung" 8B in Joes valley quite a bit and even got my hand in the finishing pocket a few times but kept falling. So although the trip was great I left feeling mentally fatigued and on my return, decided to have a go at doing some training and started to develop a little more strength.

I completed a lot of my boulder projects in the peak district, giving River Of Life V12 and Hats For Youths V11. I invested a little time in sportclimbing and succeded in climbing the classic Mecca 8b+ at Ravens Tor. In Summer 2006, I once again headed back to the states, this time to Colorado. I had a fantastic trip and repeated a load of hard problems. I feel like this trip was the beginning of the current stage of my climbing life and I left feeling great both physically and mentally. On my return, I climbed a load of classic hard boulders in England and Europe. At the start of 2007 I put up what i felt was one of the hardests route on gritstone, The Promise E10 7a. Since then I have spent about 4 weeks in Switzerland which is currently my favourite bouldering venue and have taken my climbing to a new level with 2 flashes of confirmed V13 boulders, The Ganymede Takeover V13 and The Great Shark Hunt V13."

James can be seen here on The Groove another of the hardest routes on grit...

James can be seen here in this video of deep water soloing in Majorca...

You can more videos of James at the loinks below

4th May 2012 James Pearson - Hard multi pitch repeat - Aria – The clue is in the name!

03 May 2012

Aria – The clue is in the name

Aria, the 3rd target of our Sardinian holiday dedicated to multipitch (and to days waiting in the rain), is presented to us by Pietro Dal Pra. For who doesn’t know the character, Pietro is now the “shoe tester” La Sportiva, to whom I say thank you for the best climbing shoes in the world. He is also the 5 stars belayer of Adam in his mad lines, Wogu and Tough Enough; finally, he is the one who first freed Hotel Supramonte, and also repeated Silbergeier more than 10 years ago.

A legend of climbing indeed. Well, Pietro decided to take us to his baby, ARIA, and play the role of “climber-sitter” as he says himself. Aria, therefore, in theory, is quite a normal route: 7c / 7a / 6c+ / 6c+ / 6c+ / 8a+ / 8a+ / 7a+ / 7b+ / 7a.  10 pitches, 350m, and seriously overhanging – with just 2 pitches in the 8’s, we could do in the day if we fight well… Except that, after further clarification, Aria has a small a-typical side : it can be done with 6 quickdraws!!!!! AAAAAARRRRGGGGG

6 quickdraws, in pitches of 45m, do your calculus – it’s at least 7 m between two points! Minimum, I mean, because if the first two spits are a little closer (and I am glad, nothing worse than the climber falling on the belayer), it means of course that the other spits will be spaced more than 7m! No fear (well, for James maybe, me, at my very best, I will do one or two pitch leading eh), here we go! 1 hour by boat, half an hour walking through a forgotten path, there it is. WOW, Aria is the only way up the whole face of Monte Plumare, directly above the sea.  First class!

I confirm I am terrified, as even in the very first 7c you can fall 20m to the ground, but as Pietro says, “When it’s easy, you’re not supposed to fall.” Pietro climbs with us – partly for support and encouragement, partly because he is worried we may need to be rescued.  I take my first lead of the day in the 4th pitch – 6c +.  Oh my god, it is terrifying and feels like the hardest 6c+ I ever made!  So yes, exposure adds a bit to the grade, especially when it’s wet AND breaky!! We arrive at the foot of the first 8a + … completely wet!  Not a single colo is dry, it rained hard five days ago and you can see the results! That said James has not had his last word, and as a good (crazy) trad climber, he goes for it.  Despite the flowing water, he almost makes the pitch, only forced to stop at a high spit due to wet shoes / hands / chalk – perhaps all the wet weather in England is good practice for something!  Pietro is in charge of the belaying, as providing a dynamic belay whilst clipped in direct is not just an easy job, yet vital to avoid serious injury with such big fall potential!  My turn… it’s really a frog party, absolutely soaked! Damn, it will not even be possible today … James still carries on in the 2nd 8a +, that he ticks on sight, then we all lower back down to the floor via a complicated series of steep rappels.

