I’ve been climbing now for over 25 years, my passion for climbing has never waned, and I’m pretty sure it never will, and so I guess that makes me a “lifer.”
I’m fortunate to live in the best place in NSW (and possibly all of Australia) for climbing: Blackheath’s climbing community continues to grow year by year, so too, the number of new crags, inspiring new routes, and inspiring people to climb with.
Climbing friends are more like family, they support, encourage, love and laugh, and I’ve never come across a crew of more accepting souls. The Blue Mountains is an inspiring place to be, and there is never a shortage of goals and objectives to keep you feeling fresh and psyched.
There’s a lot of barriers being pushed here, but it’s not always about hard bolted sport, there’s plenty of people getting out there and pushing themselves on hard trad routes, or big link ups with massive days employing new techniques to be ever more efficient, fast and light.
It's so easy to get caught up in projecting hard sport routes, and I do it all the time, but what's inspired me most throughout my climbing years was to be a well-rounded climber - to at least try to learn and grow as a climber.
All you have to do is try.
I’m fortunate to live in the best place in NSW (and possibly all of Australia) for climbing: Blackheath’s climbing community continues to grow year by year, so too, the number of new crags, inspiring new routes, and inspiring people to climb with.
Climbing friends are more like family, they support, encourage, love and laugh, and I’ve never come across a crew of more accepting souls. The Blue Mountains is an inspiring place to be, and there is never a shortage of goals and objectives to keep you feeling fresh and psyched.
There’s a lot of barriers being pushed here, but it’s not always about hard bolted sport, there’s plenty of people getting out there and pushing themselves on hard trad routes, or big link ups with massive days employing new techniques to be ever more efficient, fast and light.
It's so easy to get caught up in projecting hard sport routes, and I do it all the time, but what's inspired me most throughout my climbing years was to be a well-rounded climber - to at least try to learn and grow as a climber.
All you have to do is try.
This shot is a route in the Grose Valley, one of the most stunning areas in our backyard playground. I first heard about it from Mikl, who found and cleaned it up, but thought it too hard for him to climb. He put the word out and told me I should give it a go. I thought it would be too hard for me as well, so I never got around to it. Once the first ascent was done, it caught my imagination.
When I decided to give it a go, ground up, placing the gear, I didn’t expect to climb it clean, I just wanted to give it a go – to try. And, I didn’t do it clean; It was a total battle - super-burly. My fingers were bloody and bruised, my toes hurt, but once all is said and done, all we can do is try.
These are the days where I learn more about myself and my climbing; Ultimately, they are the most rewarding and satisfying.
When I decided to give it a go, ground up, placing the gear, I didn’t expect to climb it clean, I just wanted to give it a go – to try. And, I didn’t do it clean; It was a total battle - super-burly. My fingers were bloody and bruised, my toes hurt, but once all is said and done, all we can do is try.
These are the days where I learn more about myself and my climbing; Ultimately, they are the most rewarding and satisfying.