Content Caroline

No tick, but tea and chocolate in the evening bivouac at the foot of the wall makes up for it. Pietro tells the mythical stories from the opening of the route: gound up of course, he took 25m falls, then wincing on hooks to place a spit 8m above the other, with a field of tuffas for landing!  A huge wild pig comes to eat just next to us… I fall asleep dreaming of wet tuffas falling on my head …

Too bad, we’ll be back, promise!!

Aria, second round!

After a few weeks of crossing my fingers to scare the God of rain (it seems that if I concentrate well, I’m getting there), we are back to Aria, again with Pietro who will perfectly repeat his “climber-sitter” role.  Thanks to him I now know how to haul if James has a problem, and make a prussic to protect me on the rappels – its not much, but its a good base, especially considering I went in five routes already without knowing it!!  This time we are also joined by Riky Felderer and Pietro Porro, fresh in from Italy with hopes of capturing Aria in all her glory.

Minor detail … we do not even see Aria on the approach! A thick fog soaking everything it touches is hanging above the ocean.  I begin to fear the worst…

But at 6am the next morning … the sun appears above a sea of ​​clouds! It looks like something from another, far forgotten world.   James seems in a bad shape (perhaps the pressure, or the 800kg of 5 star meat we ate in Sardinia?)!  He gratifys us with 5 trips into the bushes before finally embarking on the first 7c, ultra expo – 45m, 6 points, and a little breaky rock at the top… The fog has made the rock uncomfortably slippery, in case the pitch was not already hard enough, but he makes it!

I pull myself together to lead the easy pitches, 7a, 6c +, 6c +, but when you squeeze the holds as in an 8 to anticipate a rock break and a 20m fall they feel anything but easy, and when I get to the top of the first 5 lengths I am destroyed!  Ricky and Pietro jumar before us, lost in the air. I am surprised how a simple presence on top of you can be reassuring, when lost in the methods, 200m above the ground!

The End of the 2nd 8a+

Coming up, a big 8a+, a second 8a+, then 7a+, 7b+, 7a. James won’t make a single mistake, with still a big fight, a zip and catch in extremis in the first 8a+, a perfect pitch that finishes in a magic chimney between two colos. Unfortunately, I break a hold just after the crux, so it is back to the belay, 5 minutes rest, and a great big fight to the top. The second 8a+ goes more according to plan but we are really starting to feel the hours of effort behind us. The three last pitches will require more fighting.  The first 7a+ is especially tough, reminding us that even the easy pitches should not be underestimated.  5 years since its last visit, all traces of chalk have gone, and the once clean holds are just a memory.  With the last spit below your feet, and the next one too far away to even see, you must tread very carefully, searching out the best options to avoid any traps.

James will lead the hard pitches, and I will second on top rope.  Every pitch brings a good fight, more fatigue, but more excitement as we creep closer to our goal.  The top of Aria is definitely a highlight, with stunning views East into the wild, untouched Supramonte, and North along the beautiful Azure coast.  Pietro follows us all the way and its evident from the smile on his face how special this place is to him, and how happy he is for someone to enjoy one of his proudest creations.

Aria has given us so much more that I ever expected – superb climbing, incredible stories, two days that will forever remain in my memory!

Hats off to Pietro for his commitment setting up Aria, just thinking about him drilling that far above the last spit, I’m still terrified for him.

Thank you Pietro for giving us the key.

 

12th Apr 2012 James Pearson - Hard and fast multi-pitch repeats in Sardinia...

Caroline Ciavaldini and James Pearson are one week into their little voyage to Sardinia to explore the world of hard multi-pitch sport routes. 
So far, they have ticked two routes off their list, Mezzogiorno di Fuoco (8b, 270m) and Amico Fragile (8b, 230m). The couple both made free ascents of the two routes, each in a single day.  Mezzogiorno di Fuoco was “flashed” by James, with Caroline needing just a few attempts at the harder pitches.  James also came remarkably close to “onsighting” Amico Fragile, succeeding on the 50m 8b pitch only to slip off a dirty 7b higher on the wall.

Caroline and James will remain on the island until the end of the month and hope to complete a further few projects.  The aim of the trip is to explore the difference of ethics between equipping a route from the ground-up or from rappel, and to see how this decision affects future climbers experience.

Mezzogiorno di Fuoco was equipped in 2006 by Rolando Larcher, Maurizio Oviglia and Roberto Vigiani.  The first free ascent was made by Rolando Larcher in 2007.  The route is very sustained (7a, 8b, 6c, 8a+, 7c+ 7c, 7a) and exposed (large runouts, up to 10m), but above all else, contains stunning climbing in a spectacular position.

Amico Fragile was first climbed in 2006 by Marco Vago and Simone Pedeferri, after earlier attempts in 2005 from Fabrizio Fratagnoli and Mateo Della Bordella.  The main pitch is a stunning 50m 8b that tackles a drastically steep and sustained collonet, yet the first two pitches should not be underestimated, with long run-outs on delicate rock.

 

James writes -
"Hello from a windy and rainy Sardinia! - Today is a rest day and what better way to spend it than catching up on emails, and writing a little news from or last few days adventures!  Yesterday, Caro and I repeated Mezzogiorno di Fuoco, a 7 pitch 8b here in Sardinia.  We climbed the route in a single push from the ground,  Caroline red-pointed every pitch, whilst I got lucky and managed to "flash" the entire route!  Here is a little news report from the route, and another one (Amico Fragile, also 8b) we made a few days ago."

Caroline takes up the story:

"The two last days were a nightmare, in "viaje de los locos" in great big mistral (we got told afterwards that we should not go to Gorropu those days, because the mistral rushes into it ... yes, thank you, we had noticed! J).That will be a project to finish, but for now, we voted for our 3 rd Sardinian route ... Mezzogiorno di Fuoco, bolted by the very famous Larcher-Vigiani, is described by its authors like this: "it will be difficult to find another route that so perfectly combines beauty and difficulty." Pietro dal Pra encouraged us too: do not worry, with this route, you bet right!
Man must still manage to find it: in Sardinia, the indications panel are not fashion, we have since the start of the trip developed a research tactic: the  day before each climbing day is dedicated to research, going back and forth, calling every Sardinian climber available ... and we end up (so far) by finding our needle in the haystack. Remains to go for it now, the route is also known for its commitment / exposure ... well ...  worst case, I'm gonna cry, eh nothing dramatic!
9 AM, we are at the foot of the route, 7 pitches to go: 7a +, 8b, 6c, 8a / +, 7c +, 7c, 7a.
On the very first, I discover an unusual pressure: given the length of the route and its difficulty, I may stand a chance to do it in the day ... if I do not waist any idiot try!
The 8b, which I start to work bolt to bolt, happens to be very hard,  really too much for my taste. But nothing like the success of James flash, as an electrochoc: I'll make it! A few grunts later, it’s made for me too. Phew!
James does the 6c, said EXPO ... not for nothing, with almost 10 meters between points, the bolters didn’t joke!
8a / + ... after a false start, I launch myself into a huge fight, physical and mental, with big spaces between bolts at the end, the hardest part is finding the line. Last hard section just to reach the belay, but there is no way I do the pitch twice! And I do it!
7c +: really hard to find the holds, with not a trace of magnesia the first wanders completely, fortunately it was James, as a second it happens much more easily!
7c ... this time it's my turn to open the ball. I'm starting to seriously lack strengh / power endurence / endurance ... I need 5 tries to finally make my way up the 7c , having fallen exploded  in 2 seconds, to lowerof, start again... I wouldalmost laugh at it, except that the last 7a might not seem very funny to me ...
Finally, the 7a flows, with still some grumbling!"


16th Mar 2012 James Pearson's first 9a.....Escalata Masters, Perles, Spain...

It has been a long time in coming, well it seems like it to me, but yesterday evening I reached the top of Escalatamasters, the route I had been projecting in Perles, Spain, my first 9a! I lose count of how many times I must have said grades are not important, insisting instead it is the beauty of the climb and the moves that I search for. Yet for the last few years, hiding just a little way beneath everything else, was an urge to succeed only for a number. It might have been small, barely noticeable at times, but there it sat none the less, an ever present hope for something I thought perhaps I would never achieve.

But it’s a nice number, don’t you think? 9a. I hope you can forgive my shallowness?

In all seriousness I am very very happy. Its true that I had often thought about climbing a “9a” but up until very recently, realized I had never actually tried one. For the last few years that I have been more focused on Sport climbing, I became drawn by the challenges of Flash and Onsight. Perhaps because I wanted to prepare for such challenges as Muy Caliente, perhaps because I wanted to try to correct what I considered to be my biggest weakness? Or perhaps just because this was what Caroline loved to do, and following her up routes was an easy option (edit: not easy in a climbing sense, as following her up certain routes seems impossible at times, but easy in a “day to day at the cliff” kind of way).

Either way, red-pointing became something of a forgotten game, which is quite strange considering how much time I spent on a top-rop during my days on the Gritstone. If I fell on my onsight, by my 1st redpoint I would already be bored with the route. Spending more than one session on a project was almost unheard of, reserved only for the most magical of climbs.

And yet the urge was there. Popping up from time to time, long enough to realize this was something I did want, and if I was going to make it happen, there were two ways to go about it. Option 1 was to continue as things were, raising my fitness, gaining more experience, until the day came when I could climb a “9a” in a few quick tries – not likely any time soon! Option 2 would hopefully be a little quicker, but would involve me biting the bullet, finding a project, and working it to death!

In December I made the first step on my little quest in the shape of a visit to Spain. I wanted to chose a route of such high quality that even after several weeks and perhaps 10’s of redpoints, the days would still be fun, so what better place to come than Catalunya, the area with perhaps the highest number of hard routes in the world. 5 days were spent checking out various cliffs and several lines until I settled on the one that inspired me most – Escalatamasters, perhaps the most visually beautiful route I have ever seen!

A steep imposing prow of blue and gold, tracked by wiggling collonets transforms at half height to its polar opposite; a slightly overhanging smooth blue face, criss-crossed by tiny crimps and pinches. It’s a very odd mix of Jekyll and Hyde, fortunately with a good knee-bar in the middle where you can rest and perform your own personal transformation.

The first days progressed surprisingly well and I enjoyed the intricate and involved process of finding the many complex tricks to make each movement as easy as possible. I quickly linked the route in overlapping halves, and despite my initial horror at the size of the holds in the upper wall, found the second half quite comfortable when starting from resting on a draw.

Feeling confident, I began my redpoints, but immediately realized this would be a lot more than just sticking the pieces together. Despite feeling like you recover very well in the kneeebar, the 20m of steep athletic climbing leaves its mark, and the upper section feels like a different animal. Controlled static moves become fast awkward slaps, and my previously calm mind became an awkward cluttered mess.

Thankfully each attempt took me 1 or 2 moves higher. Whilst I wouldn’t say I was getting fitter in the route, I did feel like I was learning to deal with the exhaustion in a more efficient way. As each highpoint was reached, the feelings in the moves below became less of a surprise and I was able to better control my nerves on the following attempt.

A forced lay-off from a giant split tip meant motivation was higher than ever. I returned to Spain for the two final days before I would be forced to leave again, however my finger was far from perfect, requiring constant attention to stop the skin from opening again. I decided to climb the first half of the route fully taped, removing the tape at the rest if I felt good enough to make a worthwhile attempt. My first try of the day went better than expected and despite feeling more pumped than usual in the bottom, managed to reach a personal highpoint, falling just on top of the final really hard move.

My finger was holding together, a little battered, but still in one piece. I was happy with the progress and decided not to try again, saving my skin for one final attempt the following morning. As the day passed by and the wind picked up I found myself keen to try again – the idea of climbing in the route seemed fun, simply, and despite my previous logical plans, I decided to follow the flow!

20minutes later, pumped out of my mind, having just come out of one of those rare magic moments where everything somehow just works, I am shaking out on a huge jug with only the final easier section between myself and the chains. I’m terrified, almost too scared to go on for fear of wasting it all, but I do my best to clear my head, and eventually start climbing again.

The hours of practice take me into autopilot, as the moves so feared come easily and I actually enjoy climbing them… though nowhere near as much as I enjoy clipping the chain!

 

8th Mar 2012 James Pearson, Mind Control, 8c+ Oliana....great photos..

Well 2 blog posts in 2 days… this makes a pleasant change. This one will be pretty short but I just wanted to share a few excellent pictures from my friend Francisco Taranto Jr, who is here in Spain with Caro and I.

Approaching the rest on Esclatamasters 9a

Francisco is a freelance photographer who is living a lot “on the road” with his girlfriend Sandra, 2 beautiful children, and his cheeky dog Filipo! Home for them is wherever some interesting action might be, so if you happen to see them at the cliff, or their giant 80′s Mercedes Westfalia, make sure you say hi!  You can check out his website and blog at FotoVertical.org

The last few days have been spent trying a cople of harder routes, one of which got sent, others still a work in progress… Topping out on Mind Control, one of the longer routes up the centre of Oliana was a nice moment indeed. Mind Controll is famous for being one of the 8c+’s onsighted by Adam Ondra last year, and so it was interesting to finally see the route in person, and try to comprehend what onsighting something like that entails, especially in the wet.

The top tufa in Mind Control

With Mind Control in the bag, I moved on to my planned “long term project” in the form of Esclatamasters at the little visited cliff of Perles. I cant speak highly enough of the quality of this route, so will let the pictures speak for themselves.

The steep first section of Esclatamasters 9a

The route is going well so far but is certainly a step up from anything I have tried before. I have managed to drag myself up the thing in overlapping halves which is confidence inspiring. However, the final crimpy wall feels so hard after climbing the steep and powerful initial section, and with the holds being as small and specific as they are, any mistake from fatigue is likely to be the end. Still, having a long term project is a big change from my recent adventures and will be fun to watch the progress.

The final crimpy wall…

22nd Feb 2012 James Pearson Exclusive Interview + Video

James Pearson has just been back in the UK from his new home in France for a visit and we caught up with him to make this fantasic new video and for an exclusive interview:

James you’re back in the UK for a quick hit what are you up to?

I had some meetings with Wild Country and we signed a deal for me to keep using their gear for the next few years. Wild Country was one of my first sponsors, in fact I think it was my very first, in 2004 I think, and so now I’m obviously really, really happy to continue the relationship.  It’s a brand that I really love to work with, they’re very creative, interesting people, and the product speaks for itself – I don’t need to talk about how good it is.    But more it feels very much like a family – I’ve always felt very cared for and looked after by them, and, yeah, you know, and you... you stay true, I guess, to your family and so I’m happy we can continue to work together and hopefully do even more amazing things in the future. So now I have a few days off and I’m going to show Caroline some more of the UK’s climbing.

 

You had a pretty amazing year in 2011 how would you sum it up?
Last year was certainly a really busy year for me.  At the start of the year I had no fixed plans, and these amazing things just kind of materialised, and it would certainly be one of my most productive years ever.  And maybe in terms of success, I think, yeah, it probably was my best year ever just in terms of a continuous, you know, a continuous mass of ascents.  But the main thing was they were all so fun, so varied, so different – every challenge was making me work in a different way, testing me in new areas – and I think this is very important for me to maintain the motivation and also maintain the level.
The things I did last year, they’re all so memorable for many, many different reasons, like Pembroke, (when James attempted to flash the  E10, Muy Caliente)  for example, because it was the first time I’d been properly trad climbing for a long time, and so before the trip I had no idea of even, you know, how my body would take again to it. Then Chad was incredible just for the sheer beauty of the place, the landscape is like nowhere... nowhere I even imagined existed before. 
And Joy Division, (the 22pitch 8b 800m route that James did the first continuous ascent of) wow, I mean this... I think this thing pushed me more than I think anything else I’d done.I remember my first visit to the wall with such high expectations, you know, of planning on going and making a very fast, maybe on site for sure ground up in a day ascent and just getting completely shut down.  I completely underestimated all that big wall climbing entailed.  For me, I looked at it just as going and climbing a few sport routes, and it’s just... I was so... almost so disrespectful to the whole thing – it just slapped me in the face and I came away from that first trip, I think we made it four pitches up the wall, I couldn’t do some moves on the first pitch and I was just like so down-hearted, so... so shocked at how difficult it was.  And then to finally find the way to go back to make the entire journey in after another month or so of continuous effort, four trips, to be stood on the summit was just... just unreal.  An amazing experience, and one I will for sure, I think, remember for a long, long time.

 

So what do you think is next for you, James, how does 2012 pan out?
Ok, so this next year actually is pretty busy in comparison to last year where I almost had no plans, this year I’m pretty much full up until the end.  So right now we just came back from a month and a half in Asia where we were essentially exploring new areas, new sport climbing, cliffs.  It was a pretty good trip, I climbed the hardest route in South East Asia, so for me this was nice, it was a goal before I went, and so to achieve it was super-cool.

James Pearson on his 2011 masterwork Joy Division 8b 800m
And now we’re back in the UK for a little while, do a little bit of trad, a little bouldering, show Caro a few of the nice little cliffs before going back to France and then on to Spain for a month of just pure hard sport climbing, really trying to raise the fitness level.
And a big goal of mine that I’ve had for a while is to climb 9A.  At the end of last year I found a nice project in Perles, a route called Esclatamasters.  It’s amazing... amazing time, and it’s the first time I’ve actually been really psyched for a hard route, for a 9A especially, and it’s something I feel like I can invest a good amount of time in before I get bored. Then after Spain we go to Sardinia for some big walls, sport big walls, so pretty chilled but they’re still fun.  After Sardinia it’s on to... maybe a little trad tour in the UK, this is kind of in the work at the minute.  I’m hopeful that this is going to come off, and we can have some fun going to a lot of new areas that I’ve maybe not been to before, hanging out with old friends and just having a laugh. Then the really cool expeditions start – the first one being a trip to Borneo to make first ascents and repeats of some sport routes on the top of Mount Kinabalu.  It’s over four thousand metres high, so it’s going to be kind of quite different.  In fact I think it’s the... some of the highest sport climbing in the world, and certainly the hardest highest sport climbing. There’s one 9A project up there that Yugi Hiryama bolted last year, and so I’m going to return with Yuji this year to try this and open up some new lines, so this is going to be mega.
After this, it’s potentially a big expedition in Brazil to try and open up a... to try and open up a... to try and free an aid line on one of the big like six hundred metre faces, completely trad, completely in the jungle, you have to hike in for one day, there’s absolutely nothing there, it’s going to be, you know, cut and trail, it’s going to be a really different new experience, but I’m very much looking forward to this. And after that, well, that’s probably enough for right now.  It’s busy.  It’s busy.

 

Essentially, you now have the dream ‘job’of  being a ‘professional climber’ how is that for you?

Life as a professional climber is... is great, I mean this is the best way I can describe it, it’s perfect, it’s my dream and I couldn’t think of anything... anything better.  I think even... even if I was rich, you know, if I’d won the lottery and I didn’t need to, to have sponsors, I still think it’s better to have sponsors because you’re continuously trying to push yourself, trying to evolve, you know, try and stay on top of things, and I think if you were... if you didn’t have to worry about the money side of things, if you could just do what you wanted every day with no care it wouldn’t be, it wouldn’t be as fun.  You know, I kind of like the whole... it’s like a game, you know, you have to... you have your assets and you have to try and learn to piece them together to make the most... to make the best situation.  And I really enjoy this, it’s very creative.

 

So what have you made of Back Bowden Doors,  I know you’ve only had a few hours but would you like to come back?

Cold.  Especially right now, now the sun’s going!!  No, today was my first time actually at Back Bowden.  I’d been to the other Bowden, I don’t know if you call if Front Bowden? I’d been there once before but in the middle of summer, and so, sure, conditions were not so great.  And here, to day, I loved it.  I think there’s really interesting rock formations, especially at the far end of the crag at Merlin Wall is... it is very nice, it’s something that you just don’t... you just don’t get on the grit stone – these steep overhanging walls covered in positive hold – and so it’s quite fun to climb on a rock that’s quite similar to grit with the friction, you know, the texture, but to have... have this kind of terrain that’s normally restricted to limestone.

So this was great.  I wish my fingers were not quite as injured, and I would have been able to hopefully spend a bit more time on the harder problems, but it’s something to come back to in the future, I guess.

And the trad routes – well I just did one, Charlottes Dream Direct E7 6B, and it was so, so much fun.  I don’t think I’ve done a route with a move quite as wild as that for a long, long time.  Pretty... pretty good gear, small wires, the rocks are a little soft so you’re never quite sure whether they’re going to stay, but I think they’re ok.  And just this crazy... this wild, crazy, awkward dyno over from this scrunch position to a super good hold...but hard to hit.

 

You can read the full interview with James either here on on the PDF